Emergency meetings and a massive crackdown on unruly tourists in a European resort hugely popular with Brits is around the corner.
The crackdown, which will hit countless UK stag and hen dos that visit the seaside city, has been urgently launched following recent events in the resort, which included a group of British men being filmed naked in a popular bar.
In the footage, the group of eight can be without any clothes on, crawling on their hands and knees and simulating sexual positions, with the video going viral over on X (formerly Twitter).
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After being viewed by thousands, locals have hit out at the footage and similar groups in general labelling such acts as 'disgusting and disrespectful'.
Following on from local meetings with key officials, a strict code of conduct is expected to come in to play.
The location in question is the Portuguese city of Albufeira, with its mayor José Carlos Rolo behind the new measures following an initial meeting last month which included representatives from tourism associations, bar bosses and restaurant owners along with local officials and a Portuguese government minister.
Rua da Oura, also known as the Albufeira Strip, is one of the most popular locations with stag and hen dos, as well as groups of younger people in general going holidays abroad with their mates. It was on the strip that the aforementioned video was filmed.
It is only one side to Albufeira, which boasts a blue flag beach and a tonne of family-friendly activities such as water sports, theme parks and trips to local towns and ports.
Mayor Rolo is now fixated on repairing the town's image, saying it has been 'damaged by the excesses' of attitudes on the strip. No details about fresh measures have been released yet but given the outrage around the nude video, there is an expectation that rules will target stripping down, mimicking sexual acts, and being over-intoxicated.
It's the latest location in Europe to crack down on holidays that centre around booze, with one group of hugely popular Spanish islands introducing an alcohol ban between the hours of 9.30pm and 8am the next day.
A tourism tax is also coming to Tenerife in the aftermath of 'stay away' protests that have been organised by locals fed up with holidaygoers, saying their island is 'facing collapse'.
In Prague, which is also popular with stags and hens, a fancy dress ban has also been discussed to try and clean up the image of the historic Czech city.
Matt Mavir, managing director at Last Night of Freedom – a UK business that has organised more than 50,000 stag and hen parties in the last quarter of a century – has warned Albufeira politicians not to throw the baby out with the bathwater.
“The vast majority of tourists – and indeed the overwhelming majority of our customers – are well behaved, respectful and travel abroad to let their hair down and celebrate their last night of freedom,” Mavir said.
“There’s a very small minority of tourists, however, who drink too much and cause a nuisance. But when we’ve seen other destinations launch campaigns designed to keep British tourists away, they never work.
“In Prague, leaders even discussed implementing measures such as a fancy-dress ban – a ridiculous and slightly embarrassing tactic that is simply unenforceable.”
Mavir added that 'local laws are already established to deal with bad behaviour', saying: "Stag and hen parties are the lifeblood of a healthy tourism sector and, especially when professionally organised, they bring vibrancy and a huge economic benefit. It could be very harmful to potentially turn away a vital, profitable industry."
Local politicians have said that the responsibility for things like the above-mentioned video must lie more with local businesses when managing their venue, as well as bringing more police on to the streets during busy periods of the year.
Topics: Europe, Holiday, Sex and Relationships, Travel, UK News, World News, Politics
Tom Earnshaw