It's an issue that’s been dragging on for several years. Repeatedly postponed, the tax applied to tourists visiting Venice, Italy just for the day – those who do not stay in a hotel in the city – has come into force (since April 25). Targeting cruise passengers in particular, the fee will be $5 (RM25.50). It’s a move that’s already inspired other Italian towns and cities, which are also suffering the consequences of overcrowding.
Such is the case of Lake Como, in Lombardy, northern Italy. This enchanting destination is a lush paradise where travel slows to a gentle stroll thanks to the sapphire-blue waters in which the peaks of the Alps are reflected. But during the peak summer season, it is literally taken over by hoards of visitors.
On a single day last year, Lake Como welcomed no fewer than 300,000 visitors, while the local population of the town that lends its name to Italy’s third-largest lake totals just 85,000. In all, the area around Lake Como is visited by 1.4 million people over the course of a year, according to figures reported by SchengenVisaInfo.
Speaking to The Times, mayor Alessandro Rapinese said that the city recorded 4.8 million hotel bookings last year, an increase of one million compared to 2019, a benchmark year in the tourism sector because it precedes the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
During the interview, the politician raised the idea of introducing a tax like the one coming to Venice targeting one-day visitors. In fact, private coach companies that organise tours over a few hours of the day could be charged $50 (RM255) for each coach that arrives.
Lake Como has seen a boom in tourism since the arrival of Hollywood’s George Clooney in 2002, who remained there after marrying his wife, Amal, in 2014. The actor bought Villa Oleandra in Laglio, which overlooks the lake and has provoked the curiosity of many tourists (and paparazzi) – so much so that Clooney reportedly decided to put it up for sale last year for $100mil (RM508mil).
But it’s been a long time since the magnificent Italian region has been a favourite among celebrities (and therefore visitors).
A haven for the jet-set, the destination was once a stopping-off point for the likes of 18th century French writer Stendhal, Aristotle Onassis and the Kennedys.
While the famous one-day visitor’s tax in Venice has been much talked about but never implemented, this kind of policy targeting overtourism is by no means unique to Italy. In the Galápagos Islands, for example, an entry tax of US$100 (RM478) per person is charged for international visitors. This is set to rise by a further US$100 on Aug 1!
Meanwhile, Bali introduced its own tax at the beginning of the year. It now costs IDR150,000 (RM44) per person to visit the famous Indonesian island. — AFP Relaxnews
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