Italy Lake Como: Travel warning as popular Italian holiday destination considers introducing tourist tax - following in footsteps of Venice

A beautiful holiday destination in Italy is the latest tourist hotspot to consider introducing a tax for all visitors, following in the footsteps of Venice which recently brought in charges. Lake Como is the third largest lake in Italy and the scenic spot attracts 1.4 million visitors a year, making it one of Italy's most popular tourist destinations.

With an influx of visitors there has been more overcrowding and popular areas needing extra maintenance. This has caused the mayor of Como Alessandro Rapinese to consider introducing a tax to cover the effects of overtourism as he said it is "difficult to be mayor when you are fighting tourism".

He told The Times: “We are already discussing the idea [of a tourist tax]. Revolutions begin with concrete measures and we are ready for this long journey.”

This comes as Venice rolled out a daily fee for all tourists and day visitors over the age of 14 after struggling with an influx of tourists. The tax will cost €5 (around £4.28) per day and follows other changes it has made to cut back on overtourism, such as a ban on cruise ships.

This week, the Algarve municipality of Portimão in Portugal also launched a tourist tax of €2 (£1.70) per person per night if visiting between April and September, and a fee of €1 (85p) between October and March. This applies to everyone over the age of 13 and could add around £50 to the cost of a one-week stay for a family of four.

The tourist tax has left some travellers outraged and disappointed. Hammer Tsui, a Hong Kong-based blogger, who documents her travels with her husband, told BBC News she thought the tax “seemed unfair and somewhat unethical". She added: "I've always believed that tourists contribute significantly to the local economy and should be welcomed with open arms." 

Lake Como has always been a popular place to visit among tourists and celebrities alike. George Clooney famously purchased a villa for €10million (£8.5million) around 20 years ago. It forms the backdrop to films such as Casino Royale and House of Gucci.