We booked a few nights in September in Venice back in April - direct with guest house. On the bottom of our confirmation email it says..

THE CITY TAX come into force on 24 August 2011 and should be settled directly at the reception. The daily rate is Euro 2,50 for adults for maximum 5 nights and free for children up to 10 years. Any reductions or exemptions will be calculated on the reception.

It's all a bit confusing at the moment, different areas are charging different amounts, some are only charging €1 per night for the first 4 nights and children don't have to pay but other areas are charging more. Where are you staying?

Spain introduced a similar tax a few years ago which was quickly dropped.

If this is a tax imposed by the government then it is likely you will have to pay it. When APD was introduced in the UK a few years ago, it still had to be paid even after flights were paid in full.

It appears from Betty Boop's post that this tax is payable direct to the hotel rather than to the tour operator.

I would suggest emailing the hotel direct to ask what there charges and policy is. If you don't know the email address, post the hotel name and location here and someone may be able to help.

luci

It is a government tax. When the tax came into effect last year only a few large cities charged it.
From April this year many more regions started to charge the tax. It's based on the star ratings of the accomodation 5* hotel guests paying the most with tourists staying in campgrounds just paying a few cents per night. As BB said she paid the bill for the tax at reception. There is supposed to be a limit as to how many days you can be taxed for some areas are charging for just four nights others for longer. If the bill is not in English the charge will show up in Italian as 'Contributo di Soggiorno'

Off to Sicily soon and noticed tickets do suggest the new Italian Tourist Tax
"may be payable in cash for the duration of the holiday at roughly €1 to €2 per night".
Which confirms previous posts.
Has anyone any real experience of whether they are actually charging this?

Answering my own question, since I just got back from Sicily. The answer is that at the hotel I stayed at (Fiesta Garden near Cefalu) there was NO CHARGE for this tourist tax.
So the cash, kept just in case, was quite handy in the airport bar.

Thanks ukbill for update - glad to hear you had some extra spends at the airport

the echo tax came in in spain.most hotels gave you a drink to cover the price you paid.