Published on
August 23, 2025
By: Rana Pratap
South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands and Thailand have collectively unveiled a powerful deterrent against unruly visitors, rolling out a series of severe penalties designed to curb antisocial behaviour. Effective August Eighteen of this Year, Jeju Island, Korea’s premier holiday destination, opens its inspections with 8,000-packet multilingual courtesy leaflets, while recurrent offenders face levies of up to ₩200,000 (USD 144). Across the East Sea, Kyoto’s Gion district reserves ¥10,000 fines within the highly touted “Please Behave” confines and Mount Fuji’s regulated comprise a sliding scale of ¥4,000 (approximately $27) levies on limited daily climbers. Singapore, relentless against visual and olfactory offensive, levies charges of S$300–S$1,000 (USD 234–780) to anyone smoking in a habitually fragrant street or khaki-tightening litter. Spanish authorities, in a spirited defence of their plazas, sanction fines ranging from €500–€3,000 (USD 586–3,516) for airborne sangria and shattering shards of alcohol; Portugal’s coastal Algarve region mulls similar €1,500+ (USD 1,758) tariffs against the strictly beach-bikini. Holland’s capital, notorious still for its unpoliceable atmosphere, authorizes a €100 (USD 117) racks on any puff of cannabis haze within its sex worker quarter; while Thailand, in a stern beach recalibration, applies penalties up to ฿100,000 (USD 3,088) and up to a full year’s confinement for incense on the sand. Collectively, the cities unify a resilient narrative: the era of mischievous wanderers is over, and the disciplined traveler is crowned a new tourism archetype.
The decision underscores South Korea’s alignment with Japan, Singapore, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, and Thailand in insisting that visitors honor local customs, cultural heritage, and the flow of daily life. Unruly visitors may no longer regard their disregard as consequence-free; severe fines and other punitive measures are now explicitly tied to disruptive conduct. Standing in concert with Japan and the other aforementioned countries, South Korea effectively strengthens the emerging consensus that travel must be balanced by respect, thus recalibrating the equilibrium between the freedom to roam and the duty to behave.
The issuance of detailed travel advisories by South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, and Thailand consequently migrates beyond protective intent and begins to sculpt revised norms for international tourism. The cited, harmonized sanctions assert unequivocally that mobility is a conditional concession granted by the host society, not an inalienable entitlement of the traveler. The coordinated tone emerging from multiple jurisdictions renders this message far less negotiable and virtually impossible to overlook by the global travel sector.
A new age of tourist rules
International travel continues to expand; nevertheless, reports of discourteous behaviour are mounting. In response, numerous governments are establishing formal codes of conduct for incoming tourists. South Korea has recently adopted such a framework on Jeju Island, where police officers distribute etiquette notices in multiple languages to highlight unacceptable practices. The stated purpose of the directives extends beyond the mere preservation of cultural heritage; it encompasses the safeguarding of public safety and the maintenance of environmental quality. Comparable measures likewise appear in Japan, Singapore, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, and Thailand, where explicit behavioural expectations and attendant penalties have been formalised for disruptive individuals. Collectively, these initiatives indicate a marked and cross-national evolution in official attitudes toward misbehaving tourists.
South Korea’s new action on Jeju Island
Jeju Island—the crown jewel of South Korean holiday destinations—has experienced an uptick in patron feedback of an unambiguous character. Officers now distribute dos-and-don’ts cards in Hangul, English, and simplified Chinese, delivering them personally whenever pedestrian, litter, smoking, or public-order infractions surface. More disruptive actions, such as departing venues without settlement or entering secured areas, attract penalties reaching ₩200,000 (approximately USD 144). Although first misdemeanours are often met with verbal counsel, repetition invites intensified penalties. The policy illustrates an effort to reconcile hospitality with the quiet civility to which residents are entitled.
The adjustments also materialise in answer to persistent community grievance. Residents’ committees, and even primary school pupils, voiced the need for simplified means to refer unruly guests, and the administration, in turn, demonstrated receptiveness to such solicitations. The cards, therefore, fulfill an exposition purpose, articulating the tonal expectations of everyday public interaction and diminishing the likelihood of avoidable infractions.
South Korea – Culture Meets Modern BuzzKey Warning: Jeju Island now fines rowdy tourists up to ₩200,000 for bad behaviour.Places to Visit:Seoul’s Gyeongbokgung Palace and Bukchon Hanok Village.Jeju Island’s Hallasan volcano and Seongsan Sunrise Peak.Things to Do:Try Korean BBQ and street food at Gwangjang Market.Hike, shop, and dive into K-pop culture.Etiquette Tip: Keep quiet on public transport, respect temples, and follow queuing rules.Japan protects culture and nature
Japan has implemented a range of measures to safeguard its cultural and environmental assets from unduly disruptive behaviour. In the Gion district of Kyoto, access to private alleys has been restricted, prohibiting tourists from encroaching upon spaces habitually reserved for geisha, a prohibition now enforced with a ¥10,000 sanction. Parallel steps at Mount Fuji address visitor management; daily climber quotas, a ¥4,000 access charge, and outright prohibitions of night ascents have been instituted to ease congestion and mitigate hazards. These regulatory initiatives illustrate a coherent strategy that safeguards both human and material heritage from degradation.
Such rules operate on the twin axes of safety and respect. Persistent incidents of climber rescues on Mount Fuji were frequently traceable to inadequately prepared nocturnal ascents. Concurrently, geisha in Gion endured unsolicited photography and groping, undermining both personal and communal dignity. By instituting these controls, the Japanese authorities seek to ensure that tourism does not devolve into exploitation, thereby conserving both venerable customs and revered landscapes for future generations.
Japan – Tradition and Tech in HarmonyKey Warning: Kyoto fines ¥10,000 for bad behaviour in Gion; Mount Fuji climbers pay ¥4,000 under new caps.Places to Visit:Tokyo’s Shibuya Crossing and Asakusa’s Senso-ji Temple.Kyoto’s Golden Pavilion and Arashiyama Bamboo Grove.Things to Do:Join a tea ceremony, enjoy ryokan stays, and eat fresh sushi.Explore anime districts like Akihabara.Etiquette Tip: Bow politely, remove shoes indoors, and never block pathways.Singapore’s clean and strict standards
Singapore has established its global reputation as one of the cleanest urban centres, and the reasoning is explicit when one surveys the regulatory landscape. Informational signage placed at entry points and throughout the city makes plain that littering, smoking in designated no-smoking zones, and spitting are not merely disrespectful acts; they are prosecutable misdemeanours. Monetary sanctions for first infractions start at S$300 and may escalate to S$1,000 for subsequent violations, while habitual offenders may be assigned Corrective Work Orders that obligate them to clean designated public spaces. The legislation is uniformly enforced—residents and visitors are equally accountable—thereby sending a lucid signal: habitual disregard will immediately incur a societal and financial price. Holidaymakers, in particular, are reminded that a clean urban landscape is a privilege contingent on strict adherence to codified expectations.
Moreover, these prescriptive measures are not isolated declarations of hygienic intent, but component elements of a broader civic ethos centred on order and personal safety. The aggregate effect on the visitor is substantive; sanitized walkways, smoke-free green corridors, and an impeccably enforced public-health code shield the traveller from incidental discomfort that may otherwise mar the explorational experience. By institutionalising and then embedding responsible behavioral norms, Singapore has cultivated an environment characterised by mutual reassurance, making the city a milieu in which the everyday resident and the temporary guest alike may navigate with a heightened sense of personal well-being.
Singapore – The Garden City of RulesKey Warning: Fines of S$300–S$1,000 for littering, smoking, and rule violations.Places to Visit:Marina Bay Sands SkyPark and Gardens by the Bay.Sentosa Island, Chinatown, and Little India.Things to Do:Take a night safari, shop on Orchard Road, and ride the Singapore Flyer.Try chilli crab and hawker centre food.Etiquette Tip: Avoid jaywalking, respect “no smoking” zones, and keep streets spotless.Spain tackles rowdy beach tourism
Spain has enacted sweeping regulations in its busiest leisure districts to curb the excesses of mass tourism. On the Balearic Islands of Ibiza and Mallorca, statutory provisions limit consumption of alcoholic beverages on public thoroughfares, prohibit retail sales of alcohol after designated late hours, and establish permits for excursion boats primarily focused on partying. Infringements incur administrative fines from €500 to €3,000, calibrated to the severity of the contravention. Complementary measures in Barcelona, another popular departure point, penal public consumption of alcohol, indiscriminate littering, and the donning of beach attire outside designated coastal zones, with swimwear subject to similar financial sanctions. Through this tiered enforcement regime, the Spanish administration signals a negotiating stance: unqualified libations give way to a controlled, curated pleasure that minimizes externalities for residents, yet optimizes amenity for considerate visitors.
Historically, the surge in unregulated nightlife tourism in Spain has produced thresholds of strain on human habitat. Continuous sonic disturbance, alcohol-fuelled public disorder, and the mass deposition of litter have structurally undermined social cohesion in neighbourhoods once celebrated for cultural and architectural value. The prescriptive measures are, therefore, instruments of re-marginalisation, permitting the State to recalibrate the tourism model toward the heritage, gastronomy, and historical distinctiveness for which the country is celebrated, whilst catalysing a slower and economically resilient tourism product that fortifies the employment market with minimal disruption to lived space.
Spain – Fiesta, Food and Fine ArtKey Warning: Spain enforces €500–€3,000 fines for public drinking and disorder.Places to Visit:Barcelona’s Sagrada Família and Park Güell.Madrid’s Prado Museum and Royal Palace.Things to Do:Watch flamenco, enjoy tapas crawls, and relax on Mediterranean beaches.Explore Gothic quarters and vibrant plazas.Etiquette Tip: Avoid drinking in public, respect nightlife areas, and dress modestly in churches.Portugal’s new proposal in the Algarve
Portugal is weighing additional measures designed to manage visitor conduct more effectively. Drafted regulations presently under consideration in Albufeira, an Algarve city significant for beach tourism, would impose fines surpassing €1,500 for individuals found in swimwear beyond designated coastline areas. Although the provision remains in preliminary form, it conveys a palpable escalation of local irritation toward visitor behaviour deemed disruptive. Should the measure receive formal endorsement, the country would join neckline of Spain and Italy in legislatively curtailing practices that a majority of residents regard as insolent within historic or civic districts.
Municipal authorities assert that curbing such conduct is essential to preserve the Algarve’s long-cultivated reputation as a family-oriented destination. Residents have frequently reported the unsettling spectacle of individuals in beach attire navigating supermarkets or dining establishments. The forthcoming ordinance is promoted as a corrective device to recalibrate the balance between unrestrained beach leisure and the customary decorum expected within urban settings. Obligatory adoption of the rule would set a precedent that is anticipated to inform analogous ordinances in additional Portuguese municipalities.
Portugal – Sun, Sea and FadoKey Warning: Algarve may fine €1,500+ for wearing bikinis off beaches.Places to Visit:Lisbon’s Belém Tower and Alfama district.Porto’s Ribeira district and Douro River wine cellars.Things to Do:Listen to fado music, surf Algarve waves, and cruise along the Tagus River.Enjoy seafood stews and pastel de nata.Etiquette Tip: Follow beach etiquette, avoid loud behaviour, and respect locals’ traditions.Netherlands cracks down in Amsterdam
Amsterdam has long grappled with being branded the global party hub. In 2023 municipal authorities countered this image with a blunt entreaty: “stay away” to those whose singular intent is to consume alcohol or drugs. The intervention gained bite in 2025, when the streets of the Red Light District were formally designated drug-free zones where public cannabis smoking is punishable by a €100 fine. The underlying ambition is twofold: to curb the day-to-day disturbances experienced by long-standing residents and to reframe the neighbourhood, historically enshrined in nightlife myth, as a locale intersecting heritage and everyday Amsterdam life.
Concurrently, the city is re-channeling its promotional resources toward cultural tourism. Ample offerings—from world-class museums to historically layered canal expeditions—are being surfaced to visitors in a bid to showcase the city as a centre of experience rather than of excess. The combined strategy of diminishing boisterous footfall and elevating substantive, civic-minded activities aims to sustain annual inbound traffic in the millions while protecting the liveability that defines the capital.
The Netherlands – Bikes, Canals and CultureKey Warning: Amsterdam fines €100 for cannabis smoking in the Red Light District.Places to Visit:Van Gogh Museum and Anne Frank House.Keukenhof tulip fields and Zaanse Schans windmills.Things to Do:Take a canal cruise, taste Dutch cheese, and join bike tours.Visit lively Jordaan cafés and markets.Etiquette Tip: Stay out of cycling lanes, avoid loud behaviour, and obey coffee shop rules.Thailand protects beaches and bans vaping
Thailand imposes some of the strictest regulations on visitors to its coastal regions anywhere in Asia. Across many emblematic beaches, the act of smoking has been banned altogether. Offenders can incur fines reaching ฿100,000 and, in severe cases, custodial sentences. E-cigarettes are similarly restricted; the mere possession or use of vape devices attracts identical repercussions. Rather than mere calls to decorum, these edicts squarely target ecological integrity and public health. Tourists receive a simple directive: savour the sands, but obey the statute.
The smoking prohibition arose from assessments identifying cigarette refuse as a principal contaminant. Observations of a single, well-frequented foreshore revealed several thousands of butts in a single monitoring day. Designated to shield coastal habitats and to preserve the visual appeal of resort and residential environments, the directive merges leisure with ecological stewardship. In confronting this pervasive hazard, Thailand has deliberately positioned its tourism offering as an exercise in environmental guardianship.
Thailand – Beaches, Temples and Thai SmilesKey Warning: Thailand bans beach smoking, with penalties up to ฿100,000 and possible jail.Places to Visit:Bangkok’s Grand Palace and Wat Arun.Chiang Mai’s temples and night markets.Phuket and Krabi islands.Things to Do:Take island-hopping tours, try Thai massage, and join cooking classes.Enjoy lantern festivals and floating markets.Etiquette Tip: Dress modestly in temples, respect Buddhist culture, and avoid rowdy nightlife antics.Why nations are acting now
The proliferation of conduct regulations worldwide follows a discernible logic rather than chance. International mobility has recovered swiftly in the wake of pandemic disruptions, and data show visitor volumes once more approaching—and, in some instances, surpassing—pre-crisis peaks. Such surging inflows inevitably exert additional pressure on receiving communities, cultural patrimonies, and environmental assets. Reports of antisocial behaviour—ranging from public intoxication and related disturbances to culturally insensitive conduct in sacred spaces—have instigated resentment among host populations. In this context, authorities view newly enacted decorum ordinances, often accompanied by monetary penalties, as strategic instruments for reconciling the economic advantages of visitor inflows with the imperative of sociocultural cohesion. The prevailing intent, in each jurisdiction that has adopted these frameworks, is the pursuit of durability rather than short-lived economic impulse.
The common patterns in new rules
Despite cross-national variations in quantum and specification of sanctions, conspicuous continuity characterizes the international advisories on responsible tourist conduct. Attire ordinances are increasingly observed in medieval precincts and urban cores of high cultural value. Consumption of intoxicants and controlled substances within view of the general populace is systematically curtailed. Personal and collective hygiene issues—ranging from disposal of refuse to expectoration—are reframed and emphasized as obligations to the host community. Sites of religious and ecological significance are assigned tailored prescriptive norms, regularly including numerical limits on visitor access. Initial transgressions are ordinarily met with admonitory reprimands, whilst recurrent breaches incur considerably escalated punitive fees. The fundamental exhortation, uniformly promulgated, is to honour the governing statutes, inherited customs, and the dignity of the resident population.
Impact on the future of travel
These measures announce a reorientation of the tourism experience for visitors. While a relatively unconstrained holiday remains obtainable, the demarcations between permissible and impermissible conduct are now pronounced. Attensive and courteous travellers will discover these prescriptions only in retrospect, yet non-compliance risks monetary penalties or expulsion. For host jurisdictions, the overarching intention is to filter visitors in alignment with desired economic and ecological profiles. The calibrated interplay of persuasive guidance and punitive deterrents is intended to cultivate a tourism model that, per the norms of sustainability, favours equitable resource use. Furthermore, such regulation serves to reassure resident populations that stakeholder engagement now exerts tangible influence upon the formulation of tourism strategy.
Lessons for tourists worldwide
The emerging international tide of revised courtesies serves as an imperative signal to all contemporary travellers. Familiarise yourself with the pertinent domestic statutes prior to departure. Adorn yourself in manner congruous with local custom. Abstain from the consumption of alcohol or tobacco in zones where such behaviour contravenes the law. Handle sites of cultural and ecological significance with the judicious restraint they merit. Minor gestures of deference can engender substantial reservoirs of mutual favour. Evidence from South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, and Thailand demonstrates that expectations are now codified, disseminated, and actively supervised. Hospitality towards visitors is assured, while boorish conduct is summarily unwelcome.
South Korea has joined Japan, Singapore, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands and Thailand in sending a strong travel warning to rowdy tourists, enforcing strict new penalties to curb bad behaviour and protect cultural, social and environmental harmony. Together, these nations show a united global push to discipline disruptive visitors and reshape responsible tourism.
Conclusion: A clear travel warning
South Korea’s recent legislation regarding Jeju Island exemplifies an emergent global consensus regarding disruptive tourism. Across Europe and Asia, governments are adopting calibrated measures—advisories, access quotas, and monetary fines—to rehabilitate destinations and curtail overexploitation. The implicit guideline to the traveller is candid: embrace planetary hospitality, yet extend it courteously. Complying with established protocols safeguards against punitive measures and concurrently enhances the depth and security of the visiting experience. Sustainable, equitable tourism will thus hinge upon the mutual accommodation of the traveller’s curiosity and the host’s cultural physiology.
