Written by: Dave Owen

Most of us keep our various social media profiles updated when we’re travelling, adding photos of all the amazing places we’ve been and doing our best to make our followers jealous.

It seems the Swiss village of Bergűn isn’t a fan – they’ve just banned tourists from taking photos.

The village’s residents believe that Bergűn is so beautiful that seeing photos of it on social media will make people feel depressed that they’re not there.

“It is scientifically proven that beautiful holiday photos on social media make the viewer unhappy because they cannot be there themselves,” said the Bergűn tourist office in a statement, reported in European newspaper The Local.

Anybody caught breaking the new rule will be issued a “symbolic” five-franc fine, which would be put toward protecting the landscape.

The tourist office is following its own rule, removing photos of the village from its own Twitter and Facebook accounts. It claims its website will soon follow suit.

Bergűn lies north of popular alpine resort town St Moritz. Its undeniably picturesque scenery includes mountains, forest, and rivers.

While the law is real, voted for by the town council, the tourist office also admits the whole thing is a bit of a marketing stunt.

Banning photos from social media to encourage people to visit? We’re not quite sure they’ve thought this one through.

Follow Gapyear.com on Instagram for plenty of amazing travel photos that we hope will inspire instead of depress you.