Pilfering Pebbles From This Greek Beach Could Cost You $1,170
Like collecting rocks? Lalaria Beach on the Greek island of Skiathos is not the place to acquire your next find.
Described by Travel+Leisure as "one of the most idyllic beaches in the world" in part for its clear waters, this special beach is also renowned for the distinctive smooth, white pebbles that comprise its shoreline. The stones are called lalaria in Greek and unique to the eponymous beach. Lalaria Beach is only accessible by passenger boat or after some serious hiking, and pebble-pinching behavior from tourists and a few locals has significantly damaged the landscape over the last few years. In response, the Cultural Association and Skiathos Port Authority has posted signs admonishing visitors to "take a picture, not a pebble," and has also begun enforcing a fine of between $468 to $1,170 for anyone caught stealing Lalaria's unique rocks for souvenirs.
This is just the latest in a slew of incidents involving tourists disrupting the ecological balance of a natural habitat, causing long-term harm or damage. Sardinia, the second-largest island in Italy, charges a steep fine of up to $4,000 for pilfering rocks, shells and sand from its beaches. "Taking away even a single bottle of sand in memory of the holidays makes the patient and long work of nature in vain," said the administrator of a Facebook page in support of Sardinia's beaches. "Keep the memories in your mind but do not take (sand) away because it does not belong to you but belongs to everyone." Another Italian island only admits 1,000 visitors per year in order to preserve its environment. In the Philippines, popular beach destination Boracay has been closed for six months due to a massive build-up of garbage, pollution and other hazards. And in Thailand, Maya Bay has been closed for three months due to over-tourism, in hopes that the coral reef there may be able to recover from the impact.
All images from Getty Images.
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The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month
- Top rated mobile app