Tourists risk £1,500 fine for breaking new rules in major tourist destination
Tourists visiting a popular resort town in Europe could face on-the-spot fines of up to £1,500 under tough new rules aimed at curbing antisocial behaviour.
Albufeira in southern Portugal, long known for its sun-soaked beaches and vibrant nightlife, has seen increasing scrutiny over the behaviour of some tourists - particularly during the summer high season
The city's new Code of Conduct targets a range of disruptive actions that have sparked concern among locals and authorities - banning everything from public nudity and sex acts to street drinking, loud noise, and urinating in public.
The harshest penalties - between €500 (£426) and €1,800 (£1,500) - will apply to those caught fully naked or engaging in sexual acts in public.
Partial nudity away from designated beach areas, public drinking, urinating or defecating in public, and creating excessive noise are also punishable by fines ranging from €300 (£255) to €1,500 (£1,277).
Other violations listed in the code include spitting, misuse of public furniture, and abandoning shopping trolleys, as Albufeira City Council seeks to restore order and cleanliness in high-traffic tourist zones.
The crackdown follows a series of incidents, including a viral video last year of eight British men dancing naked on a bar in broad daylight on Albufeira's main party strip, Rua da Oura.
The footage led to widespread outrage, prompting an emergency meeting between local authorities and business owners.
The UK Foreign Office issued a travel alert on Thursday, 26 June, warning British nationals of the new regulations, declaring: 'The municipality of Albufeira has introduced a code of conduct which bans inappropriate behaviour in public places.
'Check out the rules that are now in force. If you break the rules, you could be fined on the spot from between 150 and 1,800 euros.'
The city council for the Algarve city approved the new code of conduct in May 'to prevent abusive behaviour by tourists', as reported by Travel Weekly.
The crackdown follows a series of incidents, including a viral video last year of eight British men dancing naked on a bar in broad daylight on Albufeira's main party strip, Rua da Oura (pictured)
Speaking in May, Mayor José Carlos Rolo said the code was part of a broader strategy to repair Albufeira's image, adding that the rules hope to 'promote harmony' between the tourism sector and local population.
Meanwhile, Faro Airport in Portugal will start the rollout of e-gate access to UK arrivals this month ahead of the peak summer season in the Algarve, a minister revealed today.
The announcement comes after the Government said on May 19 that British passport holders will be able to use e-gates at more European airports as part of a UK-EU deal.
Since Brexit, Britons arriving at EU airports have generally been forced to queue for manned desks to have their passports stamped, rather than use automated gates with facial recognition technology – leading to long waits, particularly in peak periods.
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Teresa, 57, said: 'You look at that big hotel over there, it would've been grand in its day, overlooking the sea. I vaguely remember it, actually. 'British tourism isn't the same now. People just don't come to the seaside like they used to. There's no money to put back into the area. 'They only have enough to scrape through the tourist season. That's it. They don't have the money to maintain anything. 'It cost us £111 to come over in the car from Southampton, imagine bringing a whole family. You see this when you arrive and it just puts you off. 'We could have flown to Barcelona for a similar price.' Clyde, 59 added: 'It's sad, really. You go abroad now and they take pride in everything. But when these places were built, people didn't go abroad, they came to the British seaside. 'After the '70s, everything changed. We didn't keep up. 'I went on the pier and the fruit machine was themed 'On The Buses' - a sitcom from the 1970s, which would probably appeal to 10 per cent of the population. 'That says it all. This place is antiquated beyond belief. 'The only reason we ever come here is nostalgia. Not to enjoy myself, just for the memories. That's all that's left. Nostalgia. 'Seaside towns have been forgotten and the clock can never be turned back.' Residents are also becoming despondent at the sorry state of the town. Husband and wife Steve and Sue Bromley have lived in Sandown for 20 years and said it is 'disgusting now'. Steve said: 'You see the tourists walking along the seafront and you can see they look towards the hotels instead of the beach. 'There are not so many tourists now, so I think they have to become residential.' Sue added: 'Even if it was apartments, it would look better than what we have now.' Young couple Will Sandy and Amy Britain, from Essex, were visiting the island for the first time with five-month-old young daughter. Will, 27, said: 'They are pretty spectacular buildings. It looks like it could've been amazing 30 years ago, but now it's missing a roof. It's not great. 'As we were driving in, we said it—just the number of abandoned shops and empty buildings. It really ruins the atmosphere. Amy, 27, added: 'Even where we're from in Essex, the coastal towns are the same. Every seaside town these days looks run-down and derelict. 'It definitely has an effect. It doesn't take away from the beach itself, but it's nice to have more around you. It affects the overall view, the feeling of the place.' The Isle of Wight Council is attempting to take control of some of the buildings in order to rejuvenate the town, but it is a slow process. Cllr Ward said: 'It's sad to see what's happened. Sandown was the Island's leading tourism town. When tourism fell away, we suffered the most. 'We need to decide what we want to be. A tourist town? Or go more residential. We need to make that decision. 'There's two more derelict hotels further down the seafront. One tried to get permission to turn into flats and it was refused. So we've got to sort the planning rules out. 'Otherwise, we'll just be sat here in another five years with the same issues.' A spokesperson for the Isle of Wight Council said: 'The Isle of Wight Council recognises that Sandown is suffering from acute levels of dereliction. 'Many privately owned, prominent former hotel buildings on the seafront are at advanced stages of dereliction with the effect of causing visual blight on the townscape, suppressing investment, and most significantly damaging local people's health and well-being. The Isle of Wight Council is working closely with its local and regional partners including the Building The Bay group to address this problem and the wider social and economic challenges facing the local area. 'Sandown is one of the priority focus areas for our Planning Enforcement team, with the instruction to use their powers to require landowners to improve the external appearance of their buildings in the interests of the neighbouring amenity. Proactive planning enforcement action in the local area has increased significantly within the last year with tangible and long-lasting improvements already made. Emergency powers have also been utilised to secure derelict and unsafe buildings from unauthorised entry, eliminating anti-social behaviour and vandalism which was arising from within the unsecure premises. 'We are working with Sandown Town Council to make use of the government's High Street Rental Auction initiative to find new uses for empty buildings. All this work is wrapped around the Bay Area Place Plan, a dynamic collaboration between the Isle of Wight Council and The Bay's three town and parish councils to drive local regeneration. 'The council has also taken steps to address issues with its own building stock, securing £3m of government funding to restore the previously derelict Grade II listed Sandown Town Hall and bring it back into use for youth provision, which is nearing completion.'
