A Newly Proposed Law In Italy Could Transform How You Travel

Rick Steves has said we should think twice before trusting travel review sites, and a new law in Italy is being proposed for the same reasons. In January 2025, the Italian government introduced a draft law aimed at tackling the widespread issue of fake online reviews for hotels, restaurants, and tourist attractions. This proposed legislation would mean reviewers would have to start providing verifiable identification and proof of their visit to make sure that only genuine experiences shape the online ratings travelers rely on.

If you're wondering why you should think twice before trusting Tripadvisor reviews, the simple fact is that people are more likely to write up a review when they've had a bad experience, meaning online review sites can give a skewed perception of an establishment. But worse, travel sites are often full of fake reviews. If this law passes in Italy (and it's expected to), reviews would need to be submitted within two weeks of the visit and could be removed if found to be false. Businesses could also request any reviews to be removed after two years. Influencers can say goodbye to those freebies, too — this law would ban paying people to leave positive reviews, including by giving them discounts and free services.

The law is still a draft and could be amended in Parliament. For now, it's meant to address reviews for hotels, restaurants, and private vacation rentals, but it could eventually expand to also include retail sites like Amazon.

If this law passes, it could affect how you plan your next trip to Italy. For example, if you're searching review sites on the best food tours in Rome, you can rest assured that the people chiming in have actually experienced the tour. No more second-guessing whether that glowing review was written by a paid promoter, an influencer who got a free trip, or someone who is just a friend of the restaurant owner. By making sure that only verified customers can leave reviews, this new law could help you make more confident and informed decisions when booking hotels, choosing restaurants, or picking attractions to add to your itinerary. Plus, with fewer reviews overall — since fake ones and sponsored posts would be weeded out — you would have fewer to comb through and base your decision on.

But if you're the type to leave a review once you get home, you'll need to make sure you have proof of your visit to wherever you are reviewing. (So, keep those receipts!) That said, the requirement for proof of visit might feel like an invasion of privacy for some people. Also, some who are opposed to the law are worried that banning anonymous reviews will cut a major chunk of online chatter about businesses. However for the travel industry, this is mostly seen as a win. Businesses can protect themselves from misleading reviews that tarnish their reputations, and genuine customer feedback will carry more weight.