Popular Italian island implements new £433 fine tourists will actually be thankful for

Capri is an Italian island clamping down on local businesses (Picture: Getty Images/Westend61)

There’s nothing worse than walking down a sunny street on holiday, ice cream in hand, and suddenly being accosted by a local merchant pressuring you to purchase their wares.

If you’re looking to avoid this, then the Italian island of Capri, just became your next European holiday spot.

The rocky aisle had 50,000 visitors in the high season alone, according to the University of Florence, so local businesses are often competing for tourist attention.

But now, in an effort to improve the tourist experience (as well as improve life for the 13,000 locals), Capri has introduced a new ban on aggressive street solicitation.

Businesses are prohibited from approaching tourists in public spaces, targeting ‘intrusive and insistent’ behaviour from tour operators, restaurant hosts and street vendors.

Those who behave in such a manner will now be hit with a fine of up to £433 (€500). The lowest fine for issued will be £21 (€25) but could escalate into the triple digits.

Tourists heading to Capri will be able to wander freely without solicitation (Picture: Getty Images)

It’s a relief for tourists who will be able to move freely without worrying about being pestered when they stop to look at a restaurant menu or check out upcoming boat tours.

The new law states commercial operators, owners of tourist service agencies and their employees are absolutely prohibited from carrying out customer procurement activities through intrusive and insistent methods on public or publicly used land.

Mayor Paolo Falco, who advocates for better tourism management, says businesses pressuring tourists has ‘a detrimental effect on the perception of the island’.

‘I know that there are tourists who, from the moment they disembark from the boat to arriving at the entrance to the funicular [which connects the port to the town above], have been stopped more than five times with offers of trips and restaurants,’ he told Italian media. ‘This insistence has an unpleasant effect.’

He added: ‘We understand the need to convey a promotional message, but we do not compromise on the need for this to be done with the grace and elegance befitting Capri.’

This isn’t the first change for tourists that has been implemented on the Italian island this year.

In efforts to reduce over-crowding, the council limited tour groups to 40 people, to prevent them looking like ‘herds of sheep’, Paolo told The Times.

This follows in the footsteps of Mallorca’s divisive decision to limit guided walking tours to 20 people per group in Palma – a huge reduction from the 70 people tours accommodated in the Balearic Islands.

Gabriel Rosales, president of Proguies Turístics de Baleares agency, said this treats tourists ‘like animals’, but this hasn’t deterred Capri from following suit.

The Italian island’s rules also say guides leading groups of more than 20 should communicate with wireless earpieces, not loudspeakers, and ensure groups stay together.

They must also refrain from holding up an umbrella for tourists to follow, instead they must wear easily identifiable clothing.

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