Tourists warned of potential fines in Albufeira if walking streets in bikinis or swim shorts
Beaches and beach access areas, including seafront car parks as well as hotel swimming pools, have been declared 'exempted areas'. File picture: AP Photo/Ana Brigida
Irish tourists holidaying in the Algarve this summer have been warned they could face €1,500 fines if walking on public street in bikinis or swim shorts.
Town hall chiefs in Albufeira have announced the penalty fee as part of a crackdown on semi-nudity outside of "exempted areas" like beaches and hotel swimming pools.
Street drinking is also to be banned under Albufeira’s clean-up, with potential penalty fees starting at €300. Police would also see holidaymakers face fines for public urination and public nudity.
The party resort’s draft new code of behaviour, approved late last year, has now been put out to public consultation before its expected implementation ahead of the summer season.
Council chiefs say their intention with the code of conduct project is to “create better conditions for the development of the municipality, preserving Albufeira as a multicultural, family-friendly, and safe destination that values its heritage and identity”.
Announcing the 30-day public consultation period on Wednesday, Albufeira’s mayor Jose Carlos Rolo said in an official government document: “It is urgent to establish measures that effectively address the adoption of abusive behaviours, particularly by those who seek the municipality of Albufeira as a tourist destination."
The document the council has put out to public consultation says under a section titled ‘Prohibitions’: “To remain or circulate in a state of partial nudity, understood, for the purposes of this code, as a person who partially exposes their body, using any type of clothing or accessory, namely, swimwear — bikini, trikini, swimsuit and similar, shorts and underwear.”
Beaches and beach access areas, including seafront car parks as well as hotel swimming pools, have been declared “exempted areas”. The fine for breaking the semi-nudity rules would be between €300 and €1,500.
Albufeira has recently tried to distance itself from its party image and move upmarket and away from its dependence on tourists.
Last year, the council presented a diversification strategy with the motto 'Albufeira is part of your life'.
Following an incident of public nudity in the town last summer, Mr Rolo said sun and the beach would always be at the centre of the resort’s tourist product but added: “We want to focus also on diversifying the offer, in order to contribute to reducing seasonality but also to attract new tourist markets from other nationalities.”
