An Italian holiday may be a priceless experience for those who have enjoyed all this country has to offer. But the summer of 2023 will go down as one of the priciest in history after a slew of price gouging scandals at cafes and restaurants that have affected foreign tourists and Italians alike.
Is it really gouging if people are willing to pay it to be fancy?
Yes. Gouging doesn’t stop being gouging if people are still willing to pay, it just means the gouging has successfully exploited people instead of driving them away entirely.
For luxury spending and no emergency conditions, that just sounds like normal supply and demand.