In Europe, excessive pressure on some of the most visited tourist destinations means that many, such as Barcelona, Brittany and Santorini, are calling for pressure and contemplating extreme measures such as banning Airbnb entirely and restricting the number of tourists.
National Geographic reports that 80% of travelers represent only 10% of the world’s tourist destinations and that by 2030, according to the UNWTO, the number of international tourists will reach 1. 8 billion, up from 1. 5 billion in 2019.
Axios reports on three of the main driving forces of tourism: flights, when adjusted for inflation, are almost as expensive as they were in the 1980s, China’s emerging middle class has been a major driving force of tourism demand and this is easier than ever. for other people to find information on where to stop and how to get there.
CNBC reports that Spain hosted a record number of hotels in 2023, many of which went to Barcelona, where the number of hotels is now 4 times higher than in 1990.
Locals are calling for a “decrease in tourism”, because the city cannot accommodate the gigantic number of daily visitors, many of whom do not stay overnight in hotels or eat their evening meals in restaurants: the city has treated 2. 2 million of them will travel on cruise ships in 2023, and locals will not be able to live because their value is excluded from the real estate market, as owners prefer to rent through more expensive Airbnb short-term hi-genuine properties.
Under such excessive pressure and as protesters spray tourists with water guns, Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni has vowed to ban short-term holiday rentals until 2028, meaning 10,000 apartments would be rented out long-term to locals. Occupancy tax at $3. 45 per night per user (an increase of $0. 53).
The Greek island of Santorini is experiencing the same scenario as many other European tourist hotspots: overtourism, lack of things to do for locals outside of the tourist season, lack of local industry, and high rents imposed on foreigners.
This sentiment is compounded by very genuine concern about wildfires and water shortages brought on by the climate crisis: in Santorini, the local wine economy is suffering as vine production has declined by 50% due to a lack of water, Bloomberg reports. This summer it expects 3. 4 million tourists, despite hopes that limits will be established since 2012. The local mayor, Nikos Zorzos, cannot impose a ban on local construction and calls for the intervention of the Athenian central government.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis plans to take cruises starting next year to some of the most popular Greek islands. Compared to 2022 figures, Greece saw the number of cruise ships at most double in 2023. Greece also plans to limit short-term apartment rentals.
In Santorini, the goal is to limit the number of cruise passengers to 8,000 per day (that’s how it was before the pandemic), and this year the number of cruise ships has dropped from 63 to 48 days, a trend that continues. Formation
Like the city of Venice and the protected limestone cliffs of Marseille, the island of Bréhat in Brittany (northern France) is reintroducing a morning quota for excess tourism, reports Le Monde.
From July 22 to August 23, only 4,700 visitors will be allowed to enter the island in the morning, at 8:30 a. m. and at 2:30 p. m. There is no quota in the afternoon since it is assumed that the maximum number of visitors in the morning will have already done so. He left or will leave after lunch. Local citizens are not affected and can pass by whenever they want.
The regulation was followed last year and some believe that the first effects are an improvement in the satisfaction of travelers during layovers, fewer parking problems, fewer legal processes and less aggressiveness on the part of hikers. Others believe that it is simply the lack of clarity about when other people can climb, that has led to a natural reduction in the number of climbers and the ban has had no effect; More studies and more time are needed to see. The effects will be closely monitored through the other Breton neighbors. islands, which are also said to be overcrowded.