Venice mayor seeks to nearly quintuple day-tripper fee with dynamic pricing

Venice's new mayor, Simone Venturini, is proposing a dynamic pricing system for the city's day-tripper access fee, according to the Associated Press. The current flat rate of €10 for last-minute reservations would be replaced by a variable charge that could reach €50 on the city's most congested days. Venturini told the AP in a Friday interview that he intends to seek government approval for the measure, framing it as a tool to manage the flow of visitors into the UNESCO world heritage city.

The proposal marks a significant escalation in Venice's three-year experiment with visitor management. Since 2023, the city has charged day-trippers a reservation fee, but the modest €10 rate has done little to curb the 20 million annual visitors who strain the lagoon's infrastructure and accelerate its physical decay. Dynamic pricing, widely used in airline and hotel sectors, would theoretically price out casual tourists on peak days while generating revenue during summer and holiday periods when the city reaches saturation.