Today’s Big Story

Tourist Taxes

Seemingly everywhere you look, tourist fees are cropping up or increasing right now

There are always extra costs when traveling, right? Excess baggage fees, foreign transaction fees on credit cards, cellular roaming, and a slew of others. And now, so-called “tourist taxes” are rising at some of the world’s most popular destinations.

Post-pandemic travel is booming. While that is, on one hand, a great thing for a city’s local economy and its tourism industry, it can also pose a threat to the city itself. Thrillist says that threat has a name, and it’s overtourism, which can lead to damage to nature as well as culture and heritage, not to mention the alienation of local residents, a poor tourist experience, and overloaded infrastructure, among other challenges.

Many countries across Europe including Spain, Greece, and Germany have implemented fees for foreign visitors to help support local costs of doing business, especially during the busy summer months. It's similar to that of a hotel occupancy tax that American travelers may be more familiar with for domestic stays. This year, many bucket-list destinations made headlines for either introducing or renewing their tourist fees, while still others are mulling it all over. Como, Italy, for example, hasn’t laid out an exact plan for a tourist tax, but just announced that one is in the works.

“Tourist taxes are a rapidly growing trend,” Clint Henderson, Managing Editor at The Points Guy, told ABC News, adding that the fee system is increasingly popular “because it’s an easy way for cities to raise revenues without taxing local citizens.” Henderson also pointed out that “crowding at especially popular spots made famous by Instagram are simply out of control,” and that locals in places like Venice, Italy and Maui are also getting more vocal about problematic tourists.

Other spots, like Milan are proposing new regulations that aim to reduce late-night activity. The city is considering a ban on pizza and ice cream sales after 12:30 am on weekdays and 1:30 am on weekends, as well as enforcing closing times for outdoor areas of restaurants and bars. Over all, the taxes aren’t prohibitive—anywhere from $2 to $15, depending on the location—but hopefully they’ll serve as a reminder that you’re visiting someone’s home and that you should be on your best behavior.

Senate Approves Aid Bill

President Biden is expected to sign it today

The Senate is sending to President Biden's desk the sweeping, House-passed foreign aid package with tens of billions of dollars for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan—as well as a potential ban on TikTok. The legislation, which passed by a 79-18 vote, had seemed all but dead for several months due to opposition in the GOP-led House.

It’s seen as a big win for Biden, who said he will sign the bill as soon as it crosses his desk this morning. It’s passage comes eight months after he requested tens of billions in emergency funding and four months after he promised he wouldn’t “walk away from Ukraine.” He can make good on those promises.

Of course, the months of congressional inaction may also have dealt long-lasting damage to America’s reputation and alliances, officials and analysts tell the Washington Post. Oh, and this version of the bill also includes a potential ban on TikTok if the Chinese-owned company Bytedance does not divest from the social media app. But they have up to a year to do so.

Has Everyone Already Forgot About the Apple Vision Pro?

The company is reportedly cutting the headset’s production due to low demand

Apple’s Vision Pro debuted just two months ago, drawing crowds of people to sign up for demos and almost immediately selling out. Since then, interest in Apple’s premiere mixed reality headset has plummeted and sales are grinding to a halt at some retail stores, Bloomberg reports. What happened? Is it too expensive? Too uncomfortable to wear for long stretches? Where are my Apple fan boys at?

Many customers on the subreddit r/VisionPro complain that the headsets are impractical in everyday life. The forums are full of people saying they rarely wear the headset out in public. Gizmodo says that the hype around the Apple Vision Pro has fallen dramatically since the headset sold 180,000 units during its January pre-order weekend.

So it makes sense that the company is reportedly cutting its headset shipment forecast for the rest of the year. According to The Verge, the unanticipated drop in steam is forcing Apple to do something it rarely has to do—adjust its sale roadmap, possibly pushing the future of a lower-cost entry mixed reality headset beyond 2025 (if at all).

Mercedes Just Unveiled the All-Electric G-Wagen

The ultimate off-road status symbol gets a long-awaited electrified makeover

It’s official: the legendary Mercedes off-road powerhouse that launched in 1979 and has since become a brutalist status symbol has gone electric. After years of teasing, and even some showy demonstrations, Mercedes-Benz has finally unveiled the production version of its all-electric G-Class SUV.

The very expensive, boxy status symbol is now even status symbol-ier thanks to a 116 kWh battery and all-electric drive train, complete with four individually controlled motors with a maximum total output of 432 kW—or the equivalent of about 580 horsepower—and a max torque of 1,164 Newton-meters. Mercedes’ approach to electrifying the prestigious SUV suggests the German automaker understands the stakes. It not only meets but beats its internally combusted counterparts in terms of power and off-road capability.

According to Car and Driver, some of the coolest modifications to the new elctric SUV include customizable internal-combustion sounds, 360-degree “tank turns” and, of course, a new storage box in place of the usual spare tire that houses the charger cables for the onboard battery.

The Long Read

How bots, mercenaries, and table scalpers have turned the restaurant reservation system inside out

It’s all about mindset.