Rome rules out Venice-style entry fee, targets short-term rentals to protect centre

No entry ticket, but tighter rules on short-term lets

Rome's mayor, Roberto Gualtieri, told Bloomberg in an interview published on 28 October 2026 that the city will not introduce a visitor entry ticket and will not restrict access to the city. Instead, the administration intends to protect the 3,000-year-old historic centre by sharply regulating short-term rentals and keeping its core inhabited by residents and served by traditional shops and restaurants. He rejected copying Venice, which tested a 5 euro access fee for day-trippers this summer. According to Gualtieri, that model suits the lagoon city because of its small size and the large number of visitors who never stay overnight and therefore pay no local accommodation tax.

Beds outnumber residents in the centre

A market study published in September by the real estate firm Brixa counts more than 122,000 tourist beds in the historic centre, against a resident population of a little over 116,000. The study finds that short-term rentals listed on Airbnb and Vrbo, traditionally concentrated in the old core, are now spreading into residential neighbourhoods on the outskirts. The municipal assembly has approved an update to urban development rules, a process that had been blocked for almost two decades, with the aim of halting depopulation. Gualtieri says the new measures give stronger protection to the residential housing stock. Florence and Bologna have already imposed strict bans on converting residential property in historic centres into commercial accommodation.

Record tourism in 2025

Municipal data cited by Bloomberg show Rome recorded a record 22.9 million tourist arrivals in 2025, of which 12 million were foreign visitors. Overnight stays also reached a record 52.92 million.

Total tourist arrivals22.9

Foreign tourist arrivals12

Total tourist arrivals

22.9 million

Foreign tourist arrivals

12 million

Data from the article text

Gualtieri said the city should attract visitors drawn to cultural events and authentic local experiences rather than what he called 'hit-and-run tourism', in which visitors consume services without giving much back. He also said tourists will always come to Rome, and that the priority is to keep the centre lively, lived in and served by genuinely local businesses rather than artificial outlets built only for mass tourism.

What comes next

Gualtieri stressed that the municipality cannot act on existing properties unless it receives that authority, and says Rome therefore needs further legal tools from the national government. The mayor said the city is equipping itself with tools that would allow it to impose restrictions on different types of property. The approach frames the policy as a choice between limiting how many visitors come and shaping what kind of visitors come, with the emphasis on residents and local trade.