00:00Well, are you planning a trip to Rome to see the historic Travi Fountain?
00:03If you haven't done that, you may want to do it now because very soon it will cost you.
00:08Authorities in the Italian capital have announced that tourists will be expected to pay more than $2 to visit the landmark from February next year.
00:16It's part of an effort to combat over-tourism.
00:19The site has attracted an average of 30,000 tourists every day this year.
00:24Now, I'm joined by travel broadcaster and commentator Simon Corder. Simon, great to have you.
00:30A pleasure to be here and, of course, yes, people are going to be thinking, this is part of history, this is part of humanity's great creativity.
00:38Why should I have to pay over $2 to go and see something which humanity owns?
00:44But it is hard way in the corner, isn't it, that you can just see it and, you know, from a fund, you don't really have to pay for over $2 just to see that.
00:53Well, yes, I mean, the whole idea is that it's got very, very chaotic.
00:57And a lot of people say that social media is responsible because everybody wants to get their selfie of being in front of this marvellous sculpture in the middle of Rome.
01:08That's made access very difficult.
01:10And now the thought is if you put a charge on, then you will reduce the numbers, you'll make it more enjoyable for people.
01:18So they would say, the mayor of Rome, that this is actually doing both visitors and the local residents a favour.
01:27And how much of a problem do you think over-tourism is for some of the worst, most famous tourist destinations?
01:33Well, clearly, it is a concern in places such as Dubrovnik, where they have now started charging almost $50 to walk around the city walls because it is such an iconic site.
01:46Across in Venice, they are trying to deal with over-tourism by putting on a charge of between 5 and 10 euros.
01:54That's about $6 to $12 in order to go there for a day visitor on the peak days.
02:02There's various other issues all across the world, but I tend to think that these things are self-limiting.
02:09If you've been to Rome on a hot day in the middle of July, you're probably not going to go back because it is really quite oppressive, both the crowds and the heat and the noise and the prices.
02:20Yeah, I see what you mean. I was there this summer in Rome, actually. It was scotching hot.
02:25But you know what? At the end of the day, it's a matter of balance, isn't it?
02:29Because some of the local shops, they still want tourists.
02:32Oh, of course they do. And Rome's economy is absolutely built on tourism. It does fantastically well.
02:39When you're going there as a tourist, you're paying for a two-night stay. A couple would pay $35 just in hotel tax.
02:46You're paying sales tax on top of that. You're paying quite a lot of money for a cup of coffee.
02:51And a lot of people will say, well, a couple of dollars for the Trevi Fountain, that's not even going to buy me half a cup of coffee.
02:57So it's just something which is going to add friction to the whole business of being a tourist.
03:03And I think that is a real problem, because people just want to go to a destination and explore things.
03:09But even here in London, we are talking about possibly introducing charges to some of the top museums.
03:15And from the 1st of January in the US, even the natural wonders are going to be taxed.
03:21You and I, if we want to go to Yellowstone or Yosemite or the Grand Canyon,
03:25we'll have to pay a surcharge of $100 per person on top of the charge that the Americans pay.
03:31But do you think it will make too much of a difference, because that's just only like $2, and tourists are still just going?
03:37It's a little early to tell, but I guess they would say it's a bit of a nudge.
03:41Personally, I love the Trevi Fountain very first thing in the morning.
03:45And this will still be free before 9 o'clock and after 9 in the evening.
03:49So I think you'll probably actually find the crowds are building up very early in the morning,
03:54which is going to be interesting.
03:56But if it cuts down on the chaos and it increases the appreciation of it by tourists
04:03and also reduces the impact on the residents, then that has to be a good thing.
04:07But I think there are limits.
04:09I'm not sure if you went to the world travel market this year.
04:12And according to the latest report, the whole travel industry will grow even faster
04:17than the global overall economy in the next 10 years.
04:20I believe that you have read the reports.
04:21Very much so, yes, basically, because disposable income is increasing,
04:26because so many people across the world are demanding experiences rather than possessions,
04:31our appetite for travel and tourism is simply insatiable.
04:36This will continue across the world, and I guess the Italians just want a little bit more of that revenue.
04:42Yeah, indeed, insatiable, isn't it?
04:44Thank you so much for your Inside That is travel broadcaster and commentator Simon Corder.
04:49Thank you so much.
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