Selfie zones and mobility scooter fines: The weirdest crackdowns on tourist behaviour in 2025

The summertime of 2024 was a tipping constituent for galore destinations successful Europe, arsenic soaring visitant numbers caused tourism to go a load alternatively than a benefit. 

With wide tourism showing nary signs of slowing successful 2025, galore hotspots person brought successful measures to mitigate its antagonistic effects. 

Some moves seemed obvious: limiting cruise ships, expanding tourer taxes and capping visitant numbers.

But different efforts to curb visitant numbers person made headlines acknowledgment to outside-the-box reasoning from some officials and residents. 

Here are immoderate of nan strangest overtourism measures that person been brought successful truthful acold this year.

Notting Hill residents overgarment iconic coloured houses black

Notting Hill, a neighbourhood successful West London, first gained tourer fame successful nan 90s acknowledgment to nan eponymous romanticist movie starring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant.

More recently, its photogenic, candy-coloured houses person made nan area a societal media darling. 

But nan crowds of snap-happy tourists person begun to frustrate residents, who are raising complaints astir litter, sound and a deficiency of privacy. 

Locals study incidents of influencers stepping up to beforehand doors to return pictures, mounting retired picnics, and moreover asking 1 homeowner to spell wrong truthful arsenic not to ruin a photo. 

Now, immoderate residents person resorted to coating their houses successful little eye-catching hues for illustration achromatic and grey to deter nan cameras. 

Homeowners person besides erected ‘quiet zone’ signs and hung chains and ropes successful beforehand of nan stairs starring up to their beforehand doors. 

Police cheque hikers' footwear successful Italy’s Cinque Terre

Italy’s Cinque Terre is celebrated for its sunny-coloured, cliff-clinging villages linked by vertiginous stepping paths. 

The hiking routes tie thousands of visitors successful outpouring and summer, to nan grade that nan Cinque Terre nationalist parkland authorities person had to present information measures.

As good arsenic introducing one-way systems, parkland authorities brought successful a prohibition connected unfastened aliases smooth-soled footwear (like flip-flops) successful 2019. 

Inappropriate shoes tin costs a would-be hiker a fine ranging from €50 to €2,500. 

In nan latest online guidelines for visiting nan park, officials now opportunity checks will beryllium carried retired by constabulary to guarantee walkers are decently kitted out.  

Barcelona creates typical selfie area astatine Sagrada Familia

Until recently, Plaça Gaudí, nan quadrate successful beforehand of nan Sagrada Familia church, had been exploited by visitors for a TikTok inclination that caused sizeable disruption.

It progressive visitors balancing their phones connected metro escalators to movie themselves while nan iconic monument appeared successful nan background. The inclination led to visitors clogging position exits and was yet banned.

Barcelona metropolis assembly has now decided to conception a typical area beside nan Sagrada Familia wherever visitors tin return a breather - and a selfie - earlier entering nan church.

The 6,200-square-metre ‘anteroom’ will beryllium located betwixt nan Nativity façade of nan basilica and Plaça Gaudí connected Carrer de la Marina.

Benidorm cracks down connected renting mobility scooters

In nan Spanish edifice municipality of Benidorm, authorities person announced hefty fines for nan inappropriate usage of mobility scooters. 

Police opportunity visitors person been renting nan vehicles for nosy and without due insurance, and driving astir astatine vulnerable speeds. 

The assembly has now emphasised that nan usage of mobility scooters is strictly constricted to those pinch a genuine need. 

Visitors violating nan rules look fines of up to €500.