The single most popular region of the country with holidaymakers is the beach-lined, sunny Algarve in the south. UK visitors account for 44% of all overseas guests in the region and 40% of flight arrivals at Faro Airport
One of the most popular holiday resorts with Brits has introduced a strict new regime designed to crack down on bad tourist behaviour.
Last year more than 4.5 million people from the UK landed at Portuguese airports, according to data from the National Statistics Institute. That means Brits are the single biggest group when it comes to visitors to Portugal.
The single most popular region of the country with holidaymakers is the beach-lined, sunny Algarve in the south. UK visitors account for 44% of all overseas guests in the region and 40% of flight arrivals at Faro Airport. The city of Albufeira is one of the main places to visit in the Algarve. This comes following a warning about visa scams.
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While Albufeira’s economy is built on tourism, some locals are growing tired of the bad behaviour of visitors. This has led the local authority to introduce a strict set of rules and hefty fines for those caught breaking them.
The rules are so severe that the UK Foreign Office has taken the unusual step of issuing an official warning about them — something it typically reserves for terrorist threats and moments of political instability.
“The municipality of Albufeira has introduced a Code of Conduct which bans inappropriate behaviour in public places. Check out the rules that are now in force. If you break the rules, you could be fined on the spot from between 150 and 1800 euros,” the Foreign Office website reads.
One of the rules most likely to impact Brits relates to alcohol. A message issued by the town council reads: “Due to the increasing number of public reports about the situation in the city’s main nightlife areas, Albufeira City Council has decided to restrict the sale of alcoholic beverages for public consumption in these locations between 11:00 PM and 8:00 AM. The ban is already in effect and will last until October 31st, with the possibility of extension if necessary.”
There are plenty of other rules that visitors should pay heed of. They are laid out in the newly published ‘Albufeira rules for public places’. The rules include:
- Full nudity in public — maximum fine €1,800
- Partial nudity in public (non‑beach) — maximum fine €1,500
- Sexual acts or simulations in public — maximum fine €1,800
- Sleeping overnight in public areas — maximum fine €750
- Urinating or defecating in public — maximum fine €1,500
- Spitting on the ground — maximum fine €750
- Camping or setting up tents — maximum fine €750
- Cooking in public spaces — maximum fine €750
- Excessive noise — maximum fine €750
- Misuse of public furniture — maximum fine €750
- Abandoning shopping carts — maximum fine €750