At the most popular attractions in the world, the tourist transporter does not stop day or night. Photo: Getty Images
Just yesterday, tourists from all over the world were considered almost the main breadwinners of the family, and tourism as such – one of the main sources of budget income.
But something suddenly changed and, in many countries, tourists are increasingly seen as a real threat: animal rights activists accuse them of harming wildlife, archaeologists of vandalism. In some places, the policemen took up arms against tourists: they say that they make a lot of noise, ask ridiculous questions, behave obscenely, explain themselves with difficulty in local dialects, in a word, distract from protecting order.
A new term has even appeared – overtourism, that is, an excessive increase in the number of tourists that negatively affects individual cities, regions and countries. And here and there, the local authorities began to introduce various restrictions due to overtourism. And people who spent money on the trip suddenly find that they won’t be able to end up in the museum or park they intended to visit, or sunbathe on the beach.
THERE ARE TOO MANY
Long-distance travel has become even more affordable thanks to several factors at once. First of all, with the development of new technologies, travel preparation has become extremely simple: just a few clicks on a smartphone and a route is chosen, a flight is booked and the best accommodation option is found. Another contributing reason for overtourism is a kind of gigantomania: Today, up to 6,000 passengers can get off cruise ships that call at ports at the same time, and 5,000 people can get off a single Boeing. Mankind has never before known such a rapid and massive movement of people! Social networks were also found guilty of the heap: they say, having read the posts of this or that blogger, people are getting to places where they were not prepared for the influx of tourists.
Tourists in Venice.
Photo: GLOBAL LOOK PRESS
THEY DON’T WANT YOU HERE!
Europe was the first to fight against excess tourism. Amsterdam, Venice, Barcelona receive daily a number of tourists ten times greater than the population of these cities. The local authorities were tired of all this and, under pressure from the townspeople, began to limit the number and rights of visiting tourists: now they can enter Barcelona’s Park Güell by appointment; to have the right to come to Venice, foreigners now have to pay a special tax; the Dutch, in general, invaded the sacred and limited the opening hours of the establishments in the famous red light district.
WHO IS GUILTY?
Statesmen do not want to admit their mistakes and blame everything on tourists. A couple of years ago, the Philippine authorities bowed down to every blogger who came to the island of Boracay. The beauties of the local beaches became known to the whole world, and people rushed to rest in Boracay. Filipinos were surprised to learn that foreigners sometimes also need a bath and even a shower. Boracay’s water treatment facilities were not designed for a rush of soapy water and other effluents, and it all emptied into the sea. What delighted the algae, which began to bloom rapidly. Boracay’s once transparent lagoons have turned into stinking swamps.
The beauties of the local beaches became known to the whole world, and people rushed to rest in Boracay.
Photo: GLOBAL LOOK PRESS
BE PREPARED!
While the essence and the matter, overtourism is fought at the local level. And if you’re planning to travel soon, keep in mind that some cities and countries already have strict travel restrictions.
In Austrian Hallstatt, famous for its pastoral views, the entry of tour buses is limited. Eight hundred residents of the town are tired of the tens of thousands of tourists who come to them daily.
The Galapagos Islands, which are part of Ecuador, are closed to individual tourists. Permits are only granted to those who have hired a local licensed guide.
When booking a Mediterranean cruise to the Greek island of Santorini, keep in mind that only 8,000 passengers can land on Santorini day.
on the day, the Santorini authorities allow only 8,000 passengers to set foot on land.
Photo: GLOBAL LOOK PRESS
If, after listening to Justin Bieber’s song “I’ll Show You”, you still hope to see the Icelandic canyon Fjadrargljufur, then you should know that your dream will not come true. fans
Bieber, having come to the delight of his video, shot in Fjadrargljufur, came to Iceland by the thousands. And they caused such damage to the virgin nature of Iceland that the authorities, in order to protect themselves from danger, simply closed access to this canyon.
Once in Indian Agra and speechless by the beauty of the Taj Mahal, know that you have three hours of silence for free. Then there will be a fine for looking at this complex for too long.
DISPUTE RECOMMENDATIONS
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), which is a specialized division of the UN, has also joined the fight against excessive tourism. Its experts presented a series of recommendations that, in their opinion, will help in some way to alleviate some of the pressure on some destinations, saving them from overtourism.
The first step is to choose more sustainable travel options, such as staying at the homes of local residents instead of large hotels. The UN believes that local residents are not so much focused on making a profit as on taking care of the cleanliness of their settlements. Debatable, of course, sentence…
Experts suggest forgetting about the numerous tourist Mecca (Paris, New York, Jerusalem) and choosing something unpopular and little known to most tourists. At the same time, for some reason, alternatives are not called. It is difficult, one must admit, to find a second St. Petersburg or another Valley of the Pyramids on the world map.
“Travel out of season!” is not the most practical advice for those who are trying to persuade to go to the Caribbean during hurricane season or wander the damp streets of London in the always rainy autumn.
