If you’ve ever set foot in a bustling tourist destination, and found dozens of business owners crowding and yelling for your attention (and wallet), then you know how chaotic – and borderline intrusive – it can be. Thankfully, a popular destination wants to put a stop to it.
In an ongoing effort to improve daily life for both locals and tourists, Capri has introduced a new ban on aggressive street solicitation that essentially prohibits businesses from approaching tourists in public spaces. The rule targets what officials describe as ‘intrusive and insistent’ behaviour from tour operators, restaurant hosts and other vendors who approach wandering visitors.
And to be fair, the new ban is long overdue. Capri gets up to 50,000 visitors per day in its high season, an astronomical amount compared to its local population of around 13,000 to 15,000 residents. By prohibiting the relentless sales pitches, tourists can move at ease.
‘Commercial operators, owners of tourist service agencies and their employees are absolutely prohibited from carrying out customer procurement activities through intrusive and insistent methods…’, said Mayor of Capri, Paolo Falco, according to euronews. ‘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’.
Business owners who get caught hassling tourists in public spaces will face financial penalties ranging from €25 to €500.
It’s all part of a wider mission to improve tourism management. Just earlier this year, Capri started capping on tour group sizes, and banning the use of loudspeakers and oversized guide umbrellas in an effort to reduce disruption and restore a flow to its famously narrow streets.
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