Costa Brava Tourist Guide

Costa Brava Tourist Guide — The Catalonia beach resort of Salou on the Costa Daurada, about 92 kilometers south of Barcelona, has become the first place in Spain to ban shirtless and bikini-clad tourists.

Beachwear will be banned from all but beachfront bars and restaurants.

The law was passed in a bid to clean up the town’s reputation, which has been badly damaged after becoming a haven for drunken British students.

Fines for those who ignore the ban range between €100 and €300.

In addition anyone caught drinking alcohol on the streets or having sex on the beach could also be prosecuted.

“We want to ensure that Salou has a good image,” explains Salou’s mayor, Pere Granados.

The bikini ban signals a growing unease in Spain against those sunburned northern European tourists who offend the local population by walking in the streets, dining in restaurants and even doing their shopping in little more than beachwear, writes British newspaper The Telegraph.

The city of Barcelona has rejected such a ban, but last year the Costa Brava seaside resort town of Tossa de Mar adopted an ordinance that makes it illegal for anyone to have sex on the beach or in any public place.

The mayor of Lloret de Mar, another popular destination for teens from Northern Europe, has also vowed a crackdown on offensive behavior.