Benidorm introduces strict new driving rule with massive 200-euro fine if you break it
BRITS heading to a popular holiday hot-spot in 2025 could be fined up to £168 if they don’t comply with a strict new law.
Local officials in Benidorm are set to launch a new Low Emission Zone in an effort to crack down on pollution.
Permits will be required to drive around the city and parts of Levante.
Anyone found to have fallen foul of the new regulations could be hit with a fine of up to £168 (€200).
A driving permit can be purchased through a phone app, which also shows parking spots.
City mobility councillor, Francis Muñoz, told the Olive Press: “This will apply to class B vehicles that are not classified as non-polluting.
“Thanks to the phone app, motorists will be able to check out on available parking areas and travel directly to them without going through the centre of Benidorm or other restricted areas.”
He added: “We want more space for pedestrians and to make it a friendlier city without causing any trauma as many of the measures like bike lanes and pedestrianisation have all been done before by us.”
The councillor said that vehicles will be regulated better and won’t need to use roads in the ZBE to reach a destination.
Muñoz also emphasized the city’s broader goal of making Benidorm more pedestrian-friendly, noting that similar measures such as bike lanes and pedestrianization have been successfully implemented in the past.
Authorities will run a trial period of six months to help the public familiarise itself with the new rules.
The seaside resort is located on the eastern coast of Spain, part of the Valencia region’s famed Costa Blanca.
Last year, some 2,766,366 travellers descended on Benidorm, of whom more than 800,000 were Brits.
It comes after a slate of new rules have been imposed on holidaymakers as the anti-tourism sentiment grows.
Benidorm has recently banned both drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes on the stretch of sand to reduce littering.
Holidaymakers caught smoking on the beach could end up with a fine as much as £1,700.
Benidorm has also banned anyone swimming in the sea between 12am and 7am because there are no lifeguards on the beach at night.
Anyone caught swimming between those hours will be charged as much as £1,020.
Meanwhile, tourists who opt to go nude on a non-nudist beach can be fined up to £560.
Make sure to put your clothes over your swimwear when leaving the beach too – or get fined £260.
Meanwhile Brits who try and nab a sunlounger too early on holiday could be left hundreds of pounds out of pocket.
It comes as council chiefs in the popular Costa Blanca resort of Calpe have It ordered local police to remove sunbeds, towels and parasols placed on the sand before 9.30am.
Tourists and locals who breach the ban will have to pay to retrieve them from a municipal depot and face a penalty charge of €250 (£210).
Calpe Council says the municipal by-law is designed to facilitate the early-morning cleaning of beaches in the popular holiday resort a 25-minute drive north of Benidorm.
A similar approach is being taken to sun seekers who try to keep the best spots by going for a long lunch followed by a siesta, leaving their belongings unattended for more than three hours.
We’ve rounded up five other Spanish laws to be aware of too.
Anti-tourist measures sweeping hotspots
A WAVE of anti-tourist measures are being implemented across Europe to curb mass tourism in popular holiday hotspots.
Overcrowding has become the main problem in many sunny destinations, with authorities trying to find a solution to keep tourists and locals happy.
Officials have attempted to reduce the impact of holidaymakers by implementing additional taxes on tourists, or banning new hotels.
Earlier this year Venice became the first city in the world to charge an entry fee for holidaymakers after it started charging day-trippers €5 (£4.30) if visiting the historical Italian centre.
It was followed by an area in Barcelona which resorted to removing a well-used bus route from Apple and Google Maps to stop crowds of tourists from using the bus.
Meanwhile, San Sebastián in the north of Spain, limited the maximum number of people on guided visits to 25 to avoid congestion, noise, nuisance and overcrowding.
The city has already banned the construction of new hotels.
The Spanish government has allowed restaurants to charge customers more for sitting in the shade in Andalucia.
Benidorm has introduced time restrictions, as swimming in the sea between midnight and 7am could cost a whopping £1,000.
The Canary Islands are also considering adopting measures to regulate the number of visitors – and charge tourists a daily tax.
Greece has already enforced a tourist tax during the high season (from March to October) with visitors expected to pay from €1 (£0.86) to €4 (£3.45) per night, depending on the booked accommodation.
Officials in Santiago de Compostela in Galicia want to introduce a fee for travellers to remind people to be courteous during their trips.