One of my earliest assignments, after turning to the coalface of travel journalism 16 years ago, was to Monte Carlo. Embarrassed by the largesse of my tourist-organisation hosts, I resolved to put my hand in my pocket on the last night, when we were taken to a nightclub. “I’ll get these,” I announced, striding to the bar. Four beers were ordered. Four stubby cans were duly opened and carefully poured by the suave barman. The bill was nonchalantly slid in front of me. Nearly €100.
“Merci,” I said, quietly sobbing.
I was reminded of this last week as the latest example of overcharging emerged from the unofficial capital of tourist price gouging, Venice. Four Japanese students ordered a plate of fried fish, a steak each and a bottle of wine at a friendly little joint near St Mark’s Square. The cost? 1,100 of your finest euros, please.
The fleeced foursome were outraged. They contacted the tough-talking mayor, Luigi Brugnaro (he’s called tourists “skinflints” in the past, and made limiting their numbers a priority when he came to office in 2015), and got a surprisingly sympathetic response. “If this disgraceful episode is confirmed,” he said, “we’ll do all we can to punish those responsible.”
They duly did. The restaurant, Osteria da Luca, was hit with a fine of up to €20,000 (£17,480) on Thursday after visits from police and health authorities.
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Bravo. But this is far from a one-off. In November last year, Luke Tang, a lecturer from Birmingham, also contacted Signor Brugnaro after he and his parents were charged €526 for a modest seafood lunch, again not far from St Mark’s. The week before, a Japanese couple were hit with a bill for €120 for a plate of spaghetti. After an argument, the bill was cut — home insurance quote-style — by 40%.
Rumours that Venetian restaurants operate a “three-menu system” — one for locals, one for other Italians and one for tourists — have long persisted. And variable pricing isn’t confined to meals: a Belgian tourist lodged a discrimination complaint with the European Commission in 2015 after being appalled that visitors should be charged more for everything from vaporetto rides to using public toilets.
So what are the implications? Tang was in no doubt. “This will ruin the reputation of Venice,” he wrote in his letter. I disagree. Of course overcharging is outrageous. But the threshold for such things is actually quite high. If anything, we expect it. Most people’s reaction to such stories, I’m guessing, won’t be to veto Venice out of solidarity, but to tut, admonish the victims’ naivety and think: “It would never happen to me.”
But it could — and, given our nation’s appalling linguistic skills and our pathological fear of awkward encounters, Brits are particularly vulnerable. “I didn’t want to make a scene,” Tang said. Quite right. Taking on a fraught, tourist-weary, gesticulating Venetian waiter — on his own turf — certainly takes some front.
A rising tide of anti-tourism is lapping against La Serenissima. In 2015, it was reported that fines of up to €620 (or half a dozen oysters near the Rialto Bridge) would be imposed on those caught using hard-wheeled suitcases in the city. (It was later stated that the regulation would apply only to commercial carts.) Last year, there was a ruling to ban cruise ships over 55,000 tons. Other measures include people-counters and caps on the amount of tourist accommodation. Will all this make a difference? Of course not. Marquee destinations such as Venice, New York and Paris could systematically water-cannon all visitors and still not dent demand.
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There are, of course, ways to avoid being ripped off (says the man who paid €100 for four beers). Be self-sufficient when visiting tourist traps: packed lunches, water, snacks nicked from the breakfast buffet. Be on your guard for the “by weight” trick, too — common with fresh fish in Italy. If this applies, specify a small portion and ask for a price estimate.
If you’re given apparently complimentary bread (common in Portugal) or an unrequested nightcap, check these are the gestures of hospitality you think they are. If it’s a coffee, a sandwich or an ice cream you’ve stopped for, avoid sitting (including tables outside), as this can ramp up the price alarmingly.
And, while it’s neither sexy nor spontaneous, researching a few good restaurant options before setting off to see the sights always helps. Osteria da Luca is ranked as terrible by no fewer than 83% of TripAdvisor reviewers. Mmm.
Finally, you could do much worse than take Brugnaro’s advice and learn a bit of the language. Knowing the Italian for, say, “cover charge” could mean you never have to learn the Italian for “That’s outrageous”. Just in case, it’s “È uno scandalo”.
Have you been ripped off on holiday? Email us at travel@sunday-times.co.uk
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