French town the latest to announce tourist swimwear ban
The French resort town of Les Sables d’Olonne has introduced fines for people found to be walking around topless or in their swimsuits anywhere other than the beach.
Authorities in the popular seaside town in the Vendée region on France’s Atlantic coast announced fines of up to €150 ($267) for people walking around the town “half-naked”.
The resort joins a growing number of beachside locations cracking down on perceived indecency and comes as residents of tourist destinations across the world protest against overtourism.
Les Sables d’Olonne mayor Yannick Moreau announced the fines in a Facebook post last week railing against topless men and criticising the “indecent behaviour.”
“It’s a question of respect for locals who don’t want people wandering around their town half naked,” Moreau wrote.
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“It’s also a rule for basic hygiene in our markets, our shops and our streets,” he added, calling on local police to ensure that the rule was enforced.
“If you want to show off your pecs and your best swimming shorts in Les Sables d’Olonne there are 11 kilometres of beach at your disposal,” Moreau said in the post, which was accompanied by a poster announcing the fine with the tagline “In Les Sables d’Olonne, respect doesn’t go on holiday”.
Les Sables d’Olonne is the latest in a string of French towns cracking down on what is seen as disrespectful behaviour.
Arcachon on the west coast and La Grande-Motte in the south also introduced a €150 fines for anyone walking around town in a state of undress of the sea front.
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Authorities in the Spanish city of Malaga announced in 2023 that anyone seen in the street or public spaces without clothes, or wearing only underwear, would face a fine of up to €750 ($1330).
The fines implemented by these cities pale in comparison to the measures announced by the Portuguese party hotspot of Albufeira on the Algarve last month.
Albufeira, which has been plagued by bad behaviour by visitors in recent years has announced:
- Fines from €300 to €1500 ($532 to $2664) for wearing bikinis or swimwear outside beach or pool zones.
- Fines of €300 to €1500 for drinking alcohol in the street, urinating, or defecating in public.
- Fines of €500 and €1800 for nude or sexual acts in public.
- Fines of €150 to €750 for “wild camping”, sleeping rough, or spitting in public.
The Albufeira move came after eight British tourists were identified by Portuguese police in the town after they were filmed naked in broad daylight at a local bar.
The video of the group was shared on social media, showing several naked men in line, crawling on their knees, on top of a bar counter.
In 2023, the Bali Tourist Board adopted a widespread campaign urging tourists to “respect Balinese cultural customs”.
Incidents of foreign tourists flouting the laws of Indonesia have also resulted periodic crackdowns on the hire of scooters, the wearing of helmets and dress standards in some areas of Bali.
