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LITTLE town in the Swiss Alps has officially banned tourists from taking photos of its picturesque landscapes or charming village scenes.
Some say it’s an attempt to get holidaymakers to take a break from posting on social media and pay attention instead to their surroundings. Others say it’s because the commune of Bergün-Bravuogn is so beautiful that those who see it online will become depressed if they’re not there.
Cynics, of course, say the whole thing is a marketing ploy to get tourists’ attention.
Councillors for the commune voted in the new law on Monday and the decision was announced — ironically via Facebook — on Tuesday.
With a population of just 479, Bergün lies at the foot of the Albula Pass at the gateway to the Engadine in the eastern Swiss Alps. With an 800-year-old Romanesque church, a Roman tower and charming houses, it is a popular spot in summer for hiking, while in winter it draws skiers.
Now photographers will officially be fined five Swiss francs (about R66) if they are caught taking pictures.
The Local, a site for “Switzerland’s news in English”, quoted the village tourist office as saying: “It is scientifically proven that beautiful holiday photos on social media make the viewer unhappy because they cannot be there themselves.
“We don’t want to make people outside the community unhappy … and we cordially invite you to visit Bergün to experience it for yourself.”
The office has removed photos of the village from its Facebook and Twitter accounts, and declared its intention to remove them from the village website too.
The Daily Mail, meanwhile, links the announcement to a recent study that found technology is ruining travel experiences.
In a survey by Wyndham Vacation Rentals, 49% of the 1 037 US adults interviewed said social media negatively impacted their trips as they felt pressure to constantly post updates on their accounts.
Online commentators on the news have had mixed reactions, with some supporting the move and some vowing to cancel their plans to travel there.
One person took the opportunity to criticise Switzerland as an expensive destination, writing: “I quote a daily rate of CHF 850 for Switzerland so CHF 5 is like fining me 5p for feeding a pigeon in Trafalgar Square.”
The village tourist office said it was “aware that the new law would not appeal to everyone” but said it had chosen a “bold way” to promote the village.
Tourism director Marc-Andrea Barandun admitted the move was, in part, a marketing ploy but added that the law was real. “In the background, of course, the idea is that everyone talks about Bergün. So it’s a combination of both — we made the law and also there’s some marketing [aim] behind it.”
It was a similarly obvious marketing move that recently saw an entire country listed on Airbnb. In a statement, Visit Sweden, the official tourism board, said the country was now listed on the accommodation-booking site. Invoking a right guaranteed everyone by the Swedish constitution called “the freedom to roam”, the statement said: “The best part is you don’t have to officially book accommodation because all publicly owned land is entirely free and accessible to everyone!”