A measure in Italy's 2019 budget law will allow the local government in Venice to charge day-trippers for access to the city's historic centre as a way to help defray the considerable costs of maintaining a popular tourist destination built on water, the mayor said. The measure allows the city authorities from July to charge tourists a landing fee of between 2.5 and 10 euros ($2.9-11.5) depending on the season. The charge covers all visitors, whether they are staying overnight or not. That means it will apply to day-trippers such as the thousands of cruise ship passengers who currently escape the existing tax charged by hotels and the owners of rented properties for those staying overnight. Some 600 cruise ships stop at Venice every year, helping drive complaints that the city is being swamped by the millions of tourists who visit each year.
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