Italy plans tourist tax of up to €25 a night to tackle overcrowding in cities like Florence and Rome
The increased levy could fund bin collections in financially disadvantaged cities
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Italy has proposed increasing its tourist tax to €25 a night for holidaymakers staying in its most expensive hotel rooms.
The Italian government is considering the €25 (£21) tax – currently between €1 and €5 per night in cities such as Venice – to make tourists “more responsible” and help financially disadvantaged areas fund services like refuse collections.
With almost 60 million international visitors in 2023, some of Italy’s holiday hotspots are plagued with congestion from cruise day trippers and overnight visitors during peak season.
The new fee would be paid on top of existing tourist taxes in Italy’s major cities, including Florence and Rome, in the ongoing battle against overtourism.
If the plans are approved, different tiers will assign the tax to room categories based on the rates charged by hotels.
Top-end rooms priced at over €750 a night will face €25 in fees, whereas the cheapest accommodation (under €100) could be charged just €5, according to The Financial Times.
A €10 tax for rooms costing between €100 and €400, and €15 tax for rates between €400 and €750 are also predicted as part of the charge.
Italian tourism minister Daniela Santanche shared on Friday: “In times of over-tourism, we are debating this so that it really helps improve services and make tourists who pay it more responsible.”
Last month, Maria Carmela Colaiacovo, president of the Italian hotel association Confindustria Alberghi, said: “The sector is making an important contribution to the country’s economy, especially with the growth of international travellers, after the difficult years of Covid.
“But foreign competition is strong and fierce and we need careful policies that do not compromise the competitiveness of our businesses and our destinations. We cannot be a mere ATM for municipalities.”
Barbara Casillo, director of Confindustria Alberghi, warned the government to “be very careful” that the increased tax does not backfire if high taxes in Italy “scare” prospective travellers to the region.
A number of measures to combat traffic and soaring house prices for residents have been introduced to European holiday hotspots this year.
In April, Venice became the first city in the world to charge admission for daytrippers.
The €5 (£4.26) charge to enter the historic centre of Venice started a 29-day trial to control visitor numbers on busy days until mid-July.
In May, opposition councillor Giovanni Andrea Martini called the access fee a “grand bluff, artfully created to generate media buzz, which does not solve the problem of overtourism in Venice,” adding that the fee was “introduced solely to generate revenue”.
For more travel news and advice, listen to Simon Calder’s podcast
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments