European cities slap hefty fees on tourists — here’s what it’ll cost if you’re caught wearing flip flops
Highway robbery!
If you’re vacationing in Europe this summer, better bring along extra cash.
Popular tourist destinations in European cities are combatting mass tourism by slapping some ridiculous, yet costly fines — some scaling into the thousands — on visitors they deem unruly.
Wearing flip flops while driving, taking a shell or pebble from a beach and unbuckling your seatbelt before the plane stops taxiing, can now cost you.
Those who wear a bathing suit off the beach in the cities of Barcelona, Albufeira, Split, Sorrento, Cannes and Venice could face fines of up to $1,747, according to the BBC.
In Mallorca, Ibiza, Magaluf and the Canary Islands, drinking alcohol on the street can set tourists back $3,495 and in Spain, leaving your towel to hold your pool chair for too long can cost $291.
Spain, Greece, Italy, France, Portugal are the countries cracking down on those sporting flip flops behind the wheel — and doling out $349 tickets for the crime.
Greece is punishing those who confiscate a shell or pebble by making them shell out $1,165 — and if you swim in a canal in Venice, be prepared to cough up $407.
“Locals are fed up,” tourism advocate Birgitta Spee-König told the outlet.
“These fines are signals that communities want to reclaim space. It’s not that tourists are worse – it’s more that the tolerance has gone. And it’s important to consider that not every fine is a crackdown: some are calls for respect.”
Cities are even going so far as to launch marketing campaigns that outline what’s against the law.
A brand new 10-point Improve Your Stay campaign was introduced on buses and billboards in Malaga, Spain. Its signage details what the area expects of its guests — that they dress in a tasteful manner and avoid littering, making excessive noise and riding scooters recklessly — or risk a $873 fine.
Albufeira also plastered signs in public spaces, explaining the fines for things tourists cannot do in public, like perform sexual acts, urinate, cook or even camp.
Authorities are defending the stringent rules — which are being implemented by patrolling police — by saying they were set to protect locals, as well as respectful tourists who want to enjoy their vacation.
“The rules, while they might sound rigid and punitive when listed out, are all about encouraging responsible and empathetic traveling,” Jessica Harvey Taylor, head of press at the Spanish Tourism Office in London, told BBC.
“They are designed to protect the holiday experiences of the vast majority of people who behave responsibly on holiday.”
Juan Antonio Amengual, mayor of Calvià, Mallorca, echoed the sentiment in a speech earlier this year.
“We must act with two main ideas in mind: the protection and preservation of the environment; and ensuring that tourism is in harmony with our society.
“Tourism cannot be a burden on citizens.”
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