Venice asks tourists not to linger on bridges or swim in canals

Updated
Venice asks tourists not to linger on bridges or swim in canals
Venice asks tourists not to linger on bridges or swim in canals

The city of Venice is launching a campaign to remind tourists to respect the holiday hotspot - or they will face fines.


The city is struggling to cope with the influx of visitors it receives, so Paola Mar, the councillor responsible for tourism, has launched a new campaign called #EnjoyRespectVenetia.


See also: Hvar introduces fines for debauched tourist behaviour

See also: Spanish town to fine tourists for peeing in the sea

The campaign will remind tourists to behave appropriately or face fines of between €20 and €500. Holidaymakers will be asked not to swim in canals, linger on bridges for too long, take picnics out of public areas, ride bikes through the city, don swimwear while sightseeing, or drop litter.

According to the Independent, Mar told a local paper: "The message we have to get through is that we're not joking.

"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."

Refinery29.com reports that locals are becoming extremely exasperated with bad behaviour from tourists, including jumping off bridges in drunken stupors and swimming in canals. Last year, an anonymous group put up posters around the city which read: "Tourists Go Away!!! You Are Destroying This Area."

The campaign will be promoted on social media, as well as being displayed on posters around locations in the city like the train station.

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