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Original poster

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

208 replies

CormorantStrikesBack · 16/07/2024 08:42

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.

OP posts:
suburburban · 29/07/2024 13:24

justasking111 · 29/07/2024 13:14

We have an issue with day trippers which is worse than overnighters. They arrive in vehicles designed safely for five people and ten pile out. There were two vehicles and around 20 people of all ages.

They then proceed to unpack many bottles of soft drinks, put disposable BBQs on our recycled plastic picnic tables. Cook up their food, drink their pop. All back in the vehicle leaving all their crap behind, melting our picnic tables.

Husband walking dogs in the evening asked them politely to put rubbish in the designated bins. They ignored him. When he walked back an hour later trippers gone, mess left. He cleaned up what he could but the BBQs were still too hot. There was also piles of 💩 and loo roll in the long grass which he wasn't prepared to pick up.

There was no excuse they weren't drunk kids but three generations.

What can anyone do

That is absolutely disgusting

People should take their litter home and clean up behind themselves

thefireplace · 29/07/2024 13:54

averylongtimeago · 29/07/2024 11:31

"Airb&b should be banned immediately" - really? I take it the poster is using it as a generic term for a short term furnished holiday let- like the word "hoover" just means any vacuum cleaner.
Many farmers, encouraged by the government, diversified into holiday lets by converting disused barns and farm buildings. These are normally explicitly prevented from full time occupancy by the terms of their planning conditions.
There are many people who let out part of their main home - like an annex or who move out during the summer months to let their main home. In many rural areas there are small cottages with little or no gardens which make good holiday homes, but not so good to actually live in.

The answer lies in more local control, not a blanket ban. Above a certain % of the housing stock being used as holiday accommodation would be subject to control and restrictions. A tourist tax (similar to the taxe de sejour in France) invested back into the local community.
Make it more attractive to be a landlord- rather than a host for Air or Verbo or Booking...

The problems caused by mass tourism are not caused so much by the type of accommodation, but by the behaviour of the tourists. The mass brawl in Dovedale this weekend wasn't because they were staying in a self catering cottage, but because they behaved like a gang of thuggish louts. The problems on the NC500 are not caused by camper vans, but because too many of the occupants behave like ignorant idiots leaving rubbish and toilet contents behind them, drive like morons on single track roads and make absolute nuisances of themselves by parking camping where they shouldn't.

Most Airbnb's are now self contained, its quite hard to find, in a touristy area, here or abroad, a single room in a home, few people don't want that.

We've gone past local control, far too many holiday lets already and who is going to say which ones should close down or not?

Why anyone in Scotland decided to advertise a road route (nc500) is a mystery, what did they expect?

mrsnjw · 29/07/2024 13:55

Brawls at Dovedale 😮.

Interested in this thread?

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Holidays
ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 29/07/2024 13:59

mrsnjw · 29/07/2024 13:55

Brawls at Dovedale 😮.

I know!!’it’s too genteel for that!

And if you look at the photos there’s weird people in Scream masks and cloaks.

Last time l went was 30 years ago. I vowed never to go again. Barbecues half way up the hillside. Never been back.

SpikeGilesSandwich · 29/07/2024 21:30

@upinaballoon, nope, sorry. No idea who that is.
My name is a Buffy reference Smile

focacciamuffin · 29/07/2024 22:15

thefireplace · 29/07/2024 13:54

Most Airbnb's are now self contained, its quite hard to find, in a touristy area, here or abroad, a single room in a home, few people don't want that.

We've gone past local control, far too many holiday lets already and who is going to say which ones should close down or not?

Why anyone in Scotland decided to advertise a road route (nc500) is a mystery, what did they expect?

Show quote history

I agree about the NC500. It was a misguided attempt to increase revenue from tourists.

Thankfully I did exactly the same route in the 1980s and rarely saw another car, let alone a motorhome. The locals were extremely friendly and welcoming back then. I would love to do it again but I’m afraid doing so would spoil some lovely memories.

AlpineMuesli · 29/07/2024 22:46

Is being a tourist and having holidays a human right?

Wbeezer · 30/07/2024 09:53

@focacciamuffin I'm the same, did the NC500 route w DH when we were students in the 80s. Don't want to do it again and spoil what are special memories with grumbling about campervans.
I have general issues with the Highlands as a whole being marketed as a " luxury brand". I understand it's a survival thing but it's getting very difficult to find a bog standard reasonable B&B for a spontaneous trip. Air b&B are £££ and a growing number of hotels are being made over into super luxury haunts of rich folks.

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