Too many tourists - local backlash

[mel-world]

Did anyone see the Foreign Correspondent episode on 'Spain's Toxic Tourism' lately?

Foreign Correspondent

It did cover the usual story of AirBnB dominating the residential market forcing essential workers and even hospitality employees into sub-standard or distant accommodation - think living out of cars or in caravans.

But it also showed just how busy places like Barcelona and Venice have become so that nobody really enjoys the experience and local residents really have no privacy anymore. Obviously a lot of economies are reliant on mass tourism but, as FF, do we have an obligation to treat the location and its residents with respect. I'm afraid that does not happen all too often, especially when multiple cruise shops and large tour groups are all in one location every day over season.

 

[Forg]

I hope it’s still possible to go to popular tourist destinations in shoulder seasons & the experience not be like visiting the Easter Show. Because I very much enjoyed my trip with friends to Venice & to Paris & to Rome, and would like to re-enjoy (and with more than a uni-student budget) with my wife who’s not been there. Japan’s another one, except I’ve not been there myself.

 

[dajop]

Was in Barcelona a couple of weeks ago and whilst it was busy the main sense of over tourism came when encountering large groups who have this uncanny way of being oblivious to everything around them except what there guide is telling them to look at. You have to either go around them or shove your way through, and I can see how locals would get quite annoyed at this.

Of course this says nothing about Airbnb “displacement”. We stayed in a hotel a bit out of things (only 15 mins on train or metro though) and it was distinctly untouristy there, although you could see from the hotels in that area it would get busy when a convention was on.

 

[AuSammy]

A few years back visiting Dubrovnik the impact of cruise lines on the old town was horrendous. It was shoulder to shoulder in the narrow laneways the second day we were there. The ratio of tourists to locals was something like 3:1 or worse.

We were told the local authorities were bringing in new rules for the next season to ban more than 2 ships in port at the same time.

 

[BCons]

Venice has partly solved its over-tourism problem by banning large (or all) cruise ships from the lagoon. We were there before that ban and subsequent intro of a 5 euro visitor fee, and we could not walk in a straight line during the day in early July. I took to accidentally bumping into some of the poseurs going for their umpteenth selfie on the bridge of sighs and blocking traffic. At that time we understood the 5-6 large cruise ships in port were staying for 2 nights, and since the pax get 3 squares a day onboard you can appreciate this sign outside one restaurant:

.

 

[RooFlyer]

At the walled city of Mdina on Malta, there was a polite but obviously aggrieved notice to passers by that per head of residents, Mdina had many, many more tourists than Venice.

 

[VPS]

At the walled city of Mdina on Malta, there was a polite but obviously aggrieved notice to passers by that per head of residents, Mdina had many, many more tourists than Venice.

View attachment 467112

I remember seeing that and there were several families with kids that could have applied to and the parents did zip

 

[Murmal]

I do sympathise with the locals where Toxic Tourism has become such a problem.
The Insta poseurs often don't seem to have any respect or knowledge, the photo is the prize to show 'look where I am', or 'how worthy am I'. Case in point, a recent visit to the 9/11 memorial in NY. I lost count of the laughing, grinning, posing fake postures being staged like it was Disneyland. Appalling respect for where they were and its reverence.
Also can't understand why anyone would want to holiday in such overcrowded European tourist spots in the height of summer when everyone has to queue in scorching heat and pay expensive prices.
Far better to spend more time off the beaten track, enjoy the hospitality of more welcoming folk and avoid the stresses involved with over-tourism. If you can. If not on a cruise.
Far more 'unique' Insta's too.

 

[Happy Dude]

It was an interesting episode @mel-world. There's no doubt that AirBnB causes housing shortages for locals, IMO mainly due to the financial incentives for the owner. Without knowing the specifics, I'd suggest that short-term holiday rentals yield a better outcome than long-term tenants, especially in areas where tourists are always there. I don't think there's any low season in places like Venice.

But we used them widely in our US and Euro-trip in 2023 because hotels for our family (2 adults, 2 kids) were always crazy expensive, and more often than not just two rooms that were sometimes connected. London and Paris hotels within Zone 4 or a decent arrondisment were just ridiculous. But they were always well out of the city centre and we enjoyed the less hectic neighbourhoods and traded off more reasonable prices for time on public transport. It's a world wide issue though and the BCN example just confirmed that it's going to be virtually impossible to put the genie back in the bottle.

I think a lot of the poor tourist behaviour is more noticeable now due to the volume rather than the type of tourists. It's exacerbated because it now seems like every tourist is "making content" of some sort. In that respect, there's no specific offence intended to the host as they'll do the same annoying stuff wherever they are.

 

[jastel]

The more people that go "off the beaten track" the more beaten that track will be...

Everyone that leaves their own town is guilty of it. Doesn't matter if you are walking, in a car, on a boat or a plane. It is not just overseas either, Australia is suffering as well...see the weekends protest.

Cape York is now busier than ever, queues to get your car bogged in a creek while there is an easier road (track) going around it. Gotta get that piccy. Rubbish, pollution and natural degradation follow.
Im sure every area has their own example.

There is no answer, stop the tourists and the locals lose jobs, the economy tanks and we all end up as government employees.

None of this is new...my picture is from Venice 2004.

 

[drron]

There was this discussion not so long ago. Again blaming cruise ships for the problems in Venice cruise ship passengers make up 3% of the total tourist numbers for Venice.
Banning large cruise ships had nothing to do with tourist numbers but protection of the main lagoon. most cruise ships berth at the commercial ports for Venice and most passengers get bussed to the old cruise terminal where they were previously processed when the ships used the main lagoon.

As others have said it is all of us to blame added to by the tik tok, instagrammers, you tubers etc that are now everywhere and intolerant of other tourists.