Venice, Italy's new #EnjoyRespectVenezia campaign is reminding tourists not to loiter on bridges, swim in canals, or wear bathing suits in public, according to The Independent U.K.
The city's tourism chief Paola Mar announced that this campaign is starting just in time for the summer season, when Venice is overwhelmed with visitors. Around 22 million tourists crowd the small city each year.
Other regulations of which the city is reminding its visitors include prohibitions on picnicking in public areas, littering, and riding bikes. The fines range from about $29 to $586.
"The message we have to get through is that we’re not joking," Mar told local newspaper La Nuova. "If it gets about that people who do this kind of thing are fined, as well as it being flagged to their respective embassies, perhaps we'll be able to stop others from copying them."
Obnoxious — and often dangerous — tourist behavior truly does seem to run rampart in Venice, with stories of people swimming in canals and drunkenly jumping off bridges regularly popping up in the news. Locals don't always take kindly to these antics; just last year an anonymous group put up posters around the city saying, "Tourists Go Away!!! You Are Destroying This Area."
The new campaign will be promoted on social media, the city council's website, and posters and flyers around town. It will be launched in 10 languages, including English, Chinese, Arabic, and Korean.
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