The new mayor of Venice Simone Venturini said he hopes to increase the entry fee for city daily visitors to up to 50 euros.
Venturini, from the right-wing former tourism consultant elected at the end of May, said that the proposal aims at discourage even more arrivals "during periods of increased tourist pressure".
In 2024, Venice became the world's first tourist city to impose an entry fee, establishing a fee of EUR 5 on 29 peak dates between April and July.
The end came back in 2025 but now it was at 54 dates and twice for the last-minute daily visitors. This year, the fee is 60 dates, writes Guardian.
The measure, which had little effect on the number of visitors, gross EUR 2.4 million in the city's funds in its first year of application, an amount much greater than expected.
The Italian city authorities still believe that it will eventually contribute to tackling overtourism in their city that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Venturini pledged during his campaign to increase the end 30 to 50 euros, depending on dates.
He also stated that the city council is studying a proposal that he intends to submit to the government, requesting permission to increase the entry fee "in certain days and when certain reservation limits are exceeded".
The fee is paid electronically and, in return, visitors receive a QR code which they must display to the auditors hired to patrol at the city's main entry points, such as the railway station.
Anyone who makes a reservation for a stay in Venice is exempt from paying the fee. Tourists are still excluded from the wider area of Veneto, where most daily visitors come from, as well as children under the age of 14. However, even if a visitor has booked a hotel, he is still obliged to declare his presence on the website.