Visitors to Venice who have a hotel booking in the city will be spared the new tax being introduced by on peak weekends next year.
In a pilot programme, day-trippers will each pay €5 (US$5.45) to enter the UNESCO World Heritage city on peak weekends in a bid to reduce crowds, encourage longer visits and improve the quality of life for residents.
Venice mayor Luigi Brugnaro said the fee is an experiment in regulating tourist flows by incentivising visitors to avoid high-traffic periods and come on other days. "Our attempt is to make a more liveable city," he said at a news conference.
Cruise passengers are likely to be most impacted by the fee as they return to the ships every night rather than stay in a city hotel.
In all, 29 days from April to mid-July – including most weekends – will be subject to the day-tripper fee during peak hours from 8.30am until 4pm.
Exemptions apply for residents and Venetian-born visitors, students and workers, as well as tourists who have hotel or other lodging reservations.