Now, The Bane of OVER-TOURISM!

In our April 2024 issue, we profiled people in the corporate world whose passion is travelling across the globe. It’s indeed an irony that now we are talking about protests against 'over-tourism' by citizens of several South European countries, which are star attractions because of their fascinating history, culture, heritage and beaches.

The seriousness to stall or contain tourists is at a new high. So much so that the Palma de Mallorca, a resort city and capital of the Spanish island of Mallorca in the western Mediterranean, has its anger against tourists written on its walls. As per newspaper reports, posters like “Tourists = Terrorists,” and “Tourism kills the city” are sending out a loud message. This city comprising four lakh residents is fearing overcrowding, depletion of local supplies, rising rent prices and the changing avatar of supermarkets into glamorous souvenir shops. Protesters shouted slogans that the city is for the inhabitants and not for visitors.

As per the website bcruralcentre.org, which works towards viable and sustainable communities, “Barcelona residents are also annoyed with recent developments, as fewer locals and more hotels and tourists flood the city. They have been complaining their streets no longer belong to them, and that the city is being overrun by tourists. In May, there were mass demonstrations against the city’s mayor, Ada Colau. There were clashes with the police, people set fire to garbage containers, smashed shop windows, and threw stones at policemen. But, there were also peaceful overtourism protests at the beginning of the year.”

Austria too has its residents seething with anger at the huge turnout of tourists from across the world. Venice which is built on 100 small islands in a lagoon in the Adriatic Sea, has no roads, just canals, including the Grand Canal thoroughfare, lined with Renaissance and Gothic palaces.

Venetians recently held a protest, holding banners which read, 'No to Tickets', 'Yes to Services and Housing'. Lending an ear to peoples’ voices the Venice city has levied $5 entry fee for tourists arriving betweem 8.30 am-4.00 pm, in order to discourage visitors. At peak season, Venice, which has a human population of around 3 lakh, witnesses 40,000 to 50,000 tourists a day. That’s become unbearable for the residents who face congestion on roads and negligence by the local authorities for their rightful public amenities. Meanwhile, in the holiday resort of Dubrovnik in Croatia, citizens have installed cameras to study the number of tourists and whether they are really required or do they pose a social menace. Others are setting limitations on overnight stays.

Taleb Rifai, Former Secretary General of the United Nations' World Tourism Organisation, speaks of a “very serious situation” in the face of the anti-tourism protests in Southern Europe. It’s highly unlikely these protests are going to be short-lived.

Like they say, too much of anything is good for nothing. Europeans who are always proud of their heritage and environments have now come out to protest in large numbers to save their cities from the cons of tourism. It's worth introspecting on whether India should focus on tourism by making it at par with international standards, now that the West has began clamping on tourists.