On the Costa Blanca coast, popular with tourists in the province of Alicante in the south-east of Spain, holidaymakers can be fined 200 euros for breaking the new rule.
According to the Express, tourists caught buying goods from unlicensed street vendors in the resort town of Torrevieja, which is one of the main tourist destinations in the region, may face such punishment.
Unlicensed street vendors often sell their wares directly on the street, simply approaching with offers to tourists sunbathing on the beach or visitors to bars in summer squares. They primarily sell sunglasses, hats, and clothing that are fakes of popular brands.
This is already the second stage of the fight against such a business. Before this, the police focused their attention on unlicensed sellers to confiscate any counterfeit goods from them. Now they decided to take on buyers, because, as they say, demand creates supply.
Torrevieja Police, Security, and Emergency Adviser Federico Alarcon said the campaign was primarily designed to inform tourists who may not know they are breaking the law.
What else are tourists fined for in Spain?
In one of the most popular resorts in Spain – Tenerife – smoking was banned on the beaches and huge fines were introduced for polluting the territory.
In addition, in Spain, there are fines for those who ride bicycles with headphones.