Traveling to Europe is ubiquitous on people’s bucket lists, but have you ever considered how your vacation could affect the locals? Imagine walking down the street to get food and your town’s grocery store is replaced with a souvenir shop, or you get out of college and have to share a house with four other people because rent is so high. These are some of the many impacts that mass tourism has on civilians in over-visited countries.
What is happening?
Residents all over Europe are having anti-tourism protests in hopes of making major cities livable again. Some demonstrations are peaceful, such as the hunger strike in April held by the Spanish Canary Islands. In contrast, others are more hostile like the locals of Barcelona spraying tourists with water guns, and the French pooping in the Seine to hold off the Olympics from being held in Paris.
Protesters in the Canary Islands went on a hunger strike and completely stopped the construction of a beach resort and a hotel in April. The activists also want an embargo on the growth of all tourist projects in the future. According to BBC, 13.9 million tourists visited the Islands in 2023, while only 2.2 million people live there. This many visitors are causing housing to get expensive, taking a toll on nature, and creating an unlivable environment for locals.
In Barcelona, activists traveled to popular touristy areas yelling “Tourists go home” while spraying them with water. The protesters marched with signs, including one saying “Barcelona is not for sale.” CNN states that tourists in Barcelona spent over $13.8 billion (12.75 billion euros) last year. Although the city receives lots of money, it is unfairly distributed, and the locals don’t profit from it. In most cases, the money made by travelers is used for cruise ships, hotels, resorts, and other tourist attractions.
The Olympics were hosted in Paris this year and many locals were vexed about its impact on their everyday lives. Students were kicked off their campuses for Olympic staff, the metro system prices in Paris have doubled, and rent has skyrocketed. Some took to the internet to warn viewers of the Olympics not to visit Paris. Activists threatened and relieved themselves in the polluted river to scare visitors. France has also spent a rumored 1 billion euros to clean up their river to prepare for the games.
Why is it happening?
Mass tourism in Europe is causing rising rents and house prices, health care services are shutting down, and disrespectful visitors make havoc for locals.
Barcelona needs help with the effects of mass tourism. Rents have increased by about 68% in the past 10 years. For some locals, it is almost impossible to own a house, and many have to share an apartment with 3 to 4 other people just to afford rent. Due to the influx of visitors, the demand for housing is at an all-time high.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, many healthcare systems in Europe have been experiencing a consistent decline in both funding and workforce. During the pandemic in 2020, countries received a bigger budget for health care and in 2023 they set the budget back to normal. Unfortunately, Governments are forced to make huge reductions with money, and healthcare systems are on the list. Additionally, fewer individuals choose the medical field as a career, and those staying have constant pressure. Many workers have excessive stress, exhaustion, depression, and anxiety.
In August 2023, two drunk Americans snuck into a restricted part of the Eiffel Tower, fell asleep, and stayed the night. The same year, a French woman carved her initials and a heart into the Leaning Tower of Pisa, for which she was later arrested. A German traveler interrupted a production inside a consecrated Bali temple by stripping naked after leaving several hotels without paying.
What has been done to help?
Statistica states that around 708 million tourists visit Europe yearly and it’s only worsening. Luckily, some steps have been taken to address the issue and help make life more comfortable for locals.
An entrance fee of 5 euros for a day pass has been implemented in Venice to control the number of visitors, and similar measures are being adopted across Europe. Some residents feel that the introduction of tickets has transformed the city into an “amusement park” and disagree with this approach. Furthermore, most large cruise ships are not permitted to dock in Venice.
In hopes of lowering rent prices, Barcelona City Hall refuses to renew licenses for short-term rentals to tourists after they expire in 2028. Additionally, politicians have limited the amount of hotel rooms allowed. The Mayor also raised a tourist tax for cruise ships.
WP “If Europe’s anti-tourism protesters think it’s bad now, just wait”
Statistica “Tourist arrivals in Europe”
CNN Travel “A point of no return”
CBS “Overtourism creates havoc”
Health policy “Health care systems”
USA Today “Pooping in the River”
Scientific American “Cleaning up poop”.
