Venice's €5 (R99) tourist tax, which ran over 29 days from April 25 till mid-July, earned the lagoon city €2,2 million (R43,6 million), but it has continued to cause controversy.
Authorities have said the levy will continue and could be doubled for 2025, bringing it up to €10 (R198), reports euronews.com.
During the first 11 days of the trial, about 75 000 tourists visited the city, far exceeding the benchmark of arrivals experienced in 2023, said Giovanni Andrea Martini, an opposition city council member.
Earlier in July, dozens of activists protested the levy outside Santa Lucia train station, saying it did not dissuade tourist numbers on peak days as promised.
The money earned from the tax will go towards the city's maintenance, maintenance of the historic areas, cleaning and reducing living costs for residents.
The tax was designed both for the betterment of the lives of locals and to prevent Unesco from removing the city's World Heritage Site status due to the lack of upkeep.
