Pink beach in Europe enforcing strict tourist fines of $800: 'Risk of disappearing'
Spiaggia Rosa is a stretch of pink sand that has been protected by the Italian government since 1992.
And despite its inviting appearance, tourists have actually been banned from visiting to help protect the delicate shoreline.
In fact, there are concerns the sands are at "risk of disappearing" with unauthorised visitors now facing fines from $800 up to $5,500.
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Spiaggia Rosa on Maddalena island in Sardinia, Italy, is actually off limits to visitors. iStock
Currently, it is possible to admire the Pink Beach for its colours only from the sea, via an organised boat tour, as it is strictly forbidden to step on the beach. And only one person is allowed to permanently inhabit the island, that's Spiaggia Rosa's guardian.
But not everyone is sticking to the rules.
"The beach is again in danger as people arrive by boat, clamber up the beach, then post photos," Fabrizio Fonnesu, director of the Maddalena archipelago national park, told The Times.
The Pink Beach on Budelli Island, is considered one of the world's most beautiful beaches, and owes its name to the colour of its sand.
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The Pink Beach on Budelli Island owes its name to the colour of its sand. iStock
Rich with tiny fragments of coral, granite and shells, its spectacular colour is derived from a pink microorganism that inhabits the posidonia meadows and lives inside the shells.
According to the Guardian, a couple were fined €1,000 ($1,600) in 2001 after they were caught filling a plastic bottle with sand. That act can now cost travellers up to $5,500.
The reminder comes as other beaches on the island have also brought in measures to minimise the impact of tourists.
Local authorities are taking extra steps to preserve the natural environment of Italy's two largest islands Sicily and Sardinia, by enforcing strict daily visitor limits.
"We can no longer afford thousands of daily sunbathers all squeezed in one spot as in the past, it's unsustainable," Stefano Monni, the mayor of Baunei, told CNN.
