April 8, 2026, 10:47 amApril 8, 2026, 10:47 am
Sun, sea – and probably much less intrusive tourist catchers in the future: On the Italian Mediterranean island of Capri, which is popular with holidaymakers, the municipality is now taking a tough stance against approaching tourists on the street.
Anyone who wants to lure holidaymakers into restaurants without asking or persuade them to go on boat tours and excursions will have to pay. According to a new regulation, there is a risk of fines of between 25 and 500 euros (between 23 and 462 francs).
Anyone who wants to lure holidaymakers to restaurants without asking in the future will have to pay.Image: AP/AP
With the regulation, Capri wants to address the growing problem of mass tourism – and above all the anger of many island visitors about stubborn providers. “Traders, owners of tourist service agencies and their employees are strictly prohibited from recruiting customers through intrusive and persistent methods on public or publicly used property,” it says.
Capri attracts visitors from all over the world
Capri is one of the most famous and most visited holiday destinations in Italy. The island in the Gulf of Naples is famous for its villas and the rocky coast lined with bays. There are many luxury hotels, especially in the main town. Around 13,000 people live on Capri, and tens of thousands of day visitors come every day in summer.
As justification, the municipality points to the enormous flow of visitors that move through the historic center and the port area every day. The stated aim of the measure is to “ensure a well-groomed appearance and smooth pedestrian and car traffic”.
The community on Lake Garda was the beginning
In many Italian tourist centers, intrusive advertising for restaurants or other services is an everyday problem; holidaymakers often find this annoying. The holiday resort of Torri del Benaco on Lake Garda introduced a similar measure last summer. Since then, service employees have been prohibited from actively and intrusively luring tourists to their restaurants and bars with flyers. (sda/dpa)