Tourists will now have to pay to visit popular white-sand beach in Italy

La Pelosa beach in Stintino, Sardinia attracts thousands of visitors every year during the summer. The popular white sand beach is a favourite tourist destination. But, it has come up with a new rule, authorities will start charging its visitors to get a view of the ocean. The environmental studies conducted on the beach revealed that overcrowding on the beach may have a negative impact on the beach and may disturb its ecological balance. In a bid to protect and preserve the natural attraction, the mayor of Stintino, Antonio Diana has incorporated a paid ticketing system to get rid of the crowd. There will also be a limit on the number of beachgoers that can visit in a day from next summer limiting the number to 1500, according to local media.

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Customers to pay to visit the beach

The price of the ticket has not yet been disclosed. Mayor Diana said in a meeting on Monday that the money garnered through the tickets will be invested for the maintenance of the beach. This is not the first time Sardinia has taken steps to protect its beaches. Tourists were banned carrying plastic and towels to the La Pelosa beach while visiting in 2018. Earlier the authorities also curbed the tourists and banned them for taking away Sardinian beach sands with them as a token of memory.
Many anti-tourist rules have been imposed in Italy earlier but this is the first move where tourists will be charged in a view to protecting the environment. In 2013, the city of Civita di Bagnoregio that attracts scores of tourists each year started charging visitors. The new system imposed brought the town back from the verge of extinction.

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Other countries that charge tourism taxes

Venice, renowned for its 'two-tier system', charges tourists higher prices to avail products and services such as museum tickets and transport. Other countries have also shown similar concern to protect their environment. Cafes selling chips in Bruges, Belgium reportedly charge 10 per cent extra from tourists. When the tourists raised the issue, the city authorities responded that it was completely legal. Recently, the state of Baja California Sur in Mexico which is home to the resort cities of Cabo San Lucas and La Paz implemented a tourism tax that visitors need to pay at the airport while entering. Thailand also came up with an increased fee for foreign tourists visiting Thai national parks. 

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