A GROUP of tourists have been banned and will face a police investigation after stripping naked in one of the most beautiful places in the world.
The naked trio was photographed sunbathing at one of Namibia’s top attractions – the Big Daddy sand dune in the Namib Desert.
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They now face a £40 fine and a blacklist from entering any of the country’s parks, a Ministry of Tourism official told local media.
It comes after shocked visitors called for action after coming across naked travelers wandering around the sandy destination.
Vice-president of the Federation of Namibia Tourism Associations, Kenneth Nependa, warned against attracting tourists who “think anything goes in Namibia”.
He told the Namibian Sun news website: “It’s very disgusting and really creates a bad image for Namibia.”
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Nependa added that Big Daddy Dune is a place for families, not just tourists.
Romeo Muyunda, spokesperson for the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, condemned the group’s “extremely shocking” behavior.
He said visitors are generally law-abiding people, but there have been some exceptions.
According to Muyunda, the ministry is now pleading with people who witness violations of law or park rules and regulations to report them to the ministry or the police so that appropriate action can be taken.
And he added: “We strongly condemn this action.
“We may consider blacklisting them from entering any of our parks.”
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In a statement cited by local media, he criticized the “public indecency” law and claimed that the tourists violated the park’s rules and regulations.
Muyunda said: “We condemn these types of actions because they not only go against our morals but also violate the laws of the country.
“It is a punishable act, according to the laws of the country.
“When we heard about this, we were amazed at how far people could go.”
The unnamed men had reportedly already left Namibia when authorities received reports of the naked stunt.
Despite the national backlash, some people on social media claimed that sunbathing was perfectly fine.
One X user wrote: “Why are they in trouble? They didn’t bother anyone.”
Big Daddy Dune is one of the three largest dunes in Namibia’s vast Namib-Naukluft National Park, one of the largest in the world.
The dunes are famous among tourists who climb to the top to enjoy the beautiful views of the ridges.
The National Park is also home to the Namib Sand Sea, one of from UNESCO beautiful heritage sites.
It is the only coastal desert in the world that includes extensive dune fields influenced by fog.
PREVIOUS INCIDENTS
There have also been other incidents, including naked tourists, which have caused controversy around the world.
Earlier this month, a drunk backpacker was arrested and forced to humiliately apologize for stripping naked in front of tourists in Thailand.
Joseph William Kershaw, 23, was seen stripping naked in front of tourists as they posed for photographs in Krabi, southern Thailand.
A video of the incident showed the Briton grabbing his crotch in front of a large group, unfazed by passing motorists.
He crouched down and then walked briefly before dressing again.
Meanwhile, a yoga influencer faced up to six years in jail and a £55,000 fine after posing completely naked for a photoshoot under a sacred tree in Bali.
Instagram star Alina Yoga shared photos of herself pushing her breasts against a tree in Indonesia on her popular social media account.
However, the risqué photographs quickly reached Balinese businessman Niluh Djelantik, who reprimanded her and urged local authorities to intervene.
According to Djelantik, the Russian beauty posed naked in front of the 700-year-old weeping paperbark tree, also known as kayu putih.
The flexible influencer, who has more than 16,000 followers on Instagram, could now face up to six years in prison if proven guilty under local pornography laws.
The photographs show her sitting on the trunk, with a cheeky look over her shoulder.