Latest news with #Calabria
Forbes
4 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Tourists, Beware: Europe Cracks Down With Bans, Fines And Restrictions For 2025
A packed beach in Tropea, Calabria. As tourism surges, popular European destinations like Italy are introducing new rules, laws, bans and fines to control the crowds. Heading to Europe this summer? Think twice before lighting a cigarette on the beach or strolling shirtless down a boardwalk. With visitor numbers predicted to surge to record levels in 2025, many destinations are cracking down. Europe travel rules—and the list of things that can get you in trouble—are growing, with new bans, fines and restrictions that could cost you hundreds (if not thousands) of euros. Some of the new rules are dramatic—like banning music on beaches, outlawing drinking in certain public areas and limiting selfies in overtouristed villages. Some countries can even fine you for wearing flip-flops while driving (even though it's not technically illegal). It's all part of a growing movement to combat overtourism at a moment when tensions are boiling over. In April and May, anti-tourism protests broke out across Spain, from Madrid to Mallorca to the Canary Islands. And on June 15, activist groups will be staging massive protests across several countries, with marches, picketing at airports, tour bus blockades and more expected. So before you head off on that dream European getaway, be sure to research the rules for wherever you're going. Here's a small sampling of what you need to know, from new rules and fines to surprising ones that have quietly been on the books for years. Tourists crowd La Rambla in Barcelona. Spain has introduced strict new rules this summer, from smoking bans on beaches to fines for walking around in swimwear. Spain is leading the charge when it comes to regulating tourist behavior—and this summer, the rules are stricter than ever, especially when it comes to beaches. Dozens of coastal towns—including spots in Barcelona, the Balearic Islands and on the Costa del Sol—have banned smoking on beaches, with fines up to €2,000 (about $2,260, based on the conversion on the date of publication). In some regions, you can be fined up to €250 (about $283) for reserving a sunbed and then disappearing for hours. Public urination—yes, even peeing in the sea—is a punishable offense in places like Marbella and Vigo, with fines up to €750 (about $848). And be careful what you wear: Cities such as Malaga have imposed fines for walking around in swimwear when you're not at the beach, while Barcelona enforces penalties for wearing bikinis in public areas. The rules don't stop once you leave the beach. Spanish authorities are targeting tourists behind the wheel. Driving in flip-flops isn't explicitly illegal, but police can fine you up to €200 (about $226) if they decide your footwear is unsafe. And be careful about getting your party on: In hotspots like Mallorca, Ibiza and the Canary Islands, authorities are clamping down on rowdy tourism with a host of strict new measures. Pub crawls and party boats are banned in notorious nightlife hubs, while public drunkenness can result in fines up to €3,000 (about $3,390). Tourists gather at the Trevi Fountain in Rome at sunset. With overtourism on the rise, Italy is cracking down with entrance fees, dress codes and steep fines for unruly behavior. Italy's most iconic destinations are stepping up enforcement as overtourism continues to put a strain on popular sites. Nowhere is this more evident than Venice, which began charging day trippers a fee to enter the city, ranging from €5 (about $5.65) if booked in advance to €10 (about $11.30) for last-minute arrivals. (Visitors with hotel reservations are exempt.) Tourists caught without proof of paying the fee can be fined up to €300 (about $339). The city has also banned loudspeakers, large tour groups and swimming in its iconic canals, which could get you a fine of €1,000 (about $1,130). Other Italian towns are also cracking down on bad tourism behavior. In certain no-waiting zones in Portofino, you can get fined up to €275 (about $300) for taking a selfie and holding up pedestrian flow. In Lake Garda, police have fined tourists up to €700 (about $763) for jumping off cliffs and swimming in dangerous areas and even a rowdy game of football could cost you €600 (about $654). Dress codes are another hot topic: In Sorrento, walking around in swimwear beyond the beach or pool areas carries a fine of up to €500 (about $545). And hotspots are limiting visitors: Pompeii is limiting visitors to 20,000 a day in 2025. In Rome, there's a limit of 3,000 visitors at any one time at the Colosseum, and scam artists selling tickets are being fined (be careful who you buy from). A picnic along the Seine in Paris may look idyllic—but drinking alcohol in many public areas is banned. In France, authorities are increasingly asking visitors to show a little more respect. Take Paris. While having a picnic of wine and cheese in a park or along the Seine might seem très romantique, drinking alcohol is banned in many public areas, so research the rules. If you're caught, fines can reach €135 (about $153). In France, the fashion police is a real thing. Several towns along the Côte d'Azur have banned overly revealing swimwear away from the beach, including Cannes, where walking around shirtless or in a bikini can result in a fine of up to €38 (about $43). Sunset crowds in Kastro, Oia. With visitor numbers surging, Greece is capping cruise ship arrivals and introducing new tourist fees to help ease overtourism on islands like Santorini. Greece is getting serious about protecting its cultural landmarks and natural beauty. Starting this summer, cruise passengers disembarking at Santorini or Mykonos between June and September will face a €20 (about $23) per-person fee. The islands are also limiting cruise arrivals—Santorini now caps daily cruise visitors at 8,000 to ease overtourism. Greece has also implemented beach preservation rules, requiring 70% of public beaches to remain free of sunbeds. Drones are used to monitor compliance. And forget about bringing home a souvenir from nature: In many areas of the country, collecting seashells or pebbles from beaches is illegal, with fines up to €1,000 (about $1,130). There are land-based rules, too. Wearing high heels at archaeological sites is prohibited, with fines of up to €900 (about $1,017) to prevent damage to fragile ancient surfaces. The Acropolis now has a cap of 20,000 visitors per day, with timed-entry tickets to reduce crowding. Tourists crowd Dubrovnik's Old Town, a UNESCO site long impacted by overtourism. Croatia has introduced cruise ship caps, cut taxi numbers and imposed fines to help restore calm. Croatia is cracking down on unruly behavior and crowd control, especially in its most popular summer hot spots. In Split, walking around the historic city center in swimwear—or worse, underwear—is strictly forbidden, with fines up to €150 (about $170). The rules are even tougher in nearby Hvar: There are new quiet hours, and visitors can be fined €600 (about $678) on the spot for drinking in public Meanwhile, the mayor of Dubrovnik—one of the most overtouristed locations in Europe–is pushing back in a big way. Only two cruise ships are allowed to dock in the city per day, souvenir stands have been shut down, cafe chairs have been reduced, taxi service has been curtailed and more. The goal? A calmer, more livable city—for locals and tourists alike. A busy beach day in Albufeira, Portugal. As tourist numbers soar, coastal towns like this are enforcing stricter rules—banning public drinking, limiting noise and imposing fines for walking around in swimwear. Portugal is cracking down on unruly behavior, especially in coastal hotspots like Albufeira, where tourists can be fined a staggering €1,500 (about $1,695) for walking around town in swimwear—and even higher penalties for public nudity. The rules also target street drinking, urination and spitting. Noise is also under fire in Portugal: High-volume speakers are now banned on many beaches, with fines up to an eye-watering €36,000 (about $40,680). Some areas are shortening bar hours to curb late-night chaos. And in Sintra, protests by locals have officials considering limits on hotel development to preserve the town's historic charm. A crowded scene on the IJ River in Amsterdam. As overtourism spikes, the Netherlands is introducing stricter rules for boat parties, group tours and cannabis use to protect the city's quality of life. Amsterdam is cracking down on tourism in a big way. The city's 'Stay Away' campaign targets partygoers with ads warning them not to come. Smoking cannabis on the street in the Red Light District is now banned, bars close earlier, and group tours face stricter limits. Boat parties have new rules around noise and alcohol. New hotel development is being banned. Locals are even suing TikTok famous shops that are attracting overtourism. The message is clear: respect the city—or stay home. Tourists crowd the lakeside streets of Hallstatt, Austria—a fairytale village grappling with overtourism. The town temporarily installed a 'selfie fence' to reduce congestion at popular viewpoints. Austria is cracking down on overtourism with rules that target both selfies and short-term rentals. In the mountain town of Hallstatt—said to have inspired Disney's Frozen—a temporary 'anti-selfie' fence was installed to block crowds from overwhelming the town's famous lake views. And here's a lesser-known rule: Leave that dashcam at home. They are largely banned in Austria due to privacy laws, and using one can lead to fines as high as €25,000 (about $28,250). Rave the Planet, Berlin's famous techno parade, draws massive crowds each summer. But with noise complaints on the rise, authorities are enforcing stricter rules to curb rowdy tourist behavior. In Germany, bad behavior behind the wheel can cost you—literally. Shouting insults or making rude gestures while driving (even at other drivers or the police) is considered 'road rage' and can result in fines up to €4,000 (about $4,520). The country has also cracked down on rowdy tourist behavior in cities like Berlin, where noise ordinances and public drinking bans are increasingly enforced in neighborhoods fed up with party tourism. And be careful about jaywalking: It's illegal. Crowds of tourists cross Prague's iconic Charles Bridge. As visitor numbers surge, the city is cracking down on pub crawls, beer bikes, and late-night partying to preserve its historic core. Prague is trying to shed its party capital image. The city has banned beer bikes, limited noise in historic areas and cracked down on public drinking, pub crawls and rowdy bachelor and bachelorette parties. Bars even face fines if they serve already-intoxicated tourists. A coastal road in Cyprus overlooking the sea. Local authorities are enforcing little-known driving rules—like banning eating or drinking (even water) behind the wheel—with fines for violations. Thinking of sipping a bottle of water while driving in Cyprus? Don't. Eating or drinking anything behind the wheel—including water—is against the law and could get you fined €85 (about $96). It's considered a distraction, and local police enforce it. Off-road driving is banned in Iceland to protect its fragile environment. Violators face steep fines. Iceland has had enough of tourists trampling its fragile landscapes. Off-road driving is strictly banned and can result in fines up to ISK 500,000 (about $3,600). Disrespect the rules, and you'll pay—literally and environmentally. Switzerland's picture-perfect landscapes come with strict protections. Littering and noise violations can result in on-the-spot fines to help preserve the peace. Switzerland is picture-perfect, and there's a reason why. The country has strict rules to preserve its pristine environment. Littering can result in on-the-spot fines, and being too loud late at night or leaving behind trash in public areas can earn you hefty penalties. In Zermatt, the town is car-free, and gasoline vehicles are prohibited to reduce pollution; electric taxis are the norm. And remember: Wherever you're headed, make sure you're up to speed on the latest Europe travel rules—or risk paying the price.
Telegraph
28-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Italian mafia use Chinese ‘underground banks' to launder money
Italy's mafia gangs are using Chinese 'underground banks' to launder money from drug trafficking and other crimes, a new report has revealed. Mafia groups are increasingly turning to a system known as Fei Ch'ien – 'flying money' – as a clandestine way of moving vast amounts of cash around the world. An underground banking network that originated in China, it operates through brokers in money exchanges, using encrypted communication systems and minimal record-keeping to make it hard for authorities to track. 'In relation to money laundering, there are links between Italian criminal organisations and Chinese groups who are active in underground banking,' the DIA, Italy's national anti-mafia agency, said in the report, entitled Follow the Money. The clandestine system is now being used extensively by 'big criminal organisations that want to secretly transfer money abroad to finance their criminal activities or to reinvest it', the report said. The DIA said mafia groups such as the Camorra of Naples, Cosa Nostra in Sicily and the 'Ndrangheta in Calabria were becoming increasingly adept at using digital technology to evade detection by the authorities. They employ encrypted communication channels such as EncroChat and Sky ECC, as well as messaging services such as Signal and Telegram. 'There has been a pronounced rise in the adoption of illicit financial instruments which are technologically sophisticated, including artificial intelligence models designed to elude checks,' the report said. Even when mafiosi are arrested, convicted and imprisoned, they are still able to maintain contacts with their criminal empires on the outside. The smuggling of mobile phones into prisons is commonplace and some are delivered by drone, according to the report. Rise of the 'baby gangs' Meanwhile, Mafia organisations are increasingly recruiting young men from marginalised backgrounds in cities such as Naples and Rome to act as runners, lookouts and drug dealers. Such groups are known in Italy as 'baby gangs'. These are made up of bands of young delinquents and aspiring mafiosi who, armed with knives and firearms, fight each other for territorial control. Young people from areas with high unemployment are drawn to a life of crime partly by the easy money to be made but also by images that they see on social media, the DIA said. Teenage boys are attracted by 'misleading models of power and wealth' as well as 'ostentation and the promise of affirming their identities,' the report added, saying: 'The glorifying of luxury and violence, through images on social media, contributes to the creation of an image that is warped but very attractive to young people.' The DIA described the rise of 'baby gangs', fuelled by high levels of school absenteeism, unemployment and poverty, as 'particularly worrying'. The report also highlights how Mafia groups are trying to muscle in on the billions of euros swirling around Italy as the country embarks on a number of huge investment projects. They include plans to build a vast suspension bridge from Sicily – the home of Cosa Nostra – to Calabria, the territory of the 'Ndrangheta. Mafia dons have their eyes on the €200 billion of post-pandemic recovery funds that the EU granted to Italy, as well as the billions being spent in Rome to spruce up the city for this year's Jubilee, a special calendar of holy events organised by the Vatican. The crime bosses are also targeting huge amounts of money being spent on preparations for the 2026 Winter Olympics, which will be hosted by Milan and the ski resort of Cortina d'Ampezzo, in the Dolomites. Italy's different mafia groups are putting aside the bloody feuds of the past and forging collaborative links, the DIA said, with the Cosa Nostra and the Camorra forming alliances at home and abroad. 'Coexistence has fostered synergies that have progressively become structured,' said Michele Carbone, the director of the agency. 'These structures have become 'capable of absorbing overlaps, tensions and frictions'.
South China Morning Post
27-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Italy's mafia joining forces, turning to Chinese ‘shadow banks', report says
Italy's mafia is turning away from violent turf wars to collaborate in drug trafficking, prostitution rings and money laundering, the national anti-mafia agency (DIA) said in an annual report about the organised crime groups on Tuesday. Sicily's Cosa Nostra and the Camorra around Naples are forming alliances at home and abroad, while the 'Ndrangheta, based in Calabria in Italy's southern toe, is increasingly focused on controlling public works projects, the report said. 'Coexistence has fostered synergies that have progressively become structured,' DIA director Michele Carbone told a press conference. These structures had become 'capable of absorbing overlaps, tensions and frictions,' he added. Public works linked to Italy's EU-backed post-Covid Recovery Fund, plans for a huge bridge connecting Sicily to the mainland, and preparations for the 2026 Winter Olympics were all in danger of mafia infiltration, the DIA report said. The construction sector represented 38 per cent of administrative anti-mafia measures in 2024, with investigations into 200 building sites for public projects. Two girls view posters of the Sicilian Mafia's top chief Bernardo Provenzano in Palermo in April 2005. Photo: AFP Carbone said the DIA was ready to block any mafia involvement in the bridge to Sicily.
Reuters
27-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Italy's mafia abandoning rivalries to join forces, report says
ROME, May 27 (Reuters) - Italy's mafia is turning away from violent turf wars to collaborate in drug trafficking, prostitution rings and money laundering, the national anti-mafia agency (DIA) said in an annual report about the organized crime groups on Tuesday. Sicily's Cosa Nostra and the Camorra around Naples are forming alliances at home and abroad, while the 'Ndrangheta, based in Calabria in Italy's southern toe, is increasingly focused on controlling public works projects, the report said. "Coexistence has fostered synergies that have progressively become structured," DIA director Michele Carbone told a press conference. These structures had become "capable of absorbing overlaps, tensions and frictions," he added. Public works linked to Italy's EU-backed post-COVID Recovery Fund, plans for a huge bridge connecting Sicily to the mainland, and preparations for the 2026 Winter Olympics were all in danger of mafia infiltration, the DIA report said. The construction sector represented 38% of administrative anti-mafia measures in 2024, with investigations into 200 building sites for public projects. Carbone said the DIA was ready to block any mafia involvement in the bridge to Sicily. "Soon all anti-mafia prevention activities in connection with the construction of the bridge over the Strait (of Messina) will be started," he said. The DIA also highlighted the mafia's growing technological expertise, using encrypted communication channels and maintaining contacts with prison inmates through drones. Chinese "underground banking" networks are increasingly being used for money laundering, it said. At the same time, the recruitment of marginalised young people to commit crimes in what are called "baby gangs" is facilitated by spectacular displays of power on social media, the report said.
Reuters
19-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Work on long-debated bridge to Sicily could begin in coming months
ROME, May 19 (Reuters) - Work to build a giant bridge connecting the Italian mainland to the island of Sicily is expected to begin over the summer, the infrastructure minister said on Monday, vowing to block any attempt by criminal groups to infiltrate the costly project. The project has been talked about for decades as a way to help develop the impoverished south of Italy but appeared to have been killed off for good in 2013, when the company created to oversee its construction was closed down as part of a drive to curb state spending and rein in public debt. However, Infrastructure Minister Matteo Salvini, the leader of the co-ruling League party, made it a priority and the government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has set aside 13.5 billion euros ($15.2 billion) to build it. "If we are particularly, I won't say clever, but lucky and consistent, summer 2025 is the one for the works," Salvini told a press conference. The CEO of the bridge company, Pietro Ciucci, said the project still needed a final green light from a state committee overseeing strategic infrastructure and he hoped to submit the request by the end of June. The construction, by a consortium led by Italy's Webuild ( opens new tab, would be some 3.6 km (2.2 miles) long, feature a central span measuring 3.3 km, and connect Sicily to the southern Calabria region. It has become a highly divisive issue in Italy. The bridge draws fierce criticism from those who question the wisdom of building it in an earthquake zone and those who say it would be a waste of money harmful to the landscape, amid fears that the Cosa Nostra and 'Ndrangheta gangs based in the area could infiltrate the works to reap huge profits. But the project also has strong support from those who believe a fast rail and road connection as an alternative to the current ferry crossing of the Strait of Messina would boost southern Italy. Salvini rebuffed security concerns, saying the bridge would be able to withstand the forces of nature, and maintained that refusing to implement projects in mafia-tainted areas would amount to a "state surrender" to the criminals. Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said a centralised anti-mafia body would make checks on companies involved, with a focus on those sectors particularly exposed to mob infiltration, such as the disposal of waste materials. ($1 = 0.8883 euros)
