Learn the local rules on your holidays or pay for your actions
Travellers should note these six bans being imposed in some popular places.
Ban on bikinis in Albufeira
Walking around in just a bikini or swimming togs, or shirtless, can land you in hot water in Albufeira, a popular resort town in the Algarve, southern Portugal, from July.
Under the town's code of conduct, tourists can wear swimwear only on beaches and in designated bathing areas, as well as in outdoor hotel areas.
Violations will not come with immediate fines, José Carlos Rolo, mayor of Albufeira told Portugal's Lusa news agency. Ahead of the ban, the town ran an awareness-raising and information campaign. After that, offenders can face fines of up to US$2,000 (RM8,459).
In Czech Republic and Poland, visitors are not allowed to take photos while in the vicinity of military bases and offices. — Photos: Pixabay
Taking photos in wrong places
The Czech Republic and Poland have banned photography at all military installations. Tourists are advised to exercise caution at landmarks such as Prague Castle near the Defence Ministry.
Offences can result in fines of up to US$4,600 (RM19,456). Watch out for signs reading 'Zakaz fotografovani' meaning 'no photography'.
The ban also applies to 25,000 sites across Poland including military facilities, power stations, bridges, tunnels, airports and harbours. Offenders risk 30 days in prison and fines equivalent to up to US$5,400 (RM22,840) and your camera could also be confiscated. If in doubt, do not take any pictures.
Sites covered by the rule have signs indicating the ban on photos, according to the British Foreign Office's travel advice on Poland. However, the labelling may be poor or illegible.
In many places, like in Italy's Limone sul Garda, drinking alcohol in certain public spaces is illegal so stick to drinking non-alcoholic beverages like a lemonade.
Stick to lemonade in Limone sul Garda
The picturesque town of Limone sul Garda, on the north-west bank of Italy's Lake Garda, is renowned for its lemon groves, which are terraced on the slopes.
Anyone exploring Limone might want to stick to lemonade and other non-alcoholic drinks this summer, though. A ban on drinking alcohol in public parks, gardens and on pavements, introduced in April, will remain in force until Nov 1, 2025.
Offenders risk fines of up to US$570 (RM2,410).
Campers, beware in Greece
Greece has banned campers from pitching tents on the beach, so forget the idea of spending a night gazing out at the sea.
The ban also includes parking caravans and motorhomes and applies to beaches, coastal strips, forests and archaeological sites, according to the British Foreign Office. Parking in residential areas for more than 24 hours, except in specially designated car parks, is also forbidden.
The ban, which came into force in May, is checked regularly and people face penalties accordingly, say members of Germany's car club ADAC. Offenders risk a US$345 (RM1,459) fine.
Many offences like riding a motorbike without a helmet or using a mobile phone while driving come with hefty fines under Greece's new road traffic code.
No smoking on French beaches
Under a new law banning smoking in public spaces including parks and gardens, lighting a cigarette on beaches is forbidden all over France from July 1, according to French Health Minister Catherine Vautrine.
The ban is to protect young people, she said, adding: 'The freedom to smoke ends where children's right to clean air begin.'
Offenders risk fines of US$155 (RM656).
No free photos for divers in Thailand
Scuba divers must have a special permit to take photographic equipment along on dives in order to protect Thailand's fragile coral reefs and the marine ecosystem off the coast.
The Thai government requires divers to have an Advanced Open Water Certificate or be able to prove at least 40 deep dives in their logbook, its website says. Although fines are not mentioned, guides and tour operators are required to terminate dives immediately in the event of violations. – dpa
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
13 hours ago
- The Star
Fairytale' Neuschwanstein castle becomes Unesco heritage site
Neuschwanstein Castle is said to be the inspiration for Walt Disney's earlier castles. — Photos: Pixabay The Neuschwanstein castle in Germany's Bavaria, perhaps best known for inspiring Walt Disney's fairytale castles, has been named a World Heritage Site, the United Nations cultural agency Unesco announced recently. Three other royal residences, also constructed in the late 19th century under the famously arts-obsessed King Ludwig II of Bavaria, were also added to the coveted list: Herrenchiemsee, Linderhof and Schachen. Neuschwanstein, perched on a rocky, 200m-high Alpine crag, is Germany's most visited castle, with almost 1.5 million people flocking there every year. 'A fairytale comes true for our fairytale castles: We are #WorldHeritage!' Bavaria's governor, Markus Soeder, wrote on X after the announcement. Neuschwanstein combines an idealised medieval exterior with architectural techniques considered cutting edge at the time. Its main rooms are adorned with paintings of German and Nordic legends, the same stories that inspired composer Richard Wagner, for whom Ludwig was a generous patron. Linderhof Castle, a neo rococco building in Bavaria, is now a World Heritage Site. — AFP Peter Seibert of the Bavarian Castles Administration (BSV) said that the Unesco listing 'is a very great responsibility, but also recognition ... for the work we have done so far in preservation'. Philippe, a 52-year-old visitor from Canada, was surprised that the castle was not already a World Heritage Site. 'We're lucky to still be able to experience this,' he said, calling the listing 'a very good idea'. Herrenchiemsee meanwhile evokes a Versailles in miniature on a lake between Munich and Salzburg in Austria, an homage to absolute monarch Louis XIV of France, whom Ludwig admired. Indeed Ludwig nicknamed Herrencheimsee 'Meicost-Ettal', an anagram of Louis XIV's alleged aphorism 'L'Etat, c'est moit' ('I am the state'). Herrenchiemsee is nicknamed 'Meicost-Ettal'. Bavarian identity The third site in the Unesco listing is the small castle of Linderhof, completed in 1878, the only one to have been finished in Ludwig's lifetime. It mixes elements of French Baroque architecture from the reign of Louis XIV with touches of the Rococo style developed in southern Germany. Its park boasts an artificial cave inspired by Wagner's opera Tannhaeuser, 90m long and up to 14m high, which houses a grotto of Venus and was designed as a personal retreat for Ludwig. The electric lighting system used in the cave was state of the art at the time, with glass discs used to illuminate the grotto in different colours. The last of the four sites on the list is Schachen, a royal house in the style of a large Swiss chalet, where Ludwig liked to celebrate the saint's day of his namesake St Louis on Aug 25. It is located at 1,800m above sea level, not far from Neuschwanstein. The four castles have become 'part of Bavarian identity' says Seibert, 'iconic and perfectly embedded in a beautiful landscape'. Ironically, while Ludwig's architectural legacy is today a source of pride in Bavaria – not to mention tourist revenue – they were part of the reason for his own downfall. The ruinous construction costs of the lavish residences led the Bavarian government to depose him, declaring him insane. Interned in Berg Palace, he died shortly afterwards in mysterious circumstances at Lake Starnberg. – AFP Schachen does not look like your typical castle as it is styled like a chalet.
Barnama
17 hours ago
- Barnama
Thai Citizens To Benefit From 20 Baht Train Fare Starting October
BANGKOK, July 21 (Bernama) -- The Thai government is on track to implement the imposition of a maximum fare for electric train travel in Greater Bangkok for its citizens. Starting Oct 1, a flat rate of 20 baht (US$0.62) will be implemented for Thai citizens. The scheme covers the entire eight lines comprising 13 routes within Bangkok and its surrounding provinces, spanning 276.84 kilometres and 194 stations. bootstrap slideshow Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit, in a statement on Monday, expressed confidence that the public would significantly benefit from this initiative. Suriya confirmed that by August 2025, eligible Thai citizens would be able to register for the scheme via the government's Tang Rat mobile application. Expressing appreciation to Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt for a recent meeting to strengthen mutual understanding and cooperation, Suriya said he has also tasked the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) to implement a feeder bus system. Short-distance shuttle buses will be deployed along the electric train routes to enhance connectivity and convenience for commuters. He said the government is expediting the establishment of a fund to promote an integrated ticketing system by utilising the accumulated revenue of the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) to compensate operators for fare revenue shortfalls. The plan to cap electric train fares in Greater Bangkok was approved by the Thai Cabinet earlier this month to reduce commuting costs and encourage motorists to switch to public transportation.
The Star
2 days ago
- The Star
Inside the airline seat industry crisis that's delaying jet deliveries.
Tucked beneath the armrest of a luxury business class seat in a factory in Wales lies a clue to a global aviation bottleneck that has left many airlines waiting impatiently for new jets. Before the armrest can support the pampered elbow of a premium passenger, a complex manufacturing jigsaw with as many as 3,000 parts from 50 suppliers in 15 countries needs to be meticulously assembled to produce the luxury seat. As air travel grows, this niche but critical part of the aerospace industry is at the centre of efforts to clear a logjam that has contributed to billions of dollars of aircraft delays for industry giants Airbus and Boeing, and higher fares for passengers. 'If you look at this, all you would see is a top-level arm cap and think that's very nice,' said Dafydd Davies, industrial vice president at Safran Seats, during a visit to the company's factory in Cwmbran, Wales. 'If you look below, there is a lot more to the mechanical assembly.' How things work Coupled with bottlenecks in certification, growing airline demand for bespoke features has made it hard for a fragmented seat industry – only now getting back on its feet after the Covid-19 pandemic – to achieve economies of scale and boost output. 'There has been a perfect storm of what would otherwise not be industry-stopping problems,' said aircraft interiors expert John Walton, founder of specialist publication The Up Front . 'It's still very much a cottage industry.' Airbus warned airlines in May that delivery delays could persist for another three years as it works through a backlog of supply problems, which it blames chiefly on engines and seats. Airlines will need more than eight million seats in the next decade, according to a study by Tronos Aviation Consultancy and AeroDynamic Advisory. It's a business worth US$52bil (RM221.25bil) over 10 years. The cabin of a long-haul jet contains some of the world's prime revenue-generating real estate, which is why airlines are prepared to pay US$80,000 to US$100,000 (RM340,400 to RM425,500) for a single business-class seat and an astonishing US$1mil (RM4.24mil) for a first-class suite, insiders say. 'There are only a few truly differentiated things you can do onboard as an airline: the crew, the seat, the catering. Not so much the aircraft. So that's where we're going in the premium classes,' said Lufthansa group chief executive Carsten Spohr. At the Aircraft Interiors Expo every April in Hamburg, Germany, honours are handed out for inventions such as 'smart' lavatories, seats and even bins. Entrance to the expo is strictly by invitation and showrooms are protected by security worthy of a jewellery store. Inside, each is an Aladdin's cave of fast connectivity, eco-friendly materials and recently launched comforts such as headrests with built-in audio. The most advanced innovations are even further out of sight. 'It's a secretive world. Sometimes they have the little back rooms where they've got a seat or product they haven't publicly talked about,' said Steven Greenway, CEO of Saudi carrier Flyadeal. But behind the curtain is an industry struggling to graduate from a craftsman-like approach and small production runs to industrial scale – despite waves of consolidation which have whittled the sector down to two main rivals in premium seats: France's Safran and RTX unit Collins Aerospace. Then comes Germany's Recaro Aircraft Seating, which dominates economy seating but has struggled to break into premium, and rivals including China-owned Thompson Aero Seating and ventures backed by Airbus and Boeing: Stelia and Elevate. 'They compete on innovation, yes, but when they produce, it's not as reliable as the car industry,' said Spohr. Longer ranges for smaller planes have also triggered a scramble to adapt premium seat designs to tighter spaces. Even the tapered shape of a fuselage and differences between left and right mean few luxury seats are exactly the same. Added to that are tough certification requirements designed to protect head impact, and a dearth of certification engineers. Seats typically last about seven years whereas planes themselves fly for 20-25 years, so even when jets are finally delivered, the need for new seats soon comes around again. 'It's been a problem for 20 years. It's not just a recent issue. But I think it's got worse,' said Willie Walsh, director general of the International Air Transport Association and former head of British Airways. Industry reboot Failing to put the industry on a more solid footing could crimp the growth plans of airlines or force carriers to fly older planes for longer, and focus more on refurbishments. Now, some seat makers are trying to simplify production as they rebuild fragile global supply chains. Safran is one. Its seats unit finally broke even in the fourth quarter of 2024 after being battered, like many of its rivals, by the slump in demand during the pandemic. 'We've almost had to restart this industry. We've had to ramp back up again. We lost some longevity in talent because they decided to do something else,' said Safran Seats chief executive Victoria Foy. 'The fact that we got 2.5 times more out the door in 2024 than the year before demonstrates we can ramp up,' she said in an interview. On the factory floor, chips, screens and motors are pieced together in individual bays rather than on a moving production line since few luxury seats are the same. A walled-off workshop for first-class seats guarantees even more individual attention. 'We are managing a similar level of requirements to that of a landing gear or an engine,' Foy said. Under pressure to avoid those spiralling out of control, Safran and others are now rethinking the way they build seats to marry the customised flourishes required by many airlines with the cookie-cutter approach needed for efficient assembly. Instead of developing each seat from scratch, manufacturers are looking to re-use underlying designs. Using a limited set of underlying designs allows seat companies to do the basic engineering and certification earlier on, avoiding the risk of delays later in the process. But it's not just about improving the factory floor. Air travel is changing, said Stan Kottke, president of interiors at Collins Aerospace. In the Middle East, more families fly in business class. In the United States, retirees want to travel in an ergonomic seat. Millennials are investing in high-end travel experiences. They all want something different from the typical business nomad and airlines may even have to cater to different users at different times of day, Kottke said. 'You can build a platform that is deliberately designed for differentiation in a bunch of different directions,' he added. Strained relationships The disciplined approach is reshaping negotiations with airlines, where the CEO is often personally involved in the finer points of cabin design. In a change of tone, suppliers are increasingly turning away business rather than chasing every deal. In tenders, the reply 'no bid' has become common, as seat suppliers avoid piling up financial risk. The industrial blockage has strained the delicate three-way relationship between planemakers, suppliers and carriers. Airlines often buy seats directly from suppliers such as Safran, Collins or Recaro but get Airbus or Boeing to fit them. Reportedly, Airbus is exploring ways of charging seat firms penalties for delays that hold up deliveries of jets from its factories. None of the companies commented on contractual matters. Planemakers must also walk a tightrope between marketing the flexibility of their cabins while nudging airlines towards accepting greater standardisation to alleviate supply problems. Airbus has said it is acting to reduce risks to its own ramp-up plans from the 'divergent complexity' of bespoke interiors, while Boeing has said the resulting bottlenecks in certification will be a challenge for the rest of this year. The two giants have a powerful ally in the leasing industry. 'My advice to all airline CEOs would be ... stop inventing more seats. I know every airline CEO wants to design their own business class seat – don't do it,' said Aengus Kelly, chief executive of the world's largest aircraft lessor AerCap. 'Take one that is certified, that's a very good product, and you'll get your airplane in the air faster.' Airlines aren't willing to give up one of their biggest branding weapons just yet. One of the latest carriers to unveil plush seating, Riyadh Air, ruled out any retreat from customisation. 'I want a brand that's unique and that uniqueness is presented in the cabin,' said CEO Tony Douglas. – TIM HEPHER/Reuters
