Overtourism, which is causing havoc from Venice to the Italian Riviera, threatens to cost travellers dearly as Rome considers raising a tourist tax to make them “more responsible” and raise money.
Under a draft decree issued this summer, Giorgia Meloni’s government is considering raising the tourist tax, currently around €5 per night, to €10 for rooms costing €100, €15 for rooms costing more than €400, and €25 for luxury suites costing more than €750.
The proposal has angered tourism associations, who fear that excessive increases could dampen tourists’ enthusiasm for coming to Italy.
“We shouldn’t scare tourists with very high taxes. We already have a very high VAT rate,” Marina Lalli, president of the professional tourism body, told AFP.
Last May, the president of the Federalberg Hoteliers Association, Bernardo Boca, accused the government of treating “hotels like ATMs.”
After news of the proposed tax hike made headlines abroad, Tourism Minister Daniela Santanche at the weekend dismissed what she called “unjustified hype” but did not deny the plan.
“At a time of overtourism, we are discussing a ‘tourism tax’ so that it can be a real help to improve services and make tourists who pay it more responsible,” she wrote in early August.
Italy is the world’s fourth most popular tourist destination, with 57.2 million foreign tourists last year spending $55.9 billion, according to the World Tourism Organization.
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