The Swiss village of Bergün/Bravuogn (your choice of Swiss languages) has voted in a photography ban, with a 5-franc fine for violators. They say it’s to prevent jealousy by people who aren’t there, but can see how beautiful it is.
“It is scientifically proven that beautiful holiday photos on social media make the viewer unhappy because they cannot be there themselves,” said the village tourist office in a statement. And the town has removed its pictures from its Facebook page.
The mayor added, in a Facebook post, that “I am very pleased that the inhabitants of Bergün have the happiness of all people at heart…we cordially invite you to visit Bergün to experience it for yourself.”
As for complaints and questions, the village’s director of tourism admitted to TheLocal.ch that the law is actually a marketing ploy. The law is real, “But in the background of course the idea is that everyone talks about Bergün. So it’s a combination of both – we made the law and also there’s some marketing [aim] behind it.”
For small towns like Bergün, I think stunts like this are the only way to get our attention…and it works!
The tourism director told the press that, yes, the fine is real and so is the law, but that they do not expect to actually fine anyone.
My guess is, it wouldn’t stand on appeal and anyway would piss off the audience they’re trying to attract.
Well, this article suckered me into checking Google images of Bergun. I’ve been to many of the surrounding towns like Davos, Chur, St. Moritz and Arosa on road trips but somehow missed this place. I probably would have gone here if the ban was put in place a decade or two earlier when I was there.
Do you happen to know if the fine is real, or just part of the publicity stunt?