Changing Tourism
Summertime is here and the holiday season is upon us. Whether you’re going away, your family are off on holiday, or your social media is bombarded with other people’s holiday photos you will be thinking about travelling at some point. But things this year are looking slightly different. The push-back from over-tourism could be signalling a worldwide change to how the world holidays.
Pick just about any overcrowded hotspot on this earth and there are sure to be at least some chatter of over-tourism. In some places the chatter has turned into full scale protests, and protective measures.
In Palma Mallorca a staggering 20,000 protesters gathered to rally against the overwhelming numbers of tourists flocking to their small island every year. Last year the island recorded 17.8 million visitors and predictions for this year put that number even higher. Placards clearly show the sentiments from locals who believe this trajectory is simply unsustainable. Like countless places, especially cities, the influx of visitors have led to unaffordable housing, and housing shortages in general as the rise of the Airbnb has spread like a wildfire. The excessive tourism model is harming natural resources, eroding national land monuments, and putting pressure on public services. Although tourism for Mallorca and the other Balearic Islands remains one of their biggest earners, residents are asking for limits to be applied. As many of the protesters have explained this isn’t an anti-tourism movement but a demand for more thoughtful, sustainable and quality tourism.
And that’s a goal that most of us can relate to. I live in Edinburgh so I know what it like to have the place you live turned into a holiday let business, and for a month out of the year really get a taste of how the tourism industry can exploit both place and people. Edinburgh has also pushed back, not as much as it should do but it has pushed back. New restrictions on short term lets will hopefully make a positive difference upon the housing emergency. But the ‘Disneyfication’ of Edinburgh does seem to be following suit with many other countries and cities.
Although I’m living in a place that has its brush with over-tourism, I’m also going to become part of the problem soon. I’m off on holiday to the Algarve. I don’t want to be part of the problem or contribute to issues for residents. The Algarve has also had to input measures to combat over-crowding in major beauty spots, not helped from social media which often points people in the same direction. More innovative ideas has seen the government implement a 3,000km walking trail that will hopefully get people off the beaten track and stop the concentration of visitors to certain spots. Basically a tourism friendly social distancing. Thankfully I’ll be heading off towards the start of off season so won’t be contributing to the mass of people heading there over July-August.
The Algarve have also implemented tourist taxes and fines for tourists behaving badly (this you won't catch me doing). But there are places facing more extreme over-tourism and simply not doing enough to stop it. Venice, the mecca of crammed-in tourists is in big trouble. Residents being rushed out in their droves and the ground beneath their feat literally sinking. Their new €5 entrance fee (which is almost cheaper than an average coffee over there) and turnstiles didn’t go down well at all with residents. Who thought it gave the impression to visitors that they were entering a theme park, and also believed that the entrance fee would do little to combat the mass of day trippers. Having been in place for a little while officials have hailed it a success because it raised over €2 million. At no point did it occur to them that this large revenue indicates large tourist numbers, so it has failed. Venice remains vulnerable to losing it’s true Venetian culture and its UNESCO world heritage site status because leaders are showing little commitment to limiting the crowds.
Japan will be introducing measures to target unsustainable tourist numbers and bad behaviour. In a rather sleepy town adjacent to Mount Fuji residents have had to go up against inconsiderate tourists longing for the perfect picture of the mountain, stepping into traffic to even do so. In order to stop the major disruption towards residents the town has placed black netting to obstruct views in certain locations. While other places in Japan have banned tourists from entering residential roads on the look-out for geishas.
The small picturesque island off the coast of Brittany Ile-de-Bréhat has imposed a summer tourist quota, a maximum amount of people who can set foot on the island. Although this doesn't take into consideration residents or those working on the island the maximum amount will remain through-out peak tourist seasons. This then assures that residents don’t feel swamped and tourists actually have some room to move and enjoy the surroundings. Many places like Ile-de-Bréhat or the traditional towns and villages in Japan remain unprepared for the influx of world-travellers as there isn’t the sufficient amenities to support them, and neither there should be.
The majority of people who go on holiday want to respect their surroundings, and the locals. They don’t want to think that their visit is contributing in a negative way. Perhaps on the flip-side of residents getting annoyed with tourism is tourists frustrated with what the industry has become. You want authentic experiences, a quality tourism, and to know that your money is benefiting the area you’re staying, not some multi-national conglomerate. Being crammed into spaces, paying extortionate amounts to the wrong people, and feeling like a nuisance is not a nice feeling. Sometimes it feels like the tourism industry really is out to exploit everyone. Measures to combat over-crowding and lowering the numbers being admitted should be benefiting for everyone. Furthermore, you don’t want to be part of the problem that sees natural landscapes disappear.
Which brings us to an inevitability. Our cheap and regular flights will have to be something of the past in order to cut our carbon output. Prices of flights have raised somewhat in recent years but the £40 return to Budapest can’t be allowed to continue. The infuriating thing is the ones who do the most damage are the most privileged. Therefore, it would be beneficial to have an egalitarian approach to cutting down our commercial flying.
We’ve become accustomed to getting what we want when we want it, travel anywhere, eat what you want, next-day delivery, communication whenever, and say whatever. It can’t go on in some respects, but it doesn't always have to be a negative thing. Restricting numbers won’t kill tourism, it should enhance it and preserve it for the future. If we stop the express tourism, and social media led travel and instead create a more thoughtful and quality approach to our travels everyone should win.