Tourists will have to buy TICKETS to visit one of Sardinia’s most famous beaches, with authorities planning a cap of 1,500 beach-goers a day
- The entrance fee will be introduced for the famous La Pelosa beach in Stintino
- There are fears that overcrowding is causing damage to the stretch of sand
- Money raised from the fee will go to supervising and maintaining the beach
Tourists who want to relax on the white sands of one of Sardinia’s most famous beaches will soon have to buy a ticket.
Authorities in Stintino are introducing an entrance fee for La Pelosa beach, which is flooded with holidaymakers each summer.
It is part of a plan for the number of visitors to the beach to be capped at 1,500 a day from next year.
Soon tickets will be required to gain access to La Pelosa beach in Sardinia, pictured
The entrance fee, which will initially be charged as part of a trial period, was announced by Stintino’s mayor, Antonio Diana, at a city council meeting on Saturday.
He explained that studies have warned that the beach is at risk of damage from overcrowding – and a charge would help the local authority pay for its supervision and maintenance.
However, it is unclear how much the charge will be.
According to newspaper Sassari Oggi, councillor for tourism Francesca Demontis told the meeting: ‘The ticket will allow us to cover the expenses for Pelosa and distribute the proceeds also for the maintenance and cleaning of the other beaches.
‘I am convinced that we can achieve a good result.’
Beachgoers are already banned from taking beach towels and beach bags to La Pelosa to prevent sand, either purposely or accidentally, being taken away.
There are also fines of up to 5,000 euros (£4,522) for taking sand and pebbles away from any beach in Sardinia.
Authorities in Stintino, where La Pelosa beach is located, want to cap the number of visitors at 1,500 per day
Sardinia isn’t the only place in Italy charging tourists in a bid to regulate crowds.
Last year, the historic village of Polignano a Mare, on the Adriatic coast, charged visitors five euros (£4.29) at turnstiles to enter its cobbled centre during the festive period.
And in May, Venice introduced an entry fee for tourists – even day-trippers who only visit for a matter of hours – of between two and five euros (£1.71 and £4.29), rising to 10 euros (£8.57) in the high season.
Visitors can pay online before they visit and the city council says it hopes that by 2022 most people visiting Venice will use this system so that it can monitor tourism numbers.