Sardinia is urging visitors to stay off the beaches and explore the island during the off-season—in a bold move to tackle mass tourism

Now, some tourism experts and operators want to expand the island’s image from being a mostly sea and sun destination, limiting their tourist season to just a few months. They say this will make tourism more sustainable and profitable, although everything from restaurant opening seasons to tour schedules will need to change. Will the transformation work on this summer island?

Sardinia requires hats for visitors and bans towels on beaches

Dozens of beaches in Sardinia now have hats for visitors. The numbers of Cala Brandinchi and Lo Imposto in the northeast are limited to 1,447 and 3,352, respectively, between June 15 and September 15. In Cala Mariolo, a little further south, only 700 people are allowed in per day.

Some places require beachgoers to reserve their spot online before arriving. The maximum number of people at Cala Coticchio and Cala Brigantina in the La Maddalena archipelago is 60 people per day, and visitors must book in advance and pay €3 ($3.33) per person for guided access to the beaches.

Today, some areas of the coast are completely off-limits. The famous pink beach on the remote island of Budili can only be seen from a boat anchored in the distance.

Other specific rules have been imposed. The communities of Santa Teresa di Gallura and Sant’Antioco have banned the use of rocks to install beach umbrellas, with violators fined 500 euros ($550). In the province of Olbia, the mayor banned late-night swimming, camping on the beach, lighting bonfires, and the use of chairs and towels throughout the night to limit all-night partying.

Pilosa Beach has banned towels – which trap a lot of sand – and is asking visitors to bring mats instead. There is a limit of 1,500 beachgoers and a fee of €3.50 ($3.88).

Travel experts want to make tourism in Sardinia more sustainable

Sardinia is marketed as a sun and seaside summer destination, which means not only that beach regulations become necessary, but also that much of the island’s ‘off-season’ potential is overlooked.

Sardinia’s new Regional Tourism Advisor Franco Coccoredo recently spoke to the press about his vision for the “de-seasonality” of the island as a holiday destination.

The island is often compared to the Maldives, he says, but “those who come to Sardinia have a wide range of options and, above all, the possibility to enjoy the destination even when the days are not quite beach days.”

He wants to highlight the region’s food, wine, archaeological sites and villages, as well as slow and experiential tourism such as hiking, cycling or sporting events.

“Today there is still a strong concentration of guests in July and August. We must aim to increase occupancy in our facilities in the shoulder periods, when foreigners travel more, unlike Italians,” he told the Italian press.

One of the biggest challenges involved in implementing these changes is improving flight communications in the off-season.

“Thanks to the exemption granted by the European Community, the Sardinia region will be able to invest 30 million euros ($33 million) in the next three years to strengthen air communications at the international level – and not just at the continental level – in the peak season.” Kocurido said.

“We therefore envision new flights to Cagliari, Olbia and Alghero not only from Europe but also from America and Asia, especially from the Arabian Gulf region.”

Authorities will also have to work with tourism companies to ensure there are still options in the off-season, as many of Sardinia’s most popular restaurants and clubs are only open during the summer months.

Zuma, an offshoot of the Izakaya-style Japanese restaurants found on the Costa Smeralda, has a slatted roof meaning the building cannot be used in bad weather while clubs like Phi Beach and Ritual are mostly outdoors.

But Cocurido is confident the changes will pay off. “Sardinia does not lack luxury tourism. We just need to fill the beds outside the peak season as well,” he said.