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.

AirBnB etc etc is definitely a huge problem.

Listened to a program on the tourist protests in Mallorca a few days ago, a poor local woman, evicted so her flat can be turned into a holiday let, desperate for a flat to rent, she couldn't find anything, so was moving to the mainland..... apparently, flats for long term let attract 200 viewings within 48hrs, caravan alleys set up to house local workers.

Of course governments could fix this very easily with restrictions on numbers via licencing, tougher rules on evictions, rent controls, tighter rules on who can buy property... but they wont... is the reason corruption? or that the people in power are so removed from peoples real life problems?

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

Taking considerably more holidays than they used to.

Despite the rise in the cost of living.

It's probably also the 'type' of tourist. Most aren't respectful.

I went to Billings in Montana last year and my British accent was picked up on by everyone and i had lovely conversations with the locals. I went to Yellowstone in the same trip and I was just another tourist. Going somewhere less touristy is definitely a plus.

It has to be the social media. It’s really easy to just turn up to a pretty village, wander around, take a few selfies and head home. People have wanted cheap holidays for years, they’d prefer to spend a couple of nights in an Airbnb with good facilities than an expensive hotel. There are so many posts on here about how people can afford holidays, and this is how they do it, which is not welcome. I’m not sure what the answer is, because if we head to places off the beaten track which is often suggested, won’t this become part of the problem? Little authentic villages without any infrastructure for large numbers of tourists?

Too many people crammed in to the livable places on the planet, not enough resource, and climate change for starters. Tourists trot off to the west country or the Scottish Highlands and put huge amounts of pressure on the infrastructure, particularly roads and hospitals.

There's also that little climate change thing, meaning some traditional destinations will be too hot to bear before long, if they're not already. All those extra people will put pressure on water and power.

And when it comes to peak tourist seasons like summer holidays it's unbearable.Think of it like a bucket of crabs, there's only enough room for a certain number but the crabs just keep jostling.

Even my relatively quiet home county in the north east is rammed these days though there are still some more peaceful spots.

I live full time in a very popular tourist area. TBH I am grateful for the tourists because without them we would be just another economically depressed run down seaside town. When I first moved here 20 years ago the tourist season WAS seasonal but now we are lucky that it is pretty much year round. Our High Street has 9 pubs and I think (roughly counting in my head) 3 of them are tied and the rest independent and been there with the same owners for years. Cafes tend to last for years but the restaurants tend to come and go a bit. The High Street has a very solid load of independent businesses with local owners mixed with places like FatFace and Costa.

That said- opportunities for young people that is not water sports, hospitality, etc is pretty limited. But generally we are a pretty vibrant place most of the year and that simply would not the case if it were not for tourism.

That's just my experience in my small town. I know it's not the same for everyone everywhere for all the reasons people have put on the thread.

Brilliant for the business owners, suppliers, house owners etc etc, terrible for local people wanting to stay in the area, for people who do caring jobs & essential service workers who cannot afford tolive in the area and either leave or have long commutes.

9 pubs in one High Street? is that good?

The irony.

Where were you going? How were you funding this?

I live in a very touristy area. Air BnB has been a massive problem here. It's almost impossible to find affordable accommodation now, therefore local businesses and hospitals are struggling because low paid staff have nowhere to live and end up moving away. People accept jobs and end up pulling out because they can't find anywhere to live.

I had a look on Airbnb locally last night. Some of the properties were on housing estates, not cute country cottages with roses round the doors. Talking to a friend who has one it's been much quieter this summer a lot of vacancies so the rates have come down.

She has a friend in the Algarve, Airbnb s are quieter there with vacancies. I wonder if the bubble has burst.

In our neck of the woods they've increased council tax on these properties which has led to some owners either selling or getting in permanent tenants.

So between the vacancies and extra council tax plus paying the mortgage loan we've seen an increase and a drop in property prices in some areas.

When I was growing up in the 90s it was very much seen as an aspiring middle-class attitude to wang on about "we prioritise experiences over things" - a sign of superior intellectual and moral worth. Now those kids who grew up, like me, with that attitude - which I sort-of agree with, actually! - are taking it to the extremes with every weekend crammed with activities. However, as is the way with capitalist societies, the experience itself has now become the product, with festivals and Instagram and queuing (because if other people want to do it too, it must be good, right?!)

Social media and tribal mentality means those who follow trends or make decisions based upon how something will look on their Insta or TikTok all end up going to the same places. You’d be shocked at how many (particularly younger generation) are wholly dependent on Social media when it comes to deciding where to go or what to do.

I'll happily stop using Airbnb when they either find a cure for anaphylaxis or catering businesses start to properly take it seriously with rigorous training for all staff.

I had yet another nightmare about my son's anaphylactic reaction last night. It wouldn't be a holiday for me if we had to stay in a hotel and put our trust in other people's cooking

Over tourism was a problem long before covid.

We had a lovely little localish festival each summer with a surfing competition, BBQs impromptu music in a field. Everyone camped.

Then along came investors who took over. Moved the festival miles away inland to a country estate, put in temporary yurts, shepherds huts, there were food stands, beer tents, radio 1 bought in big names to play music. The price of admission was eye watering.

It worked once the first year, the second year numbers dropped, the year after that it rained non stop. The festival was finished for good.

It's sad that it's gone.

That's such a shame. We also had a free local musical event in a large park annually. Virtually everyone who lived nearby used to go, so parking was never an issue as we'd just walk. Sometime in the late 90s word started to spread and by 2005 it became horrifically busy, but still do-able, then expensive and ticketed. It is still running but is now a 3-day "Weekender"... I don't know of any local friends who still go. At least it's still going I suppose!

I think a lot of it is fuelled by social media. The desire to go to a place and have the standard photo taken with tilted head and V fingers.

I have witnessed a queue of about 60 tourists in the Shambles in York just waiting to have their photo taken and then off they go. Similarly at the entrance under Westminster Bridge opposite the Houses of Parliament. Literally a queue for one particular photo. It's weird. It's like people are only existing to show off. They're not really experiencing things. It's similar to the way that people watch concerts through their phones. Not actually being there but being seen to be there is the important thing.

I live in a seaside town and it is really miserable here all the year round now. It used to be the summer that was hard. Now it's all year. Camper vans are an absolute pain in the arse blocking country lanes and parking all over the place. Our council tax is higher than central London and there is no pleasure in the peaceful winters we used to have. It doesn't bring money into the town either, sadly, unless it's to the big supermarket chains. Pubs and even our local swimming pool have closed down despite the incredible numbers of extra people. Cinema plans have been axed too. It's like the place is becoming a shell full of people. Obviously I know cinema plans being axed aren't the fault of visitors, but my point is that if they were contributing to the local economy we might be benefiting from local attractions, and we're not.

I have lots of sympathy for the people in Spain and elsewhere who are complaining.

Nobody wants to stay home any more despite the fact that so many spend a fortune extending and improving their homes*. When I was young we had one two week holiday and maybe the odd day out throughout the year. Now it seems that so many people want to go out somewhere every weekend.

So some people might be on holiday but loads are likely to just be visiting for the day because if they stayed at home they would go 'stir crazy'.

*See also the fact that people don't want anybody in those extended and improved homes but want to meet up in parks or cafes and so on.

There was a brawl in a local beauty spot near me yesterday. I don’t think they are even supposed to be using the stepping stones which need repairing.

There were just too many people trying to cross the river.

https://metro.co.uk/2024/07/29/hikers-fight-sticks-peak-district-trail-argument-erupts-21315620/

It might be getting worse in cooler, N European countries soon - I’ve been hearing lately (given very high temps in S Europe) of people taking ‘coolcations’.

Even a few years ago, in Cornwall, we gave a lift to a couple of 40ish Italians who were escaping the heat back home - and not for the first time. They told us that previously they’d walked the length of Hadrian’s Wall!

What, with damp and drizzle? I asked.
‘Yes, but that was why we liked it!’

There's also an increasingly large and affluent middle class in countries like China who have the means and desire to travel (and why shouldn't they) and are further enabled by the Internet which means previous language barriers are no longer (so) relevant either.
(Haven't read the whole thread so apologies if this has already been said.)

@WindsurfingDreams tourist apartments complexes are your answer many self catering options.

I think the problem is partly social media influencing what overseas visitors want to do. I am in several facebook groups for people wanting to get advice on visiting Scotland and every single person wants to do exactly the same thing which is Edinburgh, Glencoe, steam train going over Glenfinnan viaduct, Fort William, Skye, Inverness/Loch Ness, back to Edinburgh. The occasional one who wants to take a detour to see Stirling Castle, St Andrews or maybe the Kelpies.

Honestly, there are huge swathes of the country which don't get a look in as everyone is obsessed with doing exactly the same as everyone else, or fangirling over Outlander as if it is historical fact rather than americanised nonsense. People have lost the ability to research independently and think that actually, sounds like Ayrshire/Fife/Moray Coast/Perthshire has a lot to offer and they'd like to see that, they just follow everyone else like sheep.

Why is it ok to say overtourism is not ok, four countries to ban tourists, but we aren't allowed to say and do it about our ACTUAL POPULATION? 🙄