New Tourist Behavior Rules In Spain, Portugal, Greece, Italy And France Reflect Growing Efforts To Curb Irresponsible Travel Habits

Published on August 11, 2025 |

Spain, Portugal, Greece, Italy and France require visitors to mind their behaviour arsenic nan countries prosecute a wider run by European authorities to tackle unsustainable recreation habits that harm section communities and environments. As tourism grew truthful did administrative citations for nationalist drinking, thong wearing disconnected nan formation and conscionable plain bad behaviour that disrupts some locals and nan earthy surroundings. Its actions are directed to promoting responsible travel, truthful that nan economical benefits shared pinch section group and are not pushed past their expertise level of information being exceeded.

Tourists visiting Europe this summertime are uncovering dramatically higher fines arsenic nan continent’s apical tourer spots progressively return a harder statement connected behaviour that disrupts section life. From fines for wearing swimwear extracurricular dedicated formation areas, to dense penalties for nationalist drinking, European cities are clamping down connected behaviour that immoderate spot arsenic unwanted aliases disrespectful tourism. Allegations see visitors who are fined complete practices which until precocious they would person considered perfectly non-malicious – specified arsenic putting towels connected sunbeds and not turning up.

Though somewhat antithetical to already tourism-dependent economies, nan rules person been put successful spot to sphere value of life and nan situation successful apical destinations.

Read connected to study much astir nan caller activity of irresponsible recreation behaviour penalties — why immoderate areas are taking these measures, and what travelers should cognize earlier their adjacent trip.

The New Tourist Penalties: A Snapshot of Key Measures

As summertime 2025 unfolds, an expanding number of European destinations person introduced caller fines aimed astatine curbing irresponsible behaviour by tourists. Let’s break down immoderate of nan cardinal penalties travelers could face:

1. Leaving Your Seat Before nan Plane Comes to a Complete Stop

In Antalya, Turkey, caller rules person been enforced astatine nan airdrome to guarantee nan information and comfortableness of travelers. Passengers who guidelines aliases time off their seats earlier nan level has travel to a afloat extremity tin now look fines. The punishment for specified behaviour is group astatine EUR 62 (GBP 54), sending a beardown connection that these information protocols will beryllium strictly adhered to.

2. Wearing Swimwear successful Public

Several cities, including Albufeira successful Portugal and Barcelona successful Spain, person imposed fines for stepping astir municipality successful swimwear. These fines tin beryllium arsenic precocious arsenic EUR 1,500 (GBP 1,307). This measure, while surprising, is portion of a broader effort to support nan decorum of nationalist spaces and debar nan over-commercialization of section beaches.

3. Public Drinking

Tourists enjoying a portion extracurricular designated zones are uncovering themselves faced pinch hefty fines successful respective Balearic Islands locations, including Mallorca and Ibiza. In immoderate areas, nationalist drinking tin consequence successful fines of up to EUR 3,000 (GBP 2,615). These penalties are portion of a greater push to sphere section civilization and forestall nuisance behaviour successful residential and tourer areas.

4. Reserving and Abandoning Sunbeds

One of nan much caller anti-tourism regulations involves fines for reserving sunbeds and leaving them vacant for agelong periods. Though this mightiness look for illustration a insignificant inconvenience to some, it disrupts different visitors who are incapable to bask nan formation owed to unoccupied sunbeds. This believe has been banned successful various celebrated destinations, pinch fines being imposed for those who neglect to respect section guidelines.

Environmental and Cultural Preservation: The Driving Force Behind nan New Measures

While immoderate of these rules whitethorn look harsh astatine first glance, section governments reason that they are basal for safeguarding some nan situation and organization life. Overcrowding, biology degradation, and nan strain connected nationalist services person pushed galore cities and towns to their limits. Authorities declare these caller measures are designed to guarantee that nan benefits of tourism do not travel astatine nan disbursal of nan section population’s well-being.

In locations for illustration nan Galapagos Islands and nan Sámi communities successful Lapland, akin codes of behaviour person agelong existed owed to biology concerns. However, this inclination is now expanding to much mainstream destinations. The attraction is connected achieving a harmony betwixt nan influx of visitors and nan well-being of section communities.

1. Tourism’s Impact connected Local Life

Local officials successful galore destinations reason that tourism must not go a burden. As Juan Antonio Amengual, Mayor of Calvià successful Mallorca, puts it, “Our extremity is to protect nan situation and support harmony betwixt visitors and residents.” These penalties bespeak an expanding desire to protect section heritage, resources, and nationalist spaces from nan adverse effects of overtourism.

2. Preserving nan Local Culture and Environment

As tourism grows, truthful does nan request to guarantee that its effect is sustainable. Spain’s caller “Improve Your Stay” initiative, launched successful Malaga, intends to beforehand respectful behaviour among tourists. This programme includes everything from sound level guidelines to responsible e-scooter usage. Tourists recovered successful usurpation of these rules could beryllium fined up to EUR 750 (GBP 650). The thought is to beforehand respectful behaviour while ensuring that nan community’s needs are met.

In Albufeira, Portugal, behaviors specified arsenic nationalist nudity, urinating successful nationalist spaces, and leaving shopping trolleys down are now taxable to fines. These measures are being enforced by nan section constabulary who patrol nightlife zones and rumor tickets.

A Wider Range of Penalties Across Europe’s Popular Destinations

The penalties do not extremity astatine nationalist drinking aliases wearing swimwear distant from nan beach. Authorities successful respective European countries person introduced further rules that target irresponsible behaviour successful a assortment of settings:

1. Driving successful Inappropriate Footwear

In countries specified arsenic Spain, Greece, Italy, France, and Portugal, drivers whitethorn look fines of up to EUR 300 (GBP 261) for operating a conveyance while wearing flip-flops, sandals, aliases going barefoot. This norm intends to forestall accidents caused by inappropriate footwear while driving.

2. Taking Beach Pebbles aliases Shells

In immoderate parts of Greece, it is now forbidden to return pebbles aliases shells from beaches, pinch fines reaching EUR 1,000 (GBP 871). This inaugural is designed to protect section ecosystems and sphere nan earthy beauty of nan region’s coastal areas.

3. Swimming successful Venice’s Canals

Tourists successful Venice person been informed that swimming successful nan canals will incur a punishment of EUR 350 (GBP 305). This measurement is portion of ongoing efforts to sphere nan city’s vulnerable infrastructure and limit nan biology effect caused by wide tourism.

4. Smoking Bans connected French Beaches

In France, smoking connected nationalist beaches has been prohibited, pinch fines of EUR 90 (GBP 78) for those caught violating nan rule. The extremity is to trim litter and protect nan environment, peculiarly successful areas wherever cigaret butts tin harm marine life.

5. Footwear Requirements for Hiking successful Cinque Terre

In Italy’s Cinque Terre, visitors are required to deterioration due footwear erstwhile hiking on nan coastal trails. Fines for nonaccomplishment to comply tin scope EUR 2,500 (GBP 2,180). This norm is successful spot to protect some hikers and nan earthy situation of this UNESCO-listed site.

Pushback from Locals: Why These Measures Matter

Anti-tourism protests person been gaining traction for years, pinch measures for illustration limits connected short-term rentals already successful spot successful immoderate regions. However, these caller fines person sent nan clearest awesome yet that section governments are fresh to prioritize nan needs of residents complete those of visitors.

The increasing consciousness of resentment towards overtourism is not conscionable astir rules; it’s astir reclaiming nan correct to peaceful, sustainable surviving successful a world progressively dominated by wide tourism.

Respecting Local Culture and Environment

While these caller punishments whitethorn travel disconnected arsenic restrictive to nan freedoms of tourists, they stem from a move towards responsible tourism that will yet use some travelers and locals. The extremity crippled is not astir uncovering ways to deter tourism, but acquisition and defense to animate respectful and mindful recreation that protects nan situation — and culture, contented and measurement of life successful galore destinations.

In Spain, Portugal, Greece, Italy and France caller rules of behaviour for visitors travel into effect which are aimed astatine combating antagonistic manifestations of irresponsible tourism against section organization and surrounding nature. The caller sanctions, which could beryllium imposed for offenses for illustration nationalist drinking and rowdiness, are portion of a broader thrust to promote responsible tourism that ensures visitors and residents some use from nan manufacture without changing nan section measurement of life.

Travelling to a caller place, we each cognize that familiarizing yourself pinch section customs and regulations is an important factor. While these rules whitethorn beryllium frustrating astatine times, they are a basal evil and important to continued tourism being an enjoyable acquisition for everyone. Following these principles will thief visitors prosecute successful sustainable tourism and besides protect nan places that we for illustration to visit.