Anti-tourist discourse can be found in European tourist hotspots, even though they are primarily dependent on tourism income. Anviti Rai examines the dangers of overtourism and possible solutions.
What is happening in Europe?
A recent Reuters article highlighted that in the tourist destination of Capri, 16,000 tourists visited the island every day during peak season, and 12,900 residents visited the island. An influx of tourists creates a housing crisis as everyone tries to house them, causing more problems. The article quoted Teodorico Boniello, president of the local consumer association, as saying, “More people are coming than we can accommodate, and families are unable to put down roots because they can't afford to stay.” There is. Residents of Spain's Canary Islands, another European island popular with tourists, have also called for restrictions on tourist arrivals. Other popular cities have seen a “more moderate” rebound, with Venice becoming the first city to introduce high-season entry fees for tourists and Florence imposing new holiday permits into the city centre. Even the island of Capri doubled its tourist fee from 2.5 euros. Up to 5 euros.
Too many visitors is dangerous
Capri is not the first time that tourists have overwhelmed a city's capacity to accommodate guests. The carrying capacity of the Canary Islands is up to seven times greater. Hawaii is looking at this on a large scale, with 9.5 million tourists compared to 1.5 million residents in 2023. In addition to the obvious problems of overcrowding and disruption of residents' daily lives, overtourism also creates problems that affect all aspects. of popular spots. First, there are ecological impacts, such as endangering local flora and fauna and producing excessive waste. Urban infrastructure is also not able to cope with the influx of tourists. Both economically and tourism-wise,
indian experience
There is ample anecdotal evidence that hill stations like Manali, Shimla and Nainital are overwhelmed by the tourist rush every summer. However, in recent memory, several cases have indeed surfaced, such as Joshimath in Uttarakhand, which witnessed large cracks appearing on roads and buildings last year. Geologists said this was due to Joshimath's location in a high-earthquake-prone area, unplanned construction of homes and hotels, and over-draining of natural resources such as groundwater. Following this, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami ordered a capacity assessment of the state's hill towns. In response to the incident, the state government had set a cap on the number of pilgrims for the Char Dham Yatra in a day at 47,500, but it was withdrawn after pressure from locals, resulting in a record 4.47 million pilgrims. Pilgrims visited.
High admission fees act as a filter
Overall, the most common solution to regulating visitor numbers is to introduce tourist fees or entrance fees. Cinque Terre Park on the Italian Riviera is currently charging 15 euros to access the popular coastal promenade to combat overcrowding, and Mt. A board has been installed at the selfie spot for customers to block the view. This will cause a nuisance to neighboring residents and businesses.
Other measures include banning tourists from areas such as Gion, Kyoto's famous red-light district. But the most successful example of tackling overtourism is that of neighboring Bhutan, which is promoting the concept of high-value low-volume tourism, where tourists must pay a $100 sustainable development fee per night. Must be. It is lower for Indians, Bangladeshis and Maldivians.
Sustainable tourism is the way forward
It is important to balance the carrying capacity of a tourist destination with its income generation potential. The United Nations World Tourism Organization has identified sustainable tourism as one of its goals, that is, tourism that takes full account of current and future economic, social and environmental impacts and that responds to the needs of tourists and the industry. .