I’m sure you’ve seen the ‘tourism bans’ circulating social media lately. At first glance, it seems a bit ridiculous. Why would any country want to put a limit on the number of tourists entering their city? Why say ‘no thanks’ to their tourist dollars that contribute sometimes major percentages of a cities income?
But do tourists only bring positives? Absolutely not. With an influx of tourist, invariably, life gets more expensive, and more busy, for those locals who live in the city.
I was staying in a hostel in Barcelona and chatting with a family from outside of town. They were in the city for a wedding and the only accommodation that had been both affordable and available, was that hostel. While they were undoubtably grateful to have found accommodation, it was definitely less than ideal to have to stay so far from their extended family, when they were gathered for a family event.
Barcelona is one of several cities and countries in Europe that have announced their intent to start to restrict numbers of tourists, and to create additional restrictions on ‘holiday homes’ for out of town purchasers, and the limits on building hotels in downtown and core local areas.
Like I said. At first glance, it’s quite surprising. But imagine for a second, if you have been to Barcelona, and you can walk down the once-crowded Las Ramblas, and not have to keep a death grip on your phone or purse or camera. Imagine cruising the famous beaches and not worrying if you’ll be able to find your own spot of sand to call yours for the day…(and not having to arrive at 5am to have this). With less tourist traffic, less people in the city for the weekend, anxious to sightsee everything, arguably, the end result is a quieter, more authentic travel experience.
Even better, is to use this opportunity to visit other areas of the country who still embrace tourism. With more choices, you will undoubtably find cheaper prices, and probably better interactions from locals not yet jaded with the flood of selfie-taking tourists crowding their morning commute.
Instead of Barcelona, venture 70 kilometres north along the coast to the smaller sea-side city of Lloret de Mar. It has dozens of stunning, very un-crowded beaches (the exact same as in Barcelona, minus the hordes of people…), a beautiful medieval hill-top castle, gothic architecture, amazing hikes with cliff-top views of coast…and it sees only 1.1 million tourists a year, compared to 9 million in Barcelona.
Norway has also considered a cap on tourists trekking to the famous ‘troll tongue’ outlook. But know that if you are going to Norway just to snap a picture on the instagram-famous rock, that there are literally hundreds of hikes you can take from any city or town in the country, and they will take you along stunning fjords, wooded areas, and pristine lakes and rivers. Though there may be a limit on the number of visitors, know that there will never be a limit to the outdoor pursuits available to those seeking them.
A visitor cap is really nothing new. Consider destinations like Antarctica (only 100 people are allowed on the continent at one time.), Mount Everest (the time, expense, and obvious physical abilities needed prevent many tourists from the adventure), Bhutan (every traveler must have a visa and pay a 200USD+ daily-rate to be allowed permission to visit), Koh Tachai (which has been closed to all visitors since late 2016), the Cinque Terre region in Italy (who reduced the annual tourists allowed from 3.5 million to 1.5 million in 2015).
Instead of asking why countries discuss a visitor cap/ban, ask yourself how you can become a better traveler to the area. Instead of bemoaning the fact that you have yet to see x-in-y-country, take a few minutes to research stunning architecture/beaches/nature in nearby towns/cities/countries.
Ultimately, one shouldn’t fault these cities and areas for wanting to preserve their natural beauty, or their local way of life. If we, as travelers, aim to respect such regulations, the reward might be that these places are able to flourish, and be appreciated by others for years to come.
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