Tourists are being warned that a new set of rules could be brought in to prevent anti-social behaviour at a popular seaside resort in Portugal.
Last year, a record-breaking 5.2 million people visited The Algarve, Portugal’s southernmost region, with the overwhelming majority of 4.4 million coming from Britain. But, the city has seen its fair share of public disorder and nuisance, especially on the seaside city’s strip of Albufeira, which attracts hen and stag parties from all over.
Now mayor of the city council, José Carlos Martins Rolo, is clamping down on the issue. Following a council meeting in December 2024, it was decided the region would ‘test’ the Draft Code of Behaviour, which explicitly bans people from being nude or partly nude in public areas. Under the new rules, tourists leaving the beach still in their bikinis or Speedos could risk a fine of up to €1,500 (£1,250), reports the Mirror.
The tough crackdown comes after eight British men were filmed dancing completely naked in broad daylight in a bar on The Strip. Footage of the shocking behaviour went viral online. It is believed it was this incident that sparked an emergency meeting with the local council, security forces and businesses.
In a proposal document, measures have been set out to keep Albufeira “a multicultural, family-friendly and safe destination”. This includes fining those found urinating or defecating in public areas, as well as anyone spotted spitting in the streets.
“It is urgent to establish measures that allow us to effectively deal with the adoption of abusive behaviour, especially by those who seek the municipality of Albufeira as a tourist destination,” a translated version of the document reads. “Measures that appear to be of a preventive nature, in order to prevent the practice of acts that, by their nature, may cause undesirable damage to the resident population and the image of the municipality as a tourist destination.”
The document bans any type of behaviour that “by its nature or effects, puts at risk the legally protected rights and interests of third parties or the safety of people and property”. This includes:
- Remain or circulate in a state of complete nudity, meaning, for the purposes of this Code, a person without any type of clothing or adornment, completely exposing the body or, even, a person who, despite using any type of clothing or adornment, circulates or remains with an exposed sexual organ
- Remain or circulate in a state of partial nudity, meaning, for the purposes of this Code, a person who partially exposes their body, using any type of clothing or accessory (notably, swimwear – bikini, trikini, swimsuit and similar, shorts and underwear) and which does not allow the exposure of sexual organs
- The practice or simulation of any type of sexual act, individually or otherwise
- Consume alcoholic beverages
- Urinate or defecate
- Spitting
- Camping or setting up any camp
- Prepare any type of food
- Sports, recreational, cultural, leisure or artistic practice outside places specially designed for this purpose
- Any occupations that harm the health and well-being of people, namely, noisy demonstrations, individually or in groups (namely, dragging cans or any objects across the floors, which cause shrill noises; the use of any musical instruments at a sound intensity that bothers passers-by or the neighbourhood; among others), in residential areas
- The use of urban furniture in a way that makes its use impossible or difficult for other people
- Using assets belonging to municipal assets for purposes other than those for which they were intended, as well as carrying out any act or behaviour that, by its nature or effects, causes damage
- Deposit or abandon any type of equipment used to transport goods or products (notably, supermarket/hypermarket carts and similar), outside the spaces reserved for this purpose
View news Source: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on/travel-tourism/portugal-holiday-warning-13-new-31058307
