Why has (over) tourism become so much of an issue recently?

[CormorantStrikesBack]

So protests in various areas of Spain and other places telling tourists to go home. I get some of it is about housing being used for Airbnb and locals being priced out but even in areas where they’re stopping the Airbnbs they are still saying there’s too many tourists.

in this country various areas such as Snowdonia, the Peak District, the Lakes are rammed. Can’t park anywhere, lengthy queue to touch the trig at the top of snowdon, crazy queues for cafes, etc. I used to live in Snowdonia, currently live near the Peak District and have holidayed in the Lakes for 20 years. Since Covid it’s been bonkers.

did Covid make people decide to get out and about and explore more? Where did these people who now come to uk national parks holiday before? I could understand it maybe in the early post Covid days of people were reluctant to fly but are people still nervous about going abroad? But obviously not everyone because Spain is also rammed. Is it social media encouraging people to go out and explore? I get loads of videos on my TikTok of people who have recently taken up hiking and follow the crowds to watch the sunrise on Mam Tor, never used to be a thing. Now there might be 50 plus people up there watching the sun rise.

I live near Bath and I would say its back to pre pandemic levels of tourism. I've just done a Google search and the local population is less than 100,000 but gets 6 million tourists per year. That's a hell of an influx. The city isn't built for it though, as many roads were built for carriages not thundering 50 seater coaches.

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow we went to Chatsworth - which I think is in the Peak District - about 20 years ago and it was fabulous but there were loads of people.
Do you know if the crowds are even bigger there now?

My son's asked to go to Bath this summer and he's a teenager! I am not entirely sure what has caught his eye.

I imagine the bridgerton effect might also draw tourists?

I have been a few times over the last couple of decades as I am a big Jane Austen fan but the last time we went (post pandemic) I was taken by surprise how busy it was.

I think Airbnb is being used as a scapegoat instead of some of the actual issues.

Population increase worldwide and overpopulation in the UK will play some part.

Change in holiday culture. Short trips and break aways instead of a longer trip during peak time that's expensive.

Cost of living will play a big part. Everyone is looking to save money and find a cheaper way of taking trips. Cheaper accommodation/self catering.

Greed/profits by the big corporations. Hotels in some places have got more expensive and at times are worn/tired. A trip away and then having to rely on eating out can make it trickier.

Housing wise some of it is the lack of affordable housing. Other parts of it is the change in attitude of those looking to buy and what their requirements/minimum expectations on a house are.

It's worth noting that Airbnbs aren't just used by tourists. It's increasingly being used by working professionals who spend differing times away across the country. It is cheaper for a company to pay for Airbnb accommodation and have the employee be able to cook/eat themselves then pay for a hotel and subsistence on food/eating out.

Airbnb is usually my go to when DP comes over from the US and stays for a bit whilst I have work. More space then a hotel and allows us both to cook in the evening and just have a normal time together instead of a week if relying on eating out.

Dd is one of those people who flit off on loads of holidays every year. She did a “tour” of Europe last year. Went to Vienna for a long weekend and didn’t come back for six weeks and went to loads of different countries. Plus had a long weekend in France and Brussels.

This year she went to Prague for one Bh weekend, Budapest for the next, she’s going to Slovakia or Slovenia in august (cant remember which one) and Canada for Xmas. She was in Canada earlier this year in Feb as well.

Shes apparently packing her job in next June and going travelling for 3 months.

We are reaching peak population, and some places have peaked https://www.fastcompany.com/91155306/un-world-population-projected-peak-10-billion-2080s

mass tourism will be a bi product of this phenomenon and with travel so excess-able more people than ever before have access

but it will change

Barcelona has 39 universities, that’s a major part of the housing issue

I’ll add that the trend for adult children to remain at home (paying less rent than on open market) definitely seems to incentivise increased spending on travel. Probably also for the parents!

I am just back from a holiday in Singapore and Vietnam.

Everyone RAVED about Singapore Changi airport and how I HAD to spend hours there looking around. There is a big waterfall in the middle of a vast shopping mall and acres and acres of transit space filled with high end shops. It’s a fucking massive shopping mall masquerading as an airport.

It was interesting in Vietnam. The Aussies had a thing for it a few years ago pre Covid but since have moved en masse to Japan, so there is now lots of space and availability where I’m guessing there wasn’t before. Think beach club/cafes with loads of free tables and squashy chairs right next to a gorgeous sandy beach where you can sit for hours nursing one drink. Kind of like the Med 30 years ago.

So top tip is to go somewhere that’s recently faded from popularity - somewhere the influencers went 5 years ago but not now.

There just too many bloody people, everywhere, period.

*there's

I've actually noticed this in more unusual places such as The City of London. It used to be completely dead at weekends but now it is packed. Places like Spitalfields and Brick Lane are becoming more and more well known due to social media so people flock there to try viral restaurants/shops/markets.

I was in the Lake District last month and I didn't find it really busy at all apart from at the weekend. Maybe it is bad in the school holidays?

I've noticed Americans seem to be travelling a lot more than before and Europe seems to be fashionable right now. Some American friends spent 5 weeks travelling Europe this summer and stayed only in Air BNBs to make it affordable - these are definitely a big factor in the excessive tourism but I really think social media has pushed new ideas a lot.

I live in an area which has always had a tourist season, however the number of motor home visitors (some thinking they can park up wherever they like) and cruise liner visitors has got ridiculous. It's actually putting some of the more traditional tourists off. 😔

The adult children staying at home longer thing is a good point, also changing attitudes. I went on my last holiday with my parents age 16 and then it was cheap and cheerful travel with friends. My DCs are older than that and still come with us regularly and so do the DCs of all our friends, but they also start going on their own. I know one age about 26 who regularly goes away with friends, her boyfriend, her family, his family, it never stops.

My sons partner was in Spain for a week until Friday. She arrived home, did a big wash, repacked and flew out to Cyprus on Sunday for her dad's birthday.

@Badbadbunny I haven’t been on holiday for years unless you count a spa weekend one time. The place you’ve just been to sounds great.
I’m not kidding if we don’t want to get the place inundated with visitors please could you PM me where it is? Thank you.

Reading all this with interest. I don’t really go anywhere but it feels as if I have missed the boat for all of the lovely places in the UK because they’ll just be horribly crowded now.

Until last year, I was living in London and having to work in the centre in the summer is an experience

But it sounds as if other places are much much worse.

Chatsworth on a nice day in the summer near the house is just horrible.

Up near the garden centre and the car park there is better, But it still gets busy. But at least there’s lots of space at Chatsworth!

Because in many areas tourism creates low paid seasonal jobs. Where I live is stunningly beautiful and thankfully largely unvisited by tourists. We have few well paid decent jobs so young people leave the area in droves leaving us with the highest elderly population of any region and no one to care for them. Yet our local MSP stated in his manifesto that he wanted to “boost the economy” by creating more seasonal tourists jobs. Why FGS?.

You could be writing about my area in Wales high retirement area, lots of hospitality jobs. Not many high paid jobs and zero manufacturing. It's grim for young people.

Thank you for the warning. If we go again we might just walk in the beautiful park.

@Meadowfinch oh my god the huge cases! What is everyone taking with them?

We got the Eurostar back from Paris to London last week and there were people with two or three enormous waist high cases or massive backpacks higher than their heads.

We had spent 8 days in France and I had a duffle bag and a small backpack just big enough for a washbag, book, rain coat and a folder with all of our travel documents. Mr Monkey had one small suitcase.

Multiple outfits required for social media posts. Everything is performative.

At this point I’d endorse a selfie tax.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13681809/Moment-huge-brawl-erupts-Dovedale-stepping-stones-beauty-spot.html

Omg, I have sympathy. I nearly lost my shit there a few years ago after waiting on one side for like ten minutes and people coming in the other direction just never thought to take turns. So I just went for it in the opposite direction even though the stones were all occupied 😁

There are just too many people.........

May I ask why you have Giles in your name? Anything to do with Carl Giles?