After two years of purely domestic or busy travel plans, figures suggest Europeans are eager to head abroad this summer.
But those who live in Europe’s holiday hotspots are likely to feel more ambivalent.
The number of trips has now started to recover to pre-pandemic levels. The main start-up problems – to put it mildly – occurred at airports, with meandering queues and canceled flights putting long-awaited trips at risk.
However, destinations that struggled with overtourism in 2019 are also struggling to adapt.
There are signs that the tourism industry wants to do better. Sawday’s booking group, including glamping favorites Canopy & Stars, recently announced a cap on the number of properties it manages in 14 ‘risky’ destinations across the UK and Europe. This includes popular tourist destinations like the Lake District and Barcelona.
“Communities need viable visitor numbers in areas affected by overtourism – a more targeted approach that has a lighter impact and generates higher revenue is better for everyone,” says Managing Director Mike Bevens .
“The industry cannot continue to gorge on the bounty of local infrastructure, communities and the environment without considering the longer-term effects.”
It may be too light to assuage critics, but the rental giant Airbnb also trying to send tourists to lesser-known places with a change of website. The company classified four million “unique” homes into 56 categories based on features such as swimming pools or proximity to a particular travel activity. He says the changes are an attempt to de-prioritize city center stays.
We spoke to people living in three coveted destinations (all on Sawday’s shortlist) to find out what it’s like to see tourist numbers change so drastically.
From the deserted museums to the crowded streets of Florence
Having Florence’s great art galleries and museums to yourself would be a dream come true for culture vultures.
When Rebecca Orr arrived in Florence to start her PhD at the end of August 2020, this is how she got to know her new city.
“I took advantage of the relative calm to visit normally crowded museums and churches,” she says.
“I went to the Uffizi Gallery two days before it closed to the public in October 2020 for Covid reasons. I practically had the place to myself and it was a real experience to be near works of art that normally you couldn’t see for crowds of people.”
The Italian city is not yet at full capacity, but it is moving quickly in that direction.
“People talk about not being able to get around downtown for crowds of people and I can’t imagine what that must be like, although there are already a lot of people in the central locations,” adds Rebecca .
The Friends of Center apartments decided to move this year when the streets got louder and house prices started to rise again.
Living in a neighborhood 40 minutes walk from the center, she initially had no point of comparison. But after seeing how far the wonders of Florence stretch, Rebecca thinks one answer might be to encourage people to spread their visits more widely.
“There are great museums, galleries, parks and churches right near the city center that are visited by relatively few people,” she says. “Tourism is concentrated in the central plaza, leaving entire neighborhoods relatively unexplored.”
But, adds Rebecca, advertising for these underrated neighborhoods comes with its own set of problems. The dispersal of tourists can mean gentrification and overwhelmed infrastructure in these neighborhoods.
How can Venice solve its overtourism problem?
Cecelia Pierotti, 72, has many different points of reference for Venice, having first visited in 1979. She left California permanently just after the “Acqua Grande” floods of November 2019.
Being in Venice during the Covid lockdown was ‘heartbreakingly beautiful’, she says, ‘but sad, because I knew people were suffering – Venice unfortunately needs tourism’.
It is not yet at the level of mass tourism, but people are already visiting the city in droves.
“There seem to be huge groups of tourists, with up to 40 people stranded in narrow streets unaware that you are trying to pass.”
Cecelia assumes visitors seem more oblivious, but adds, “I understand that absolutely overwhelming urge to stop and look, because it’s beautiful here – and that’s why I live here.”
In the 1970s, over 150,000 people made Venice their home. That number has now dropped to around 50,000.
“I thought that in two years [of the pandemic], the powers that be would find a more sustainable type of tourism. And that was two wasted years, I’m afraid.
Venetian authorities have announced a tax on tourists after the Easter holidays – an entrance fee of up to €10 in an attempt to reduce the number of day-trippers. It was supposed to start in June but – as Euronews Travel revealed last week – a last-minute vote postponed the trial to 2023.
While the residents think more needs to be done, Cecelia isn’t so sure that a city tax is the answer because it could end up causing more problems for the locals.
“One of the big things for Venice would be to regulate Airbnbs,” she adds – pointing to those who own more than 20 properties.
Cecelia thinks it could help more young people afford to live in the city.
“Skye is open” – but bear with us
Skye is one of the largest Scottish islands in the Inner Hebrides. It’s another destination on Sawday’s “at risk” list. Here, the group caps the holiday homes it offers at 27.
But SkyeThe relationship with tourists is a little more nuanced than that of the Italian titans.
The problems were concentrated on the island’s hotspots, such as the majestic Quiraing Hills and the Old Man of Storr, the Neist Point Lighthouse and the clear-water Fairy Pools.
As people start to return, tourism management organization SkyeConnect is working to improve infrastructure and improve the visitor experience, says communications director Simon Cousins.
“One of the big projects we’re involved in right now is a sort of tourism dispersal project where we’re going to use technology to encourage visitors to go to less crowded places,” he says.
Traffic sensors at key points around the island will provide real-time data via an app and on electronic signs – like those already used for ferry traffic information – to suggest quieter spots.
If the whole island had a sign, it would currently be flashing “Skye is open, we want people here”. But after a “silent” confinement, tourism is recovering more slowly than expected.
Across Scotland, one of the biggest problems is the lack of reception staff.
“Companies that should have brought in a good number of seasonal workers from Europe, they’re just not coming back after Brexit,” says Simon. “And with a place like Skye, it’s very difficult for full-time workers to come and live and work here because of the cost of housing.”
Second home ownership and Airbnb conversions are also high on Skye, but Simon blames the problem on a general lack of affordable accommodation on the island.
Lack of staff has led some restaurants to reduce their opening days. Hotel staff also have to perform multiple tasks, from serving breakfast to housekeeping, to jumping behind the bar at lunchtime.
“The majority of people are happy to see tourists again,” he says, “there’s just a concern that if people don’t get the experience they expect [as full service resumes]it could ruin their experience on Skye.
Considering our social and environmental impact in all parts of vacation planning is an important part of traveling responsibly. But these experiences show that it is also necessary to be respectful and patient in the places we visit, as locals and tourists find their balance.
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