Tourism creates jobs, boosts exports and generates prosperity all over the world, but the excess of tourists is a growing problem.
The Internet, ease of mobility, the introduction of low-cost airlines - and the consequent reduction in airline ticket prices - the phenomenon of social networks (mainly Facebook and Instagram) have led to a sudden and constant increase in tourists to some of the most famous (and fragile) places on the planet.
Increasing tourism revenues has become one of the main ways of keeping the GDP of many countries healthy - as in Portugal - and many governments turn a blind eye to the excess of tourists in some places.
The creation of taxes in some cities – such as Lisbon, London, Porto, or Amsterdam – will be counterproductive and should only serve to increase revenue for the public coffers of each country. Tourism's direct contribution to Portugal's GDP was 13.2 billion euros in 2017.
Some nations have begun to try to stem the flow of tourists in order to preserve the last authenticity of some cities and even avoid clashes, as is the case in Barcelona where the climate of tension between tourists and residents has increased in recent years.
Other sites of archaeological importance, such as Machu Picchu, for example, with the support of UNESCO, have gone further and limited the daily number of tourists.
The crowds that climb the Himalayas every year have caused environmental problems, with thousands of tonnes of rubbish (plastic bottles, beer cans, oxygen bottles, etc.) being left behind by the trekkers and have already started to cause environmental problems that the local structures can't always solve.
In Scotland, Ireland and Croatia, problems with overcrowding arose after these locations were used for filming TV series or films - such as Game of Thrones.
Solutions to the excess of tourists
Some alternatives exist and have already been tried to reduce the number of tourists in some places and the negative impact on the regions or monuments visited.
The limitation of the daily number of visitors is the measure most often implemented by national authorities, as is the case in Fernando de Noronha, Brazil, the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador, or Machu Picchu, Peru. One of the latest places to introduce restrictive measures was the Taj Mahal, in India, where visits are now limited to a maximum of three hours.
In other places, the price of access has been doubled, as in the case of the Raja Ampat Marine Park in Indonesia, where the price of access has doubled since 2015, from 500 rupiah (30€) to 1 million rupiah (60€). Here in Raja Ampat, as in the Okavango Delta in Botswana, the decision has been made to keep accommodation rates high in order to avoid massification.
But is raising prices the ideal solution to the excess of tourists? One could legitimately question whether high taxation is the best solution, prohibiting those who can least afford it from visiting.
Many experts in the sector assume that tourist ceilings are necessary for the environment, architecture, monuments, residents and visitors. However, many nations depend on tourism to vitalise their economies and limiting tourism is like shooting yourself in the foot. It's unfeasible.
Places where tourist overcrowding is causing problems
Lisbon - Since the entry of platforms such as Airbnb into the rental market, an avalanche of property speculation has swept through the Portuguese capital, with many of the residents and shopkeepers being "expelled" from the city centre to the outskirts and suburbs.
Koh Tachai - In 2016, the Thai authorities took a drastic measure and closed the beach indefinitely to protect the sand, marine species and corals.
Barcelona - More than ten years ago, when I visited Barcelona for the first time, the city of Barcelona was already popular, but far from the masses it is today.
In 2017, an estimated 32 million people visited the Catalan capital, where only 1.6 million people live. Statistics show that in 2000, there were three million overnight stays in Barcelona hotels. In 2016, the number totalled nine million.
Popular places where there are already restrictions on the number of tourists
Machu Picchu - More than a million people visit the Peruvian archaeological site every year. That's why Peru, together with UNESCO, decided to limit the number of daily entries to 2,500. From 2019, if you want to make the multi-day trek, you'll have to hire a guide, follow one of the three designated paths and eventually walk the route in limited time.
Seychelles - In 2017, more than 350,000 people visited the Seychelles. The number may seem lower, but this group of 115 African islands is home to just 90,000 people. When I visited this paradise a few years ago, one of the greatest pleasures was exploring the deserted beaches.
It may sound selfish, but who wants to share such dreamy beaches with thousands of holidaymakers? So, in order to avoid an excess of tourists, the Seychelles decided to ban the construction of large hotel developments, authorising only small units.
Taj Mahal - If you want to visit the Taj Mahal in Agra, India, your visit is now limited to 180 minutes. The Indian government has decreed that it is time to impose a time limit on visits in order to reduce the crowds of tourists inside the temple.
Galapagos Islands - To protect the islands, visitors can stay a maximum of four days and five nights, and there can only be four ship landings in a 14-day period. Every year, the Galapagos archipelago in Ecuador receives 150,000 tourists.
Fernando de Noronha - Almost 100,000 people visited the Brazilian archipelago in the state of Pernambuco in 2017. Brazilian law defines that only 246 visitors per day land on Fernando de Noronha. This number has been exceeded and new restrictions on the number of flights cannot be ruled out.
Poor sanitation, water supply problems, insufficient airport and port infrastructure and the dumping of waste into the sea - affecting corals - are some of the problems detected by local authorities to justify the limitations.
Santorini - Santorini has decided to impose a limit of 8,000 cruise ship arrivals.
Cinque Terre - This series of five fishing villages on the Italian Riviera has adopted a visitor counting system, limiting the number to 1.5 million a year.
Barcelona - In 2017, an urban law aimed at tourist accommodation was passed, which seeks to limit the number of beds in hotels and tourist flats. The law imposes a moratorium on building new hotels and issuing licences for tourist flats.
Bhutan - In the Asian kingdom of Bhutan, a daily tax of 200 dollars (162€) is imposed on each tourist. This includes three-star accommodation, meals, domestic transport and a guide. Allegedly, 65 dollars is used to improve the education system, free medical care, infrastructure development and poverty reduction.
Antarctica - The entry of ships with more than 500 passengers has recently been banned and only 100 passengers can be on land at a time.
Uganda - The UNESCO-listed Bwindi Impenetrable National Park only allows eight people a day to visit a family of gorillas.
Rwanda - The entrance fee is 1500 dollars per person for foreign citizens. There are ten families of mountain gorillas in the Volcanoes National Park. It is stipulated that only a maximum of eight people, not exceeding one hour, can visit a gorilla family.
New Zealand - Only 100 people can walk the Milford Track in the Fjords area at the same time.
Venice - There are no limits yet, but tourist pressure has led local citizens to protest in the streets against the excess of tourists in this famous Italian town. There is speculation that measures will soon be taken to reduce the flow of visitors.
Other tourist sites that should consider restrictive measures
- Kenya - Masai Mara
- Tanzania- Serengeti
- France - Louvre Museum (Paris)
- England - London Eye (London)
- Mexico - Chichen Itzá
What I can do to help reduce the negative impact of tourism
- Limit your visit to a minimum time
- Visit early in the day, when fewer tourists are present
- Avoid popular periods such as school holidays, Christmas, New Year, Easter, weekends and bank holidays.
- Opt for reusable water bottles
- Avoid walking on dunes and coral reefs
- Put rubbish in the appropriate bins or take it with you and dispose of it in a designated place
- Don't feed property speculation and alternate your stay between hotels and local accommodation
- Look for alternative places to visit
- Visit other parts of the city away from the tourist centres. Your wallet will thank you - because accommodation and restaurants are less expensive there. You'll get more attentive service and you'll make an important contribution to local establishments away from the tourist hurricane
- Use biodegradable shampoo and detergents if you visit ecologically sensitive regions
- Forget the selfies and live in the moment
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