Brit-favourite holiday hotspot u-turns on strict new rules that would ban suitcases
A BRIT holiday hotspot has rolled back rules that should penalize travelers for carrying wheeled suitcases.
Having your luggage on wheels makes it much easier to take it with you when you travel, but not everyone is a fan of it.
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Officials in Dubrovnik, Croatia, reportedly said last month they are considering imposing a hefty fine on people who dragged the cases through their city.
Mayor Mato Franković wanted to reduce the noise after locals complained that they heard loud suitcases rolling through their streets late at night.
He said tourists visiting Dubrovnik this summer will need to carry their luggage while walking around the Old Town.
Those who failed to comply could face a €265 (£226) fine.
However, city officials have since denied those reports, saying they have no plans to introduce such a penalty.
They wrote in the Dubrovnik Times: “The city of Dubrovnik would like to emphasize that this claim is completely untrue.”
They added that reports that “rolling suitcases are punished and fined in Dubrovnik” were untrue.
However, the mayor still hopes to come up with plans to reduce the noise the falls make, even if there’s no fine for doing so.
Those plans include forcing visitors to leave their luggage at a drop-off point where it will be taken to their hotel for a fee.
He told the Croatian newspaper: Jutarnji list: “Tourists leave their luggage in a designated place and we will of course deliver their belongings to the address where they will stay overnight for a fee.”
“This is just the beginning. The ultimate goal is to create a logistics center within the airport. Then all the luggage of Dubrovnik visitors will be transported from Ćilipo directly to the addresses of the guests.”
Brits with luggage without wheels are not affected, so backpacks and holdalls are still allowed.
Dubrovnik officials also recently released a short video discussing the pros and cons of visiting the city.
Vacationers were reminded not to walk their pets off-leash, climb monuments, or walk downtown bareheaded.
The video will be shown on Croatian Airlines flights and cruise ships to educate visitors.
While Dubrovnik doesn’t levy fines, there are places elsewhere with seemingly strange laws that can put tourists off.
Certain clothing is taboo for tourists on Playa de Palma in Mallorca. There, restaurant owners have instituted a dress code that locals hoped would curb antisocial and drunken behavior.
Football shirts are prohibited under the code, and going topless is not an option either.
Meanwhile, the popular resort of Vigo has banned urinating in the sea, with fines of up to €750 for anyone caught doing it.
The coastal region of north-west Spain last year issued a warning banning urination “in the sea or on the beach”.
Because it is a hygiene and health hazard, it is now a minor violation, meaning tourists will be fined if they break the rules.
Meanwhile, stag and hen parties were warned of tighter rules on the Costa del Sol last summer.
Smoking bans have also been imposed on several beaches in Spain.
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