Tourists hit by eye-watering bill for modest meal in Venice offered free trip by embarrassed hoteliers

The Grand Canal in Venice which is visited by millions of tourists each year
AFP/Getty Images
Fiona Simpson25 January 2018

Four holidaymakers hit with a staggering bill of almost £1,000 for a basic meal in Venice have been offered a luxury return trip by embarrassed hoteliers.

The Japanese tourists were charged about £970 (€1,100) for just four steaks, a plate of fried fish and water at a restaurant near St Mark's Square.

The Venetian Hoteliers Association has now offered the students a free luxury trip to the popular destination.

The organisation told the Telegraph it had offered the out-of-pocket travellers a two-night stay in a five star hotel.

It made the offer in a bid to remedy the “grave harm” their experience did to the city’s image, Vittorio Bonacini, president of the association said.

The tourists paid almost £1,000 for three steaks, fried fish and water
Jason Lueng

He said: “The association has taken note of the fact that the episode did grave harm to the image of the city.

"After a high-level discussion, we’ve decided to offer the four tourists who had such an unfortunate experience a stay of two nights in a four or five star hotel.”

Reports of the incident sparked outrage across the city after the students complained to police.

"We will thoroughly examine this episode, we'll check to see if the complaint was made properly," said Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro at the time.

"If this disgraceful episode is confirmed, we'll do all we can to punish those responsible.

"We are for justice - always!"

The complaint to authorities was said to have been made after the students returned to Bologna, where they are studying.

Another three women who were travelling with the group reportedly ate at a different restaurant but were still hit with a hefty £308 (€350) bill for three portions of seafood pasta.

The city, in the north-east of Italy, is famed for its miles of canals and stunning architecture. It is visited by an estimated 30 million people a year.

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