Venice to double controversial city entry fee to further curb crowding and other tourist hotspots are taking notes

Sea levels aren’t the only thing rising.Waterlogged Venice wowed the travel world last year by slapping visitors with a controversial entry fee to help keep the sinking city afloat — and now local officials are doubling the rate.Said to have been initiated in 2024 as a response to the adverse effects of overtourism on the precarious UNESCO World Heritage Site, even locals were more than a little gondo-leery of the surprise 5 euro fee (roughly $5.15) at the time — with some calling the bailout plan little more than a symbolic drop in the bucket.They must be over it now — the tariff for those who don’t make their booking and pay up at least four days ahead of time will increase to 10 euros (roughly $10.25), the local tourism office stated.That, and they’re almost doubling the number of days per year the charge will be in effect, according to reports.The fee was initially touted as a method of discouraging crowding during select peak season dates.Visitors can still pay the discounted rate on the affected days — while those who make a last-minute decision will pay the new, steeper toll.Fines for not registering can reportedly be as high as $310.

The scheme seems to have gone from shocking to sexy — tourism official Simone Venturini told colleagues at a recent industry convention of a flood of interest that followed the announcement, particularly from other destinations struggling to manage growing crowds.“We confirm that several institutional bodies, both in Italy and internationally, have contacted the City of Venice to gain a deeper understanding of the [fee],” a spokesperson told Business Insider.Kyoto, Japan, Formentera in Spain, Zermatt, Switzerland and other Italian destinations had all made inquiries, they shared.The outlet stated that the change has already added 2.4 million euros (about $2.5 million) to local coffers — having the desired effect of keeping numbers from busting previous records during times of typical peak visitation.Ca...