Following the recent death of Inessa Polenko, a Russian influencer who fell from a 50-meter height from a viewpoint in Georgia, the global debate on the problems that have arisen in recent years worldwide due to the irresponsible practice of taking selfies in tourist locations has once again intensified. These places, while they can be wonderful and majestic, also pose a high level of danger.
PUBLICIDAD
The high statistics of incidents due to selfies have led several tourist sites to make the decisive decision to ban them, based on research conducted by the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney, Australia. The research was published in the Journal of Travel Medicine, and it indicates that between 2008 and 2021, 379 people lost their lives while taking a selfie.
PUBLICIDAD
During the research period, only 90 deaths from unprovoked shark attacks were recorded worldwide.
No-selfie zones
The states of California and New York installed a law years ago to prohibit selfies in zoos or theme parks with the presence of wild animals in order to prevent serious injuries that could result in death from this photographic practice.
The Royal National Park in Sydney also implemented the same ban, specifically at its sandstone formation, Wedding Cake Rock. Even though there is a 1.6-meter high safety fence, many people still climb over it to get on top of the rock. In fact, in 2014, a French tourist died when part of the cliff collapsed underneath him as he attempted to climb it.
Disney World is another tourist spot that has regulations in place, this is since a man lost his hands while trying to take a selfie on Space Mountain, also because in 2022 there were more than 500 injuries related to such photos.
The strong waters of the beaches in Goa, India, caused the death of four people, including three minors, due to a fatal selfie. Additionally, 392 people had to be rescued by lifeguards in 2023 due to accidents caused by self-portraits. Therefore, local authorities also chose to implement a ban.
Other places where selfies are not allowed for security reasons
- Tower of London, England.
- Portofino Harbor, Italy.
- Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
- Garoupe Beach, France.
- Palace of Versailles, France.
- Sistine Chapel, Vatican.
- Taj Mahal, India.
- Bullfighting in Pamplona, Spain.
- Lake Tahoe in California, United States.
- Anne Frank House, Netherlands.
- Acropolis, Greece.
- Blue Mosque, Turkey.
- With geishas in Kyoto, Japan.
- On board the trains of West Japan Railway Company, Japan.