From 2023 Venice was the first city in the world to introduce an entrance fee. Venice is introducing a system where visitors will need to make a reservation and pay a fee to enter the city. This is seen by some as a money making venture. Instead, it will help the historic city to manage the millions of people who visit each year, making it a more pleasant experience for both tourists and local residents. This city of just 260,000 citizens attracts around 25 million tourists a year.
image from unsplash
Imagine saving and dreaming all your life to visit a bucket list destination. You have read all the information, watched documentaries, dreamt of stepping where thousands of others have also treaded....
Hang on, yes, thousands have been there in the past, but what about the thousands that visit there now, every day! Overtourism is a real thing. What is it and how does it affect your perfect holiday?
Well, forget getting that perfect picture with just you and whatever landmark you want in the background. Chances are there will be hundreds of others crowded in for just the perfect shot like you, and they wont want to stand back and let you have your turn.
Forget the dream of walking down a street yourself, smiling at the locals and enjoying the scenery. Chances are you will be shoulder to shoulder with other tourists, with hundreds crowded into a small alleyway or square, unable to get your way through unless virtually pushing against others.
It is a nightmare. Nothing like your dreams of a wonderful holiday.
Why is overtourism bad?
I often hear "Don't places want our tourism dollars?"
Of course, but when there are too many people jammed into one area it can lead to many problems, just some of these are:
Local residents have to move out to make way for tourist accommodation, becoming resentful
Fragile environments become degraded
Wait times in restaurants and coffee shops can take hours
The rubbish left behind creates its own problems
Roads are jammed with tourist vehicles
Wildlife habitats can become destroyed
Loss of culture
Economic downfall when prices are pushed up and locals cannot afford them
Inability to clean and maintain historic sites
Strain on staff who become overworked and stressed
Why does this happen?
Many believe that home rental platforms have increased the number of tourists. When hotels and bed and breakfasts were the only options, there was control over the amount of people who stayed in a town. Now that anyone can rent out rooms in their home, a lot of locals have been forced to move out of their residences, to make way for higher paying holiday rentals. This leads to larger numbers of people visiting.
This can be a scapegoat though. Others blame large cruise ships which can often dispense around 2000 day trippers into a small area.
Yet others blame instagram or tik tok. When a blogger posts an awesome photo of a fabulous destination, it can inspire thousands of people to go there in the attempt to experience it for themselves.
How to avoid it?
Countries like Spain are often overcrowded in cities such as Barcelona and Madrid. Barcelona has a population of around 1.6 million, and is being visited by over 32 million people per year. However, this large country has many other towns and villages that can give an authentic Spanish experience without the problems of too many people.
image from unsplash
Travel in the off season. Winter is a glorious time to visit destinations as there are less people, it is easier to get around and prices can be cheaper. The queues will be shorter, if they are there at all, and locals will genuinely be happy to meet you. I spent a month travelling around Europe in winter by train and it was one of my most treasured holidays.
Stay local. Spend money with local tourist operators, stay in local bed and breakfasts, go to local eateries and buy from small grocery stores. Your money will stay in the local community and the residents will appreciate it.
What can be done?
A lot of areas are instigating permits and controls on the amount of people allowed in areas.
On the Inca trail, only 200 trekking permits per day are allocated. This keeps numbers low whilst still allowing visitors to participate.
image from unsplash
Some tourist areas are closing down to visitors and not allowing them entry. Some are temporary closures, until the habitat is restored, others are indefinite.
A quick google search shows that some areas that definitely do not want more tourists include:
Santorini, Greece
Lord Howe Island, Australia
Cinque Terra, Italy
Mount Everest, Nepal
Swap destinations
Instead of going to overcrowded destinations, swap your holiday to a similar, yet more uncrowded one. Suggested by www.traveloffpath.com
Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam instead of Bangkok, Thailand
Cuenca, Equador instead of Florence, Italy
Bucharest, Romania instead of Paris, France
The Albanian Coast instead of Dubrovnik, Croatia
Annecy, France instead of Venice, Italy
Colombo, Sri Lanka instead of Singapore
Another google search resulted in finding some amazing destinations that are definitely worth going to at nationalgeographic click here
Armenia
Nicaragua
Nepal
Iran
Kosovo
Uzbekistan
Albania
Tunisia
Georgia - one of my own must visit destinations!
image from unsplash
Oh dear, my own bucket list just (happily) got a lot longer.
Or visit the most remote capital city on the Planet, home to over 2 million people with sunshine, beaches, hills, history, great food, friendly people and much more - Perth Australia.
(check out my other stories and suggestions on Perth on this website)
One of the benefits of visiting these new areas is that they haven't been swamped by visitors and your amazingly unique experience is going to be new when you share with family and friends, or facebook, instagram, twitter and tiktok.
Have you ever been in a conversation with a friend about a destination you have visited, and they interrupt to tell you their own experiences there? At some of these new places to visit, this will not happen :)
Wherever you travel to, remember - leave only footprints, take home lots of precious memories.
Happy Travels!
#maturesolotraveler #travelhintsandtips #solotravel #solotraveler #solotraveller #australia #nationalgeographic
