The Croatian islands of Brac and Hvar are the latest Mediterranean destinations to be hit by serious summer fires.
Teams of firefighters are working to extinguish blazes on the islands and the coast around Sibenik, which is north of Split. But the Croatian National Tourist Board (020 8563 7979) claims that, so far, holidaymakers have not been affected, and it hopes that the situation will soon be under control.
Meanwhile, the French Tourist Office has set up a helpline (0906 824 4123; 60p a minute) to provide visitors with the latest information on the fires that have been raging along the French Riviera since July 17 and have already claimed four lives, including those of two British tourists.
Fifteen camp sites around the Var have been evacuated, and as the Travel section went to press, the entire area had been placed on red alert.
The Foreign Office (0870 606 0290, www.fco.gov.uk) is advising tourists to be “extremely careful visiting isolated areas in the affected regions”, which include the Massif des Maures in Provence, Toulon, Fréjus, St Maxime and La Garde-Freinet.
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Venice to issue on-the-spot fines
VENICE IS yet again favouring the hate side of its love/hate relationship with tourists. From this week, police officers in the Italian city will be able to fine sightseers on the spot for any show of “indecorous behaviour”. This includes anyone caught eating on the steps of a church or in St Mark’s Square (other than at a table in one of its cafes), and those displaying a bare chest (male or female), bathing in fountains, dropping litter, in-line skating, skateboarding or wearing a bulky backpack on a passenger boat. Offenders will have to pay penalties of up to £35.