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Venice to issue €500 fines to littering, dawdling or scantily-clad tourists

Venice is getting tough on rogue tourists - GETTY
Venice is getting tough on rogue tourists - GETTY

Venetian authorities have announced strict new penalties for tourists caught misbehaving in the city after a group of Belgian holidaymakers were seen swimming in the Grand Canal.

Littering, dawdling and jumping in the canals will now invite fines of between €25 (£22) and €500 (£445). Tourists will also have to cough up if they are caught picnicking in public places, cycling through pedestrianised areas and flaunting more flesh than is necessary (perhaps save your bikini for the Lido, then).  

The announcement comes after footage emerged this week of a group of Belgian tourists swimming in the Grand Canal, horseplay that enraged local residents who feel increasingly marginalised by mass tourism.

Tourists were caught recently swimming in the Grand Canal (pictured) - Credit: AP
Tourists were caught recently swimming in the Grand Canal (pictured) Credit: AP

Keen to promote better behaviour, city authorities have announced steep new fines for such transgressions as well as a new campaign called #EnjoyRespectVenezia.

The campaign will be promoted on social media and on posters at prominent tourists sites.

“The message we have to get through is that we’re not joking,” ​Paola Mar, the councillor responsible for tourism, told local paper La Nuova. “If it gets about that people who do this kind of thing are fined, as well as it being flagged to their respective embassies, perhaps we’ll be able to stop others copying.”

Anti-tourism protesters hang banners from a bridge in the city - Credit: GETTY
Anti-tourism protesters hang banners from a bridge in the city Credit: GETTY

Some 25 million holidaymakers visit Venice every year, which residents claim is turning their city into a theme park for adults. Realising they can make more money from tourists than permanent tenants, landlords are increasingly listing their properties on platforms such as Airbnb, rather than offering long-term lets to locals.

The basics | Venice
The basics | Venice

“It’s quite common now to find you’re the only person living in your block,” local resident, Michela Scibilia, told Telegraph Travel earlier this year.

“All the other doors have codes. These aren’t like B&Bs. Guests let themselves in and out. They have no contact with their absentee landlords.”

The University of Siena confirmed this trend in a recent report, which blamed holiday letting sites for “emptying” Italian cities such as Florence and Venice.

Earlier this year the Croatian island of Hvar announced similar punishments for rogue holidaymakers who now face fines of up to €700 (£620) if they are caught consuming alcohol in the street or walking around with no shirt on.

Fascinating early photographs of Venice
Fascinating early photographs of Venice