KUWAIT CITY, Sept 8: Italian Ambassador to Kuwait Lorenzo Morini has clarified that the Italian government’s proposal to increase tourist tax is still under review; affirming it will be the subject of discussion between the government and representatives of the National Association of Italian Municipalities within this month. In a statement to the daily, Morini said the point of view of the association is important; because the municipalities are in charge of determining and implementing the tourist tax. He explained that tourist tax is applied proportionally, based on the hotel fees tourists pay.

He added this tax will be used to improve services provided to tourists in certain fields; such as transportation, security, and garbage collection. He revealed the proposal aims to provide a better experience for foreign visitors by giving Italian cities the financial tools to improve basic services. On the number of Kuwaitis who visited his country this year, Morini stated that the Italian Embassy issued 10,000 tourist visas to Kuwaitis between June and August 2024. He added a large number of Kuwaitis have obtained long-term visas -- for a period ranging from three to five years since July 2023; indicating the number of tourists from Kuwait reached about 40,000 last year.