UK Tourists Warned of £500 Fines in Spain
In an effort to rein in anti-social behavior, new local regulations that apply to UK visitors intending to travel to Spain this summer—whether for sports or sun—could result in heavy fines.
Travelers who intend to take advantage of the sun or cheer on England at the 2024 European Championship may be fined up to £500 for violating many new public regulations. They're being cautioned against things like drinking, smoking, and dressing in football jerseys.
Spanish authorities are set to ramp up enforcement on unsuitable attire while also tightening rules around alcohol consumption in some of the country’s most popular tourist spots.
The UK Foreign Office has updated its travel advice, urging people to comply with local legislation, or risk facing hefty fines.
"As the Euros kick off this month, we are seeing increasing numbers of British tourists head to their holiday destinations to enjoy matches in the sun. This has meant increasing bans on specific clothing items including football shirts and novelty wear to promote a more respectful environment,” said a spokesperson from One Sure Insurance.
"Majorca has seen multiple restaurants targeting clothes associated with drunken tourism. We’ve also seen that wearing just a bikini or being bare-chested with swimming shorts away from the beach could land tourists fines of up to £500 in various locations."
Similarly, destinations including Majorca and Ibiza are witnessing stricter regulations on alcohol consumption in resort areas such as Playa de Palma, Magaluf and San Antonio. Among those to be prohibited are off-licence alcohol sales between 9.30pm and 8am, happy hours, pub crawls and party boats.
Several areas are enforcing fines for smoking in public places including beaches and restaurant terraces, as high as £1,700, while drinking on the beach can lead to a £650 fine and discarding cigarette butts or litters from a moving vehicle could result in fines of over £168.
The Foreign Office has also advised that hotels, apartment blocks and other venues are obliged to evict customers that are behaving dangerously on balconies, warning that there had been several serious - even fatal - accidents involving British nationals.
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