If you've ever visited Switzerland, you've probably spent a fair amount of time photographing the scenic landscapes and pretty hamlets. If you're honest, you'd probably even admit to uploading at least a few images to your social media accounts just to incite a little travel envy with the people back home.
One Swiss town is now putting the kibosh on taking envy-inducing photos. The town of Bergün, Switzerland has approved a new law banning the taking photos in town, specifically because they don't want friends and family back home to experience travel envy.
They've even posted a sign that roughly translates to, "Photographs of our picturesque landscape, shared on social media, can make others unhappy because they themselves cannot be here."
If like many social media users, you feel compelled to take a picture with the sign prohibiting photography, be warned, there's even a fine and violators could be charged $5 for illegal photo taking.
In case you haven't guessed yet, this is a genius marketing campaign by the tourism bureau, designed to get people talking about Bergün.
Many people, however, have missed are taking the message seriously and reaction on social media has been mixed. One user went so far as to compare Bergün with North Korea.
[READMORE]READ MORE: How to Have the Perfect Slow Travel Experience in Switzerland[/READMORE]
One clue that this all might be very tongue in cheek is a recently posted entreaty to NASA. In the video, Bergün Mayor, surrounded by what are presumably villagers, asks the space organization to delete or blur all satellite imagery of Bergün so people "who can't be here won't be sad." (They've even helpfully included GPS coordinates so the space agency can be sure they have the right location.)
If you're not too worried about armchair envy, we've posted a few recent photos from Bergün, so you can plan your next getaway.
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