During a 25-day trip to Italy, my husband and I spent six nights in Rome.
26.12.2023 - 23:45 / euronews.com / Rebecca Ann Hughes
With revenge travel - taking a trip that was cancelled during the pandemic - still prompting soaring visitor numbers, some popular destinations took steps to crack down on overtourism in 2023.
Some moves seemed obvious: limiting cruise ships, increasing tourist taxes and capping visitor numbers.
But other rules made headlines thanks to authorities’ - and residents’ - outside-the-box thinking.
Here are some of the strangest overtourism regulations that were brought in this year.
With tourists descending in droves on Sardinia’s famed picture-perfect beaches this summer, authorities brought in a raft of regulations.
These included capping visitor numbers and introducing time limits. But Pelosa beach on the west coast also introduced a towel ban requiring sunbathers to bring mats instead which trap less sand.
Sardinia’s famed pink Spiaggia Rosa continued to remain off-limits in 2023, with a €500 fine for walking on it and up to €3,500 for anyone caught stealing sand.
Beachgoers in Portugal were warned earlier this year that they could face fines of up to €36,000 for playing their music too loudly.
Portable speakers blasting out tunes at high volumes that bother locals and tourists were banned by the country’s National Maritime Authority (AMN).
The AMN’s beach edict also forbids playing ball games outside of designated areas, camping outside of campsites, and making fires.
The Spanish city of Seville announced a crackdown on the antisocial behaviour of stag and hen dos this year with a law to curb ‘obscene acts’ being committed in public.
Authorities planned to bring in bans on underwear in public and costumes with sexist messages.
A ban on performing or inciting acts of ‘obscene exhibitionism’ was also included in the move.
Portofino, a small seaside town on the Italian Riviera, has become a tourist hotspot - and locals are starting to feel the strain.
In summer, it means an influx of visitors posing for selfies, blocking paths and roads.
To combat this, Portofino’s mayor introduced no-waiting zones during the summer months this year.
Anyone caught hanging around on the quay for too long between 10:30am and 6pm risked a fine of €270.
The stunning backdrop to the town of Hallstatt in the Austrian mountains is thought to have inspired Disney’s Frozen.
As such, over a million tourists descend on the destination every year with many wanting to snap a selfie with the famous view.
This year, residents of the town became so frustrated they put up a fence to stop visitors from taking pictures.
It was later removed due to backlash on social media but it was hoped that the barrier would prevent people from gathering in one popular selfie spot and disrupting residents by making too much noise.
And finally, one of the oddest tourism
During a 25-day trip to Italy, my husband and I spent six nights in Rome.
Ko Pha-ngan is world-renowned as Thailand's "Party Island."
North Korea will welcome its first foreign tourists since closing its borders during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to news reports, a hint the isolated nation may be considering a revival of its small tourism industry amid growing tensions on the international stage.
An Air Canada passenger opened the door of an aircraft and fell about 20 feet to the ground, Global News reported.
Junebug Weddings revealed the winners of its annual wedding photography contest in December.
Five destinations in Europe are among the top ten sustainable places to travel to in 2024, according to Lonely Planet.
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Fans of winter weather can celebrate the season by attending a winter festival or carnival. Certain destinations across North America and other parts of the world present these ice and snow-related events to bring attendees outdoors and take in public art installations, celebratory activities or games of skill. Some even brighten up the night or day with illuminated fixtures. Pull out your winter boots and heavy coats and plan a trip to these annual winter festivals.
Following a presidential decree, Turkey (also known as Turkiye) has lifted its tourism visa requirements for six new countries — including the United States and Canada.
Paris to Venice. Barcelona to Amsterdam. Brussels to Bratislava, Slovakia. European cities could see a flurry of new rail connections in the next few years, as governments and private investors respond to climate concerns and strive to keep up with strong demand for cross-border passenger rail traffic.
Along with the launch of the FITUR 4all section, the first awards will be announced at FITUR to recognise efforts in the development of inclusive tourism.
European tourism nears pre-pandemic levels in 2023, driven by strong intra-regional and US travel, despite economic pressures. Uneven growth seen across destinations, with Southern Europe leading the rebound