The Italian government is considering reforming the tourist tax, according to a draft of a new regulation from August. After the trial phase of paying for tickets to visit Venice has ended, the municipality of Rome is considering the possibility of introducing a ticket to visit the famous Trevi Fountain.
Last year, the residence tax in Italy brought the country a profit of 702 million euros. Cities like Rome applied an average tax of five and a half to 10 euros for luxury hotels and thanks to this the capital city earned a hundred million euros.
The Italian government is currently considering an increase in tourist tax prices in that country. For overnight stays priced below 100 euros, a tax of up to five euros per day would be payable, while for overnight stays priced over 750 euros, the maximum daily tourist tax would be 25 euros.
Another novelty is related to what the earned money would be spent on, and that is covering the costs of waste collection. This decision is strongly opposed by the association of hoteliers in Italy “Federalbergi”, who remind that the taxes have already been increased due to the jubilee that will be celebrated in Rome next year.
At the same time, the municipality of Rome is considering the possibility of restricting access to one of its most famous monuments, the Trevi Fountain, right before the Holy Year when it is expected that around 32 million tourists and pilgrims will arrive in the city.
The draft plan dictates that a visit to the Trevi Fountain will have to be booked in advance and that it is necessary to choose an exact time for the visit, which will certainly be allowed to a limited number of people in the so-called slots, just as it was in Venice, where the experimental phase of paying tickets to enter the city ended in July.
The authorities say that in this way, by paying a symbolic sum for tourists, they want to prevent so-called excessive tourism and enable everyone to calmly observe the fountain, and not as before, when the police often had to intervene due to crowds, people who would bathe in the fountain , vandalism and disobeying the rules.
They also say that, if it turns out to be a good move, it would most likely be applied to other famous Italian monuments as well.
The idea of paying an entrance fee to get to the fountain came from tourism consultant Alessandro Onorato, and it was also liked by Mayor Gvaltijeri, the Chamber of Commerce of the City of Rome and Minister of Tourism Danijela Santanka.
Between eight and 12 thousand people visit the Trevi Fountain every day, and the ticket would cost two euros for a half-hour visit, while it would be free for the citizens of Rome. On paper, this would contribute to order in a complicated city like Rome, especially before the jubilee in 2025.
The world media also reported the news that Italy intends to increase tourist taxes up to 25 euros precisely in order not to deal with excessive tourism. On the occasion of the growing controversies surrounding tourist taxes and the payment of tickets for monuments, the Ministry of Tourism declares that this is still not a definitive decision and that discussions with all interested associations, institutions and organizations in the field of tourism are still ongoing, BHRT writes.
