Venice postpones ‘tourist tax’ on travelers till 2023

As per the latest developments, Venice has postponed its plans to charge visitors a ‘tourist tax’ to manage over tourism. As reported earlier, Venetian authorities announced that tourists heading to Venice would be charged between $3.14 and $10.56 per day. This tourism hotspot initially approved the tourist tax in a way to help curb the ‘overwhelming number of day trippers' heading to the city, along with making up for the financial losses that the city endured during the Coronavirus pandemic. However, now this tourist hotspot has backtracked on its decision, and following a vote by the Venice town council, the authorities have decided that the booking and payment system will now launch next year. The move comes just one month after the city announced the launch of its portal for incoming tourists to facilitate their process of booking their visiting slots. The initial launch plan was part of a larger crackdown on over tourism, which the ancient canal city has been battling over the years, in addition to the problem of sinking under rising sea levels. So now, although the tax idea did manage to receive positive reactions from locals, Venice authorities have voted to delay the introduction of the fee until January 16, 2023. If reports are to go by, when the new rule comes into effect, travelers visiting the city for a day will have to pre-book their visit, as well as pay an entrance fee using a dedicated booking app. Prices will likely vary from around $3 during offseason to $11 on the busiest days.