Last weekend’s display of public nudity was last straw for local council
Following last weekend’s display of public nudity at a local bar, Albufeira mayor José Carlos Rolo has vowed to tackle the “excessive” behaviour of tourists in the town’s bar district, particularly Rua da Oura.
Albufeira has long been known as a popular destination for drunken stag and hen parties, but this latest case which saw eight men being identified by police for stripping naked in broad daylight at a local bar seems to have acted as a tipping point for the local council.
“The behaviour of foreign tourists in broad daylight last weekend prompted an emergency meeting convened by the municipal council with all security forces and associations in the tourism sector,” the local authority said, adding that “a meeting with the Minister of Internal Administration and the creation of a commission to develop a Code of Conduct” for local bars are the next steps that will be taken.
The emergency meeting involved several entities and associations, including GNR police, the captain of Portimão Port, the Algarve Bartenders Association, and a wide range of tourism associations, including AHRESP Albufeira (Portuguese Association of Hotels, Restaurants and Similar Establishments), APAL (Albufeira Promotion Agency), ACALB (Albufeira Commercial Association), AHISA (Algarve Association of Hotel and Similar Industry), and APECATE (Portuguese Association of Congress, Tourism Animation, and Events Companies).
The goal of getting all these people together was to urge business owners to “not allow these kinds of excessive behaviours” inside their establishments.
Cited in the local council’s press release, mayor José Carlos Rolo lamented that “the image of Albufeira is being tarnished by incidents like those occurring in the bar areas, while in the rest of the municipality, safety and tranquillity have been consistently maintained, as shown by the annual influx of tourists, especially families, both foreign and Portuguese.”
While he said he understands “the need for social spaces and nightlife entertainment,” he vowed that he is “determined to limit the attitudes and behaviours” of tourists when they “go too far”.
