The mayor of Venice is proposing a new variable rate fee for tourists that could cost up to $59

Venice's new mayor is proposing a flexible pricing system for the city's access fee, under plans that would raise the charge to $59 on peak days, trying to ease the congestion in the UNESCO world heritage city.

Mayor Simone Venturini said on Friday that the fee was paid around $11 for last minute bookings did not do enough to discourage visitors on peak days. Instead of imposing a fixed maximum charge, the city wants to establish a type of surge pricing, allowing the charge to rise with demand on busiest days.

Venturini said the plan will curb overcrowding and help offset the city's maintenance costs.

“We spend 100 million euros a year just to preserve Venice physically, and no one gives us that money. Not Europe. Not the country of Italy. The international critics don't pay either. It is paid by the people of Venice, and partly through tourism taxes,” said Venturini, who was elected mayor last month after serving as the 4th tourism official on the 20th day of the city's tax.

The access fee itself has been widely criticized by activists, housing campaigners and opposition politicians for not doing enough to ease congestion in the city, while reducing Venice to a tourist attraction by charging an entrance fee.

Venturini said the money is needed to clean and repair the city. The proposal to create a higher rate would require an amendment to Italy's special law governing Venice, and Venturini said he has discussed the idea with the tourism minister.

“Day trippers obviously produce waste – they eat, they drink, they throw things away. That comes at a huge cost,” he said, driven up “because everything has to be done by hand, with brooms, boats and handcarts.”

Although the new price proposal made headlines and was criticized for deterring many visitors, especially families, Venturini said the price was chosen as an upper limit, giving the city an opportunity to test different price levels. He said they are still working with researchers to find the right limit.

While opposition politicians have proposed a limit on the number of visitors per day, Venturini said current Italian law does not allow for that.

The number of residents in Venice's canal-lined historic center has fallen to less than 48,000 – while the number of guest beds has risen to more than 51,500, according to the latest figures tracked by housing group Ocio since January.

Venturini pointed out that the city's population is at a low level because many students and seasonal workers spend a lot of time in Venice without registering as residents.