Authorities in Rome have been accused of trying to fleece the millions of tourists who will flock to the city during the Catholic church’s jubilee year of mercy, which begins in December, following a proposal that would increase the cost of a daily coach permit from €200 to €1,000.
The proposed hike, which has not yet been approved by the city council, has been designed to deter coaches from entering the city centre. Officials want an estimated 25 million tourists to rely instead on public transport.
But the European Tourism Association (ETOA), which represents hundreds of tour operators and their suppliers, says the plan threatens to turn the jubilee year into a shambles. It said restrictions on coaches would lead to a repeat of the last jubilee year, in 2000, which it called logistically “disastrous”.
“The behaviour [of the Italian officials] seems vicious and irrational, with no regard to practicality or planning. What will these visitors receive in return for this increase?” said Tom Jenkins, the chief executive of ETOA. “That this was announced in the same month as the bid for the 2024 Olympic Games shows that the aspirations of Rome and the reality of their organisational capability live in separate worlds.”
Rome’s ministry of culture did not return a request for comment.
Last week officials in the government of the prime minister, Matteo Renzi, expressed outrage at what they perceived as poor treatment of tourists at some of Rome’s biggest attractions. The government proposed emergency legislation after tourists were kept out of the Colosseum without any notice because it was hosting a trade union meeting. “We will not allow anti-Italy unionists to take culture hostage,” Renzi said on Twitter.
This year, Stefano Fiori, the president of tourism for the Italian employers’ association Unindustria, said Rome was “totally capable” of handling the spike in tourists for the jubilee, which begins on 8 December and ends in November next year.
