It goes without saying that tourism can be controversial, and is a double-edged sword for regions that are popular with visitors. While tourism can do a lot to support local economies, over time it can also take away from the way of life for locals, and change economics. Along those lines, this past weekend we saw some major protests against tourists across Europe, in particular in Spain.
In this post:
Protestors demonstrate against mass tourism
On Sunday, June 15, 2025, residents in Spain and several other European countries held large scale protests against mass tourism, as residents are frustrated by increasing housing costs that are pushing out locals.
The biggest protests happened in Spain, in particular in Mallorca and Barcelona. This weekend’s event was the first coordinated effort by activists to protest over tourism across Europe. There were also protests in Lisbon, Portugal, and Venice, Italy, among other places. Thousands of protestors marched, held up signs, and sprayed tourists with water pistols.
For what it’s worth, this isn’t the first time that we’ve seen such protests. There were similar protests last year, but they weren’t as well organized, and weren’t as widespread.
What should tourists make of these protests?
Should visitors avoid destinations where locals have a strong anti-tourist sentiment? I’m not sure there’s an easy answer, though I’ll still share my take. Look, mass tourism has no doubt become a big issue in many places.
I’m not one of those people who thinks “how dare the locals not be grateful for my tourist dollars,” while walking off a cruise ship. Then you have the whole group of people who don’t identify as tourists, and who show in July in Greece, complaining how crowded it is with all those other people.
I think the whole thing is a bit more nuanced than that. I don’t think we’re entitled to being welcomed with open arms in Hawaii, Venice, etc., and to tell locals how they should feel about us, even if tourism is how many people support their families.
With that in mind, a few thoughts:
- Just about any major source of revenue for a region’s economy is going to have pros and cons; that’s not exclusive to tourism, as the same is true for manufacturing, a city becoming a tech hub, etc.
- I would assume that the sentiment regarding over tourism is similar in most major destinations that have mass tourism; like, Japanese people might be too polite to spray us with water guns, but I’m sure many people there feel the same
- I can appreciate the challenges that tourism poses for many locals, and I think these kinds of protests can help get a dialogue going between the government and these groups, to provide relief with some pain points; there are things the government can do to make tourism more palatable and beneficial for locals
- As a visitor, it’s uncomfortable to go somewhere and be shot with a water pistol, though at least these protests aren’t violent in a meaningful way
Personally I can’t say that something like this would impact my decision to travel somewhere. That’s simply because I realize that in most places dealing with mass tourism, the sentiment is probably the same. Some people are greatly in favor of it, others are strongly against it, and others are somewhere in the middle.
I’d almost view this similarly to a labor group going on strike in the airline or hotel industry. Ultimately they’re not meaning to inconvenience customers, but rather it’s the best bargaining technique they have to try to get what they’re hoping for.
There’s no denying that governments need to look out for locals, and make sure they’re happy, even if that comes at the expense of some amount of tourism. Personally, I’ve also kind of given up on traveling to Europe in the peak of summer, because I just don’t enjoy the size of the crowds. But that’s just me…
Bottom line
While frustration with mass tourism has become an increasingly big issue, some groups across Europe (and in particular, in Spain) are expressing their displeasure a bit more directly at the moment. This past weekend, we’ve seen huge protests, some with thousands of people, telling tourists to go home, and shooting them with water pistols.
Mass tourism is complicated, and as much as tourism is good for the overall economy of a place, that money isn’t always distributed fairly, and it can also impact the day-to-day life of locals negatively. I completely understand the plight, and this is certainly one way to get the attention of the government.
What do you make of these kinds of anti-tourism protests?
Am I a terrible person because I mainly visit this website these days just to microwave some popcorn, read the comments and giggle?
YIMBY
build tall and proud on transit stops
increase cruise boat docking tax
increate hotel tax
increate airbnb tax (short term rentals)
use the increased taxes to make transit better and hire people to pick up tourist trash.
come on now.
if this still doesn't work, increase taxes more until a good balance is achieved
Just ban Airbnb by end of this year. Ban all cruise ships while you are at it. Increase hotel tax like they are doing at Kyoto. Make sure that hotel tax extends to any hotels within 100 mile radius of Barcelona. Vote out any politicians who favor tourism. Implement all of these policies and I can assure you mass tourism will go somewhere else. Where or not many people will lose their livelihood in barcelona...
Just ban Airbnb by end of this year. Ban all cruise ships while you are at it. Increase hotel tax like they are doing at Kyoto. Make sure that hotel tax extends to any hotels within 100 mile radius of Barcelona. Vote out any politicians who favor tourism. Implement all of these policies and I can assure you mass tourism will go somewhere else. Where or not many people will lose their livelihood in barcelona is another subject. We all know it’s hard to have a cake and eat it too.
Should ask these protesters whether they go on holiday to other countries. You can bet that they do; so therefore they are absolute HYPOCRITES.
Actually WW, at the turn of the decade I read that the vast majority of the Spanish population holiday in Spain. Obviously, I have no idea if ot is still the same today.
Anyone who feels joy and pride from assaulting other human beings should be arrested. Hitting people, whether with water, stones, or anything else is assault and should not be encouraged or condoned by anyone in any way.
If they have issues, bring it to the attention of their government officials. It is their home, they have a right to limit or ban tourist.
And yes, I do live in a municipality that has tourist.
I think it would be fun if done with your neighbours.
I take it you are the kind that would be offended with getting sprayed with water on songkran festival in Thailand. So soft
Hmmm. Being hit by stones or being 'hit' by water from a kids toy in countries where it is around 30c at the moment?? Definitely equal. Jail them!
Like others who have posted herein, I too feel for those adversely impacted by indiscriminate tourism. Spain, in common with many other countries will be perfect when the likes of Ryanair, EasyJet, TUI and Jet2 stop discharging the great unwashed there.
Yeah i understand very well what those people feel !
I live in Porto city center and our city is small for the amount of tourists we´re receiving, just not to mention that it become very pricey to go to a restaurant, everything is more expensive. I understand that the tourism is positive for the country and to a large number of people and businesses, but not for the majority.
I don´t like to...
Yeah i understand very well what those people feel !
I live in Porto city center and our city is small for the amount of tourists we´re receiving, just not to mention that it become very pricey to go to a restaurant, everything is more expensive. I understand that the tourism is positive for the country and to a large number of people and businesses, but not for the majority.
I don´t like to live in a kind of circus or Disneyland, and expecially i hate to go to a shop/restaurant and almost everywhere people speak to me in English.
This issue must be adressed serious and the interest of inhabitants must come first.
Good for these Spaniards. Give them exactly what they want. Wait three years and see how they feel about things. Maybe it will accomplish exactly what they hope. Or maybe there will be a slew of negative unintended consequences that outweigh the benefits. I don't know, and they don't know. But it's their country. Let them have exactly as they desire.
I often transit via Madrid to points beyond. No more. I respect their wishes.
Best of luck, Spain.
What we don't want - or need - are low-end mass tourist folk who lower the tone and, frankly, don't spend enough to justify the resources they consume. But it's also the governments (national and regional) at fault here; they are terrified of introducing tourist taxes precisely to price off low rent tourists and, in the long term, to wean themselves away from mass-tourism. Developed countries should NOT be so reliant on tourism because they...
What we don't want - or need - are low-end mass tourist folk who lower the tone and, frankly, don't spend enough to justify the resources they consume. But it's also the governments (national and regional) at fault here; they are terrified of introducing tourist taxes precisely to price off low rent tourists and, in the long term, to wean themselves away from mass-tourism. Developed countries should NOT be so reliant on tourism because they don't have the vision to move up the value chain.
We have that problem in New Zealand. So many camper van, cheap gen z and millennials driving around our country, park in the beauty spots for free, then just chuck their waste into the bushes.
I’ve just travelled through the uk and it’s chock full of tourists. In saying that every little church and attraction costs 20gbp to get in. I wish our government would start charging for our nature spots instead of it being a free for all for cheap tourists.
Let Mexico sink on their own
These same people protesting are themselves going to Thailand, Brazil, or Bali. Yet that is ok? I highly doubt they are planning for their August to be a staycation in Barcelona.
The reality is that over tourism is affecting everyone. Well, other than America and Russia where no one wants to go.
Most people should stay home. You will save money, spare yourself from crap "experiences" that are brochure driven and shallow, and...
These same people protesting are themselves going to Thailand, Brazil, or Bali. Yet that is ok? I highly doubt they are planning for their August to be a staycation in Barcelona.
The reality is that over tourism is affecting everyone. Well, other than America and Russia where no one wants to go.
Most people should stay home. You will save money, spare yourself from crap "experiences" that are brochure driven and shallow, and you will be happier in the end. That goes as well for those in Spain who are protesting now. You will thank me in the end for avoiding the greatest scam ever perpetuated on the world...that travel is an experience. This is not 1920.
Why are you reading this blog?
Because I travel for work. 250 days a year. And that is purpose and an experience worth curating.
Well said-Antwerp simply sounds like a really, really miserable human. I was almost hoping his post was for trolling purposes.
What really kills me is that you pretend your endless business trips are “worth curating,” like that somehow makes you a philosopher of movement and not just another overfed frequent flyer on a company credit card. As if sitting in airport lounges and rattling off passport stamps gives you some higher moral claim to travel. It doesn’t. Spoiler: your movement isn’t noble. It’s not curated. It’s just corporate.
You’re not above the crowd—you are the...
What really kills me is that you pretend your endless business trips are “worth curating,” like that somehow makes you a philosopher of movement and not just another overfed frequent flyer on a company credit card. As if sitting in airport lounges and rattling off passport stamps gives you some higher moral claim to travel. It doesn’t. Spoiler: your movement isn’t noble. It’s not curated. It’s just corporate.
You’re not above the crowd—you are the crowd. The only difference is you’re complaining louder than everyone else, convinced that your jaded burnout qualifies as insight. It doesn’t. All it does is reek of entitlement and a deep need to feel superior to people who are still capable of wonder. You travel "250 days a year for work" and somehow have the gall to tell others to stay home and be “happier in the end”? Get over yourself. The rest of us aren’t looking for five-star hotels and fake enlightenment—we’re looking for something real, something yours clearly stripped you of long ago. You’re not offering perspective, you’re gatekeeping from a throne built on your own exhaustion. If you hate travel so much, stop doing it. No one asked you to be the martyr of motion. Just don’t piss on the idea of travel because you lost the capacity to enjoy it. That’s not wisdom. That’s rot.
Most people in Antwerp's place can only tie their remaining value as a human being to their job, the same job that takes them on these endless trips away from the office or their families who are probably happier when they're not there than when they're around taking up space.
Had someone like that when I started my first job who all he ever bragged about was his travels and "companions" he had whilst...
Most people in Antwerp's place can only tie their remaining value as a human being to their job, the same job that takes them on these endless trips away from the office or their families who are probably happier when they're not there than when they're around taking up space.
Had someone like that when I started my first job who all he ever bragged about was his travels and "companions" he had whilst on these trips. It turned out that our manager use to just send and approve some of his trips just to get him out of the office and in the end, he killed himself on one of these trips, His accounts were transferred promptly to other sales staff and there was a short message from the manager about him dying, that was it, most people didn't even attend his funeral.
At least in his mind he was a big shot though I guess
@FLCL My value as a human being is tied to pride in my work and the love of how it provides joy to people around the world. I won't judge where you derive your pleasure from.
When I say curate it is specifically related to reading these blogs for:
1. Review of products and updates in premium cabins to select the best product for my weekly multiple flights.
2. To red about updates to programs to best choose a program or alliance going forward.
3. Hotel reviews in cities that I will inevitably going to. So I can select hotels that will best meet my work needs and comfort...
When I say curate it is specifically related to reading these blogs for:
1. Review of products and updates in premium cabins to select the best product for my weekly multiple flights.
2. To red about updates to programs to best choose a program or alliance going forward.
3. Hotel reviews in cities that I will inevitably going to. So I can select hotels that will best meet my work needs and comfort levels.
I am stealth, blend in, and do not swarm a place. I am not there to take selfies in front of churches or temples. I am there to work. Period.
Airbnb and short term rentals are the problem, not tourism. There are tens of thousands (if not more) of homes in the US that would immediately be for sale, easing many of the housing market woes, if short-term rentals weren't allowed.
In these tourist destinations, if hotels were the only option there would be far fewer tourists.
It’s such a shame that it’s not possible to build more homes. I guess they’re just a non renewable natural resource and there’s nothing we can do.
Not always. In Barcelona, for example, AirBnBs and similar account for less than 2% of the housing stock. Like in so many places elsewhere, there has been insufficient new housebuilding to take account of population growth and migration.
@ JustinB -- Very true, short term rentals can contribute to the problem. In my municipality, an area enjoyed by tourist, they have passed a law limiting the number of short term rental properties. They must be licensed and meet a set of rules and regulations. Another problem is those who live in big cities buying "vacation" properties in these same areas. This drives up the cost of homes for those who wish to live...
@ JustinB -- Very true, short term rentals can contribute to the problem. In my municipality, an area enjoyed by tourist, they have passed a law limiting the number of short term rental properties. They must be licensed and meet a set of rules and regulations. Another problem is those who live in big cities buying "vacation" properties in these same areas. This drives up the cost of homes for those who wish to live there full time. Many of these homes sit vacant except for a few weekends a during the year.
These communities loose their "culture" , what made them special.
To me if Airbnb is the problem then the locals should vote for law makers who will ban it or add a Butan like visa where tourists must pay $100/day. That will most definitely cut down on the cruise ships and bus loads of tours from China and the US. It will however further class warfare.
But I suspect most cities do not want to lose that revenue. Locals will love the peace and quiet...
To me if Airbnb is the problem then the locals should vote for law makers who will ban it or add a Butan like visa where tourists must pay $100/day. That will most definitely cut down on the cruise ships and bus loads of tours from China and the US. It will however further class warfare.
But I suspect most cities do not want to lose that revenue. Locals will love the peace and quiet for 3 years but then deal with high unemployment for 10. Most citizens are not educated well enough to understand impact that is so far reaching. Most people only understand instant gratification.
Thankfully I have no interest in Spain especially for the foreseeable future.
Am I supposed to believe that these protesters don't travel to places like Paris, prague, Kyoto.....
"Then you have the whole group of people who don’t identify as tourists"
Yes, my pronouns are first class customer / pleb avoider :p
First of all, let's separate "mass tourism" from "tourism" generally. YES, dozens of local businesses depend on that cruise ship discharging 3,000 people into the streets of Barcelona or Venice, or that group of rowdy, most inebriated passengers off that Ryanair jet at Ibiza or Mallorca...on the other hand, as a local resident, do I want my streets overrun with bloated, drunk, sunburnt idiots speaking in loud voices because they think that will make them...
First of all, let's separate "mass tourism" from "tourism" generally. YES, dozens of local businesses depend on that cruise ship discharging 3,000 people into the streets of Barcelona or Venice, or that group of rowdy, most inebriated passengers off that Ryanair jet at Ibiza or Mallorca...on the other hand, as a local resident, do I want my streets overrun with bloated, drunk, sunburnt idiots speaking in loud voices because they think that will make them easier to understand even though they're speaking English and the person they're trying to talk with only speaks Portuguese (or Spanish, or Greek, or___________)???
As a tourist, I avoid cruise ships and packaged travel like the plague! My wife and I travel on our own -- maybe signing up for a small (6-8 people max.) tour to get "the lay of the land" on our first visit to Osaka, or a street food tour in México City. But we've never had anyone say "Go home, tourist!" to us (in any language), much less mortally wound us with a semiautomatic water pistol. I try to speak some Spanish or Portuguese, Italian or French, and have never had a problem with communication or with getting from here to there, be it walking, taking the metro or a train. And I try to learn some of the local customs, the do's and don't's of the society, and respect their customs (as well as their laws).
Never had any problems. And I know many others who have enjoyed the same experience when traveling as a tourist...
In my experience, the hugely popular cities and sites in Europe are a waste of time because of the massive crowds. Almost always, you can go somewhere less famous that is just as beautiful/remarkable/culturally signifcant/etc, have the place almost entirely to yourself, pay less money for your lodging and meals, and the locals will be not be upset that they can't find a decent place to live because you and 1,000,000 other people have rented...
In my experience, the hugely popular cities and sites in Europe are a waste of time because of the massive crowds. Almost always, you can go somewhere less famous that is just as beautiful/remarkable/culturally signifcant/etc, have the place almost entirely to yourself, pay less money for your lodging and meals, and the locals will be not be upset that they can't find a decent place to live because you and 1,000,000 other people have rented all the available apartments for the summer.
People are herd animals, except for the few of us who aren't.
Yes I agree but wouldn't it be disingenuous of us who have been to Paris to tell someone who has never been to go somewhere else instead and to trust us they would love that other city more?? How well do you think that conversation will go? How well would that reasoning go with you if you had never been to Paris but has seen Paris in movies and magazines all your life? I don't...
Yes I agree but wouldn't it be disingenuous of us who have been to Paris to tell someone who has never been to go somewhere else instead and to trust us they would love that other city more?? How well do you think that conversation will go? How well would that reasoning go with you if you had never been to Paris but has seen Paris in movies and magazines all your life? I don't disagree with you actually because I've been to Paris many times and I do know cities that are literally smaller Paris that are amazing . But there is no way I would have skipped Paris as my first city in France.
I'm not telling anyone not to go to Paris, or Venice, or Barcelona. I'm just choosing to largely avoid those places myself. This makes everyone happy: the people with squirt guns, the visitors to those places who won't bump into me while stampeding down the alleyways to the next instagrammable sight, and me who won't get bumped into as I sip my cafe in a sleepy medieval village surrounded by stunning countryside. Oh, and the...
I'm not telling anyone not to go to Paris, or Venice, or Barcelona. I'm just choosing to largely avoid those places myself. This makes everyone happy: the people with squirt guns, the visitors to those places who won't bump into me while stampeding down the alleyways to the next instagrammable sight, and me who won't get bumped into as I sip my cafe in a sleepy medieval village surrounded by stunning countryside. Oh, and the cafe owner and hotel/Airbnb owner who will appreciate that I am one of few who are visiting and spending money in her town.
What's not to like?
Avoid Barcelona, never visit it again? That will be my pleasure!
You'll get mugged less.
Are they shooting the African and Eastern European immigrants in the pickpocket gangs with the water guns too?
Ain't that the truth. For years Barcelona has one of the highest rates of pick pockets in western Europe. I witnessed it first hand while traveling with a friend who was mugged on the subway. It was a shocking experience.
i see point, but protest should be against immirgation, not tourism. But against "immigration", sepcially "illegal immigration" is against "human rights". Good propaganda.
Tourism is the only reason much of their country is relevant. Airbnb is the actual problem, not tourists.
As for the 'firing water pistols at tourists thing', all that clip shows is some absolute bell firing a water pistol, theres nothing showing it hitting anyone. And presumably it isnt hitting anyone as he doesnt have the water pistol firmly inserted somewhere uncomfortable.
These trouble making Catalans does not represent Spain.
Their identities are kept alive because one day America might want to overthrow the Spanish government and send weapons to Catalonia.
As you mention in your introduction, this is mostly about rising housing costs pushing out locals. That can be largely traced to the onslaught of short term rentals (STRs), that took long term rentals (LTRs) and many homes otherwise available for purchase by those intending to reside in them out of the 'supply'. So, supply decreased while demand for LTRs as well as affordable residences to buy stayed at least even, or likely increased. It...
As you mention in your introduction, this is mostly about rising housing costs pushing out locals. That can be largely traced to the onslaught of short term rentals (STRs), that took long term rentals (LTRs) and many homes otherwise available for purchase by those intending to reside in them out of the 'supply'. So, supply decreased while demand for LTRs as well as affordable residences to buy stayed at least even, or likely increased. It is well documented by many economic studies that STRs are responsible for rising costs of LTRs and residences to buy, an unforeseen consequence of the whole AirBnB/VRBO/etc STR thing. They were disrupters alright, but not of the traditional hospitality market so much (which is still thriving with higher ADRs and OCC than ever), but of the housing market for locals. Many places are recognizing this and either prohibiting or strictly limiting STRs. I love a nice AirBnB as much as the next person, but the reality of their effects cannot be denied.
This is often repeated, but still false information, at least for Barcelona: Barcelona has approx 10,000 Airbnb licenses out of over 1M housing units, so the impact of STR on rents is minimal.
The housing shortage is due to the lack of new housing being built, while the economy is booming and new residents are flooding into the city. The local government has made private residential investments unattractive (regulations, rent caps), there are 3x...
This is often repeated, but still false information, at least for Barcelona: Barcelona has approx 10,000 Airbnb licenses out of over 1M housing units, so the impact of STR on rents is minimal.
The housing shortage is due to the lack of new housing being built, while the economy is booming and new residents are flooding into the city. The local government has made private residential investments unattractive (regulations, rent caps), there are 3x as many "okupadas" (apartments occupied without paying rent) than Airbnb that are allowed to go on and the government failed to invest in new, public/subsidized/incentivized housing.
Add to that modernizing and upgrading existing apartments and you have the drivers for the steep rent increases long-term residents struggle to keep up with...
But of course blaming all the problems on migrants (right wing populists) or tourists/expats (left wing populists) is a lot easier than altering failed policies...
I don't feel entitled to be "welcomed with open arms" anywhere; however, I do feel entitled to be there; NIMBYs are always gonna NIMBY you just gotta ignore their impotent rage. It's the same when I'm at home and my city is deluged with tourists. Is it especially pleasant commuting to work through throngs of tourists who just learned to walk yesterday? No. But do I own the city as my private playground? Also no.
...I don't feel entitled to be "welcomed with open arms" anywhere; however, I do feel entitled to be there; NIMBYs are always gonna NIMBY you just gotta ignore their impotent rage. It's the same when I'm at home and my city is deluged with tourists. Is it especially pleasant commuting to work through throngs of tourists who just learned to walk yesterday? No. But do I own the city as my private playground? Also no.
You get to exclude others from the real estate you personally own and exactly nowhere else, suck it up.
Should have added the point (probably obvious to anyone following these issues) that the NIMBYs screeching about tourists are the same ones throwing temper tantrums over new construction in their cities... these are folks who chronically struggle with connecting actions to consequences and then make their personal shortcomings everyone else's problem.
Yup, agreed on both comments. Hit the nail on the head.
You think NIMBY rage is impotent? They’re the single biggest reason multiple generations can’t afford homes, aren’t having kids and have so much despair for the future that they are willing to vote for radical populists. Theyre one of the most destructive forces on earth. They certainly aren’t impotent.
NIMBYs are losing. faster in some places than others, but the wheel is in motion; it's a matter of when and not if they get crushed.
(also i take issue with the 'economic anxiety' excuse for voting for bigotry; these voters should own up to who they are and say it with their whole chest rather than mewling about their lazy asses not being able to afford shit.)
I live in a summer city that gets slammed every summer with summer people. We also have a thriving economy and an organic grocery store that sells caviar and some awesome stuff you'd not normally find in a mid to low sized city in a relatively remote part of the country.
Suck it up whiners - I do. Beats being in a place where the economy is spiraling.
It's tempting to dismiss this as hypocrisy, but the debate requires nuance.
I live in Prague, the city benefits from tourism in a big way, but several factors have lately combined to make it much worse—and much less bearable for the locals.
1. Short-term rentals: like everywhere, AirBnB renters and the like are now fully professional businesses that not only displace residents, but actually impact the housing market in a major way. Living next...
It's tempting to dismiss this as hypocrisy, but the debate requires nuance.
I live in Prague, the city benefits from tourism in a big way, but several factors have lately combined to make it much worse—and much less bearable for the locals.
1. Short-term rentals: like everywhere, AirBnB renters and the like are now fully professional businesses that not only displace residents, but actually impact the housing market in a major way. Living next to an all-airbnb building is a nightmare and enforcement is difficult.
2. Party tourism facilitated by cheap flights – when it costs you $30 for a round trip, you're much more likely to hit a European city for a weekend drinking bender. If, like here, you buy a bunch of 16-packs of beer in a supermarket, the benefit for the local economy is negligible, but the nuisance is significant.
3. Social media – where once you could walk into the public library freely, now you have to push through an hour-long line of people wanting the EXACT SAME image of one stupid statue on Instagram. A bunch of places got completely ruined in the past 10 years, and some charming spots are gone for good, as private owners blocked access due to unruly crowds.
I get the argument about party tourism - but enacting policies that just make it more expensive to visit hurts non-party people who are on a budget.
We shouldn't live in a world where only the wealthy can afford to travel.
I've traveled A LOT on the last 40 years and I went to Prague last year. Charming city but sadly one of the worst major cities that I have visited. It's mass tourism at its peak. But a lot of the problem also has to do with the sites themselves being very poorly managed with mass tourism. The prague castle for example do not have timed entries. They will gladly shove as many as they...
I've traveled A LOT on the last 40 years and I went to Prague last year. Charming city but sadly one of the worst major cities that I have visited. It's mass tourism at its peak. But a lot of the problem also has to do with the sites themselves being very poorly managed with mass tourism. The prague castle for example do not have timed entries. They will gladly shove as many as they can in there per hour. It felt much worse than day Paris which I have been dozens of times including this trip to Prague. Paris have even more tourists but they do a better job at managing the flow.
In NottingHill in one of the streets the owners have painted their houses black to deflect the instagrammers. I travel a lot and noticed that the Asian girls in particular love hogging instagrammable monuments and buildings. Not limited just to asians though. Although there are a lot more Chinese and Indian tourists now gravitating to Europe in huge numbers.
I go to Barcelona every year around April as I’m a big FC Barcelona fan. It’s the offseason and I stay at a hotel so hopefully I’m having a positive impact.
Ask yourself WHY the Japanese would never do something so ridiculous as this.
If Barcelona can live with the 14% hit to their GDP, put a tourism ban on the city. Same goes for Hawaii and the rest of them.
Because the Japanese know how to behave and just silently side-eye people they disapprove of.
My point exactly.
Looks like a bunch of Cluster B women with too much on time on their hands.
There were about 100 protesters who squirted water at like 7 people. Since Catalunya gets about 27 million tourists each year, that puts ca your odds of being moistened at about 1 in 4 million.
Let's be real about this. I would say the overwhelming sentiment against tourists from European countries is they don't want AMERICAN tourists!! Can you blame them? Americans are the most obnoxious, pretentious, loud-mouthed, FATTEST, unrealistic bunch of a-holes of any country in the world - and I'm an American!! LOL. They want the restaurants to be the same, they want the hotels to be the same, they want the service to be the same, they...
Let's be real about this. I would say the overwhelming sentiment against tourists from European countries is they don't want AMERICAN tourists!! Can you blame them? Americans are the most obnoxious, pretentious, loud-mouthed, FATTEST, unrealistic bunch of a-holes of any country in the world - and I'm an American!! LOL. They want the restaurants to be the same, they want the hotels to be the same, they want the service to be the same, they want EVERYONE to conform to their narrow-minded way of thinking. Americans just need to stay home and eat at McDonald's!!
The vast majority of tourists to Spain are Brits and others from elsewhere in Europe. So while I understand your self loathing, this is not really a rational solution to the problem.
@DJT - point taken and yes, I realize that it's not a rational, nor a realistic solution to the problem. Who knows what the answer is?? I still loath the behavior of Americans in general though!! LOL.
You will find tourists from all countries that will behave badly when traveling. Most of them behave badly because they are ignorant. Probably never traveled abroad before, have no clue about local culture, gastronomy, etc... Most walk in flocks following a tourist guide, stay at low class hotels and eat at tourist traps. Then they come back and say they hated their trip. Oh well.... Now, you also have the obnoxious ones that are wealthy...
You will find tourists from all countries that will behave badly when traveling. Most of them behave badly because they are ignorant. Probably never traveled abroad before, have no clue about local culture, gastronomy, etc... Most walk in flocks following a tourist guide, stay at low class hotels and eat at tourist traps. Then they come back and say they hated their trip. Oh well.... Now, you also have the obnoxious ones that are wealthy but think they own the place. Just last year in Italy, went to a fantastic restaurant and there was a table of 10 Americans that behave pretty badly. You could see they were probably all finance people from NY, wearing fancy clothes, expensive watches, etc... but behaving like they were the only ones in the restaurant. They were speaking and laughing extremely loudly, standing up and walking around the table to show things on their cell phones, getting drunk and acting extremely annoying to the point that everyone else in the restaurant were looking at them. Now, owner of the place was pretty uncomfortable with the situation but didn't know how to manage it. The table was ordering very expensive wines, all sorts of fancy foods, etc... so he did not want to say anything but at the same time other clients were not happy. At the end when we ordered the check, he quietly apologized to us for the behavior of the other clients. In summary, you have to blame social media for this. Lots of people think they have to "check the box socially" by taking a picture on the same spot of their favorite influencer and post online to feel included. That's sad. Most don't even enjoy the place, the food, the culture.
Brits embody this series of stereotypes far more than the Americans (not that that's saying much for the Americans).
As a Swede who spent half his childhood at boarding school in the states, I'm sometimes assumed to be an American when I speak English and I'm frequently told by check-in staff from Nice to Athens how happy they are that I'm not a Brit.
I agree. Brits are horrible tourists. Americans at least have to spend time and money to get to Europe while Brits can get cheap flights anywhere in Europe and just find a location to get drunk in a different language. They are absolutely obnoxious and ignorants and their lack of respect is outrageous.
@CJ: bingo!! Response that actually understands the issue. Americans just don’t want to accept they are pathetic guests.
It’s asians, Germans, Brits, Indians. Everyone. Not just Americans…
Nothing like this would happen in New Orleans...you don't bite the hand that feeds you!!
I am sympathetic with locals but at the same time tourism helps drive local economy in many places. I personally avoid major cities in Europe due to the craziness mostly in the summer. Places like Taormina in Italy have been "destroyed" by Instagramers that watched White Lotus. I have been there before and after and it is night and day. It is almost impossible to walk in the city, prices are crazy and quality of...
I am sympathetic with locals but at the same time tourism helps drive local economy in many places. I personally avoid major cities in Europe due to the craziness mostly in the summer. Places like Taormina in Italy have been "destroyed" by Instagramers that watched White Lotus. I have been there before and after and it is night and day. It is almost impossible to walk in the city, prices are crazy and quality of service and food has gone downhill. A small business owner complained to me last year that most people get into her store, take a selfie and leave without buying anything. Not good. For a few years now, I land at a big airport and immediately connect to smaller places that are less crowded and much cheaper. The same goes for some places in the US. For example, you could not pay me enough to live in Orlando, FL. That sounds a total nightmare to be living in a place where the economy is mainly driven by tourism and conventions. No thanks.
Am i allowed to go where I please and spray people with a water gun in Spain? if the answer is no, then any idiot who does that should be charged with a crime (yes i realize its a minor crime, but a crime none the less) and face the consequences of their action.
Protest all you want, don't violate other people's space and rights.
You can spray me anytime, Cy. In fact, it’s best if it’s a surprise.
All misguided anger - should be towards Airbnb regulations. Get mad at your government and vacation slumlords, not tourists. Assaulting people is never okay.
This article is a great read when you change out mass tourism with mass immigration.
Typical American thinking. Try and think through more than what was written or would you prefer Lucky spell it all out for you?
Ray, settle down please. We don't need a cop patrolling multiple comments & admonishing them like a frustrated school marm. Just cut the crap.
As a tourist visiting well over 150 countries, I have learnt that ever since people were allowed to travel, there have become hotspots which have just become absurd. Spain is one of these, and especially people flocking to Marbella etc and trashing places. It’s disrespectful, you wouldn’t treat your moms house like that so why treat someone else’s home like that.
This is why i don’t visit a lot of Europe anymore (Eastern Europe...
As a tourist visiting well over 150 countries, I have learnt that ever since people were allowed to travel, there have become hotspots which have just become absurd. Spain is one of these, and especially people flocking to Marbella etc and trashing places. It’s disrespectful, you wouldn’t treat your moms house like that so why treat someone else’s home like that.
This is why i don’t visit a lot of Europe anymore (Eastern Europe is different). Not all, but a lot of these places are now directed towards tourists including attitude and prices. Is it really any different sitting on a beach in Ibiza (south) versus Miami? Not really. Tourism has mostly turned into Instagram stories of “look where I am” especially in Gen Z”. The older generations have been far more respectful (and I am from Gen Z).
My vote: start implementing bank balance minimums like Brazil has. It will bring down tourism numbers while still providing profitability.
The age of social media and Instagram have created a society where people need a selfie to show “look where I am”. These are also the people who hog up 10 minutes at a popular photo spot for the "perfect" Instagram while others wait creating a unbearable situation. With AI, does it really matter for the “look where I am” photo anymore?
@HL
Why did it ever matter to have "look where I am" photos?
I have just never understood this urge.
Pre-internet my view was that the buildings and more beautiful than me, and that professional (or at least dedicated) photographers will take much better photos than I can, by spending hours choosing the right moment. So I would buy a book of photographs of the city.
Now it's on the internet I don't even do that.
Right. Bank balance minimums. Ensuring that only the wealthy can travel. Because the wealthy never travel to other places to behave poorly.
We should also crack down on gen z and gen alpha. Because younger people also have no business going anywhere other than where they live and work.
Let's make sure that only the old and wealthy can visit places, that'll make things better.
I don't mean crazy numbers, but Brazil is a fair data point. Having 2 grand (or perhaps 1 from more 'developing' countries) in your bank account should be at least somewhat normal for someone looking to travel 2 weeks somewhere for vacation. There are many studies indicating that debt negatively impacts behaviour, as well as impairs cognitive functions. Put that abroad, and what do you have? Once again, I am generalizing but examples have showcased.
...I don't mean crazy numbers, but Brazil is a fair data point. Having 2 grand (or perhaps 1 from more 'developing' countries) in your bank account should be at least somewhat normal for someone looking to travel 2 weeks somewhere for vacation. There are many studies indicating that debt negatively impacts behaviour, as well as impairs cognitive functions. Put that abroad, and what do you have? Once again, I am generalizing but examples have showcased.
I am all for Gen Z and Gen Alpha traveling. I think traveling is the best education one can obtain. However, I also believe that respect and humility are two fundamental values to showcase when abroad in someone else's home.
I don't believe that the old and wealthy are the only ones who can travel, my point was that if younger generations were to work and save a little money, perhaps they would approach tourism with a better viewpoint. A lot do work, and I don't mean to generalize, but some also don't, as it's become the new norm. We live in an era filled with entitlement. And frankly, it's nor their fault, it's just what the world has become.
To add on, wealthy people do also act poorly, I would argue that most old-money wealth does not, but new money: absolutely.
Should be a housing crisis not tourism crisis
Yes, one caused by poor Africans and not middle-class Westerners. But these woke “local’s rights” protestors aren’t willing to contend with reality.
Mass tourist is an issue with the locals as well as tourists with long lines and bad service. My second time to Venice 2 years ago compared to my first 20 years ago was night and day. The Rialto bridge will full with people and unable to cross. However, it doesn't have to be this way. Most tourists I witnessed stayed by St Marco Sq. as when I took a guided tour with a local...
Mass tourist is an issue with the locals as well as tourists with long lines and bad service. My second time to Venice 2 years ago compared to my first 20 years ago was night and day. The Rialto bridge will full with people and unable to cross. However, it doesn't have to be this way. Most tourists I witnessed stayed by St Marco Sq. as when I took a guided tour with a local meeting at Santa Maria Assunta there was hardly anyone. We strolled along the back roads freely and learned about the history and the local customs. I’m willing to bet many visitors have no idea how Venice came to power and why it’s famous. It was drizzling the last day and I saw many grouchy people especially husbands following the wives with umbrellas clearly not enjoying the time in Venice. Many visitors come to a location take a few selfies, grab a meal and purchase a few souvenirs before leaving. Traveling to places involves more than that it’s a shame that people do not take the time to understand. If this is people’s idea of “travel” it would serve the locals as well as other dedicated tourists a favor by staying home.
Most of Venice is empty, except for locals. The tourists flock to the same 3 places and never see the rest of Venice.
Agree - was there two weeks ago, and even just 300ft east of St Mark's Square there was never any crowding.
Both sides of the Rialto Bridge were a nightmare - I can understand the objection there.
This is a major issue in many tourist countries. I am very conserned what will happend with my town as well. For tens of thousands of tourists visiting every year it is a wonderful tourist destination. For 3200 of us, it is a home. And our home is changing so fast, we can't follow all the changes. If we are not happy living in our home, tourists will not be happy visiting such a place....
This is a major issue in many tourist countries. I am very conserned what will happend with my town as well. For tens of thousands of tourists visiting every year it is a wonderful tourist destination. For 3200 of us, it is a home. And our home is changing so fast, we can't follow all the changes. If we are not happy living in our home, tourists will not be happy visiting such a place. The construction on the island is getting bigger and bigger every year, and every census shows there are less of us living in the town and on the island. All previous governments were investing big in the tourism, and now it is 50% of all the income on the island. We can't go back to stone masonery and ship construction in wood, two industries that were our bread and butter for centuries. In fact, we are left with no other options to make a living except in tourism. Just 5 years ago all seasonal jobs were covered by locals and people from neighbouring countires (we speak similar languages). Today, town and island are full of people from SE Asia, S.America, India and Nepal. Those workers need accomodation as well, so there are less and less possibility to find affordable rentals for us. So we all work extra summer jobs, as we cannot afford no to. Our government, Spanish or Italian as well, don't have Plan B. If not tourisim, we have barely other options. It is a complex question, and EU did not find a solution yet. Maybe there is none :-(
The Louvre in Paris closed yesterday due to the staff protesting tourist overcrowding.
It's not going to get any better until the next pandemic. Though RWNJs will continue to travel and cough in people's faces because they "don't believe" in viruses.
So are you saying that you hope the next “pandemic” results in years of pointless travel restrictions and border closures, and millions more people suffering unnecessary job losses and lost income? Sounds like you’re a terrible person.
You are very smart. Except when it comes to reading. And understanding what you read. And writing. And everything.
LOL I thought you were referring to Research with New Jersey (RWNJ) at first - realize now it must be Right Wing Nut Job.
Most Right Wing Nut Jobs I've met don't place value on traveling outside the US. But you're largely right on the rest of your characterization of them.
Also, I didn't interpret your comment as hoping for another pandemic.
I definitely get the frustration with tourists. Prague is possibly a better example than Barcelona though, admittedly in my limited experience.
You have:
1. Loads of people chasing instagram shots in front of famous buildings and bridges
2. Loads of people who for some reason believe that pot and absinthe (or trdelnik) are "local culture" and support tourist trap shops who ONLY exist to cater to that weird tourist belief
3....
I definitely get the frustration with tourists. Prague is possibly a better example than Barcelona though, admittedly in my limited experience.
You have:
1. Loads of people chasing instagram shots in front of famous buildings and bridges
2. Loads of people who for some reason believe that pot and absinthe (or trdelnik) are "local culture" and support tourist trap shops who ONLY exist to cater to that weird tourist belief
3. 3000000 overpriced "convenience" stores targeted to tourists that sell .5 liter water bottles for 5 euro and the same stupid magnets, bottle openers, and other trinkets whose only relation the place is the city name (these stores are ubiquitous in ANY touristy area, hell I've even seen a few in Atlanta of all places)
4. and now in more and more places, people dressed up as disney and other characters taking pictures with people and then trying to get a donation out of it
5. bachelor/bachelorette parties whose only goal is to get utterly shitfaced, leading to drunk people doing the typical disrespectful drunk people things
So many tourists treat these places like theme parks rather than living, breathing cities, which leads to the tourist trap/instagramification of those cities and pisses off the locals. Just walking the street is a constant reminder of it because you often can't go a block without seeing a stupid tourist trinket shop. It's frustrating and exhausting.
I will say beyond that though, housing costs aren't insane because of tourists. Housing costs are insane because not enough housing is being built. AirBnBs, from when I looked at Barcelona specifically, make up several percent of Barcelona's overall housing stock. Removing AirBnBs and rental apartments is NOT going to make housing affordable again. There's a finite limit to the number of apartments you can fit in a given area with a 6-7 floor building limit. The only way to lower housing costs in that case is to build taller in those areas. Japan is a case in point, despite the mass tourism it isn't hard to find affordable lodging, even in Tokyo or Kyoto. This is because they build a lot of housing, Tokyo especially so, and even in less vertical cities like Kyoto there's good enough public transit to make living in outlying areas relatively convenient, easy, and cheap without it feeling like an isolated US suburb.
P.S. For the record, I'm not a fan of the trend of moneyed individuals buying up entire buildings and then renting out the apartments essentially as an unregulated hotel, as seems to be common in Europe. That absolutely should get cracked down on.
The weed shops in prague are a scam afaik. They contain basically zero thc, otherwise they'd be illegal.
Aren't these shops owned and run by locals?
@justin dev
From what I've seen from the Prague Honest Guide channel, which was the main resource I used to plan my own trip back in 2019-20, a vast majority of these shops are not run by locals. Not blaming any particular nationality, but from the people the Honest Guide channel have spoken with, eastern Europeans (Poles, Bulgarians, Romanians, Turks, etc.) run a lot of those shops, trdelnik stands, and shady cash exchange windows,...
@justin dev
From what I've seen from the Prague Honest Guide channel, which was the main resource I used to plan my own trip back in 2019-20, a vast majority of these shops are not run by locals. Not blaming any particular nationality, but from the people the Honest Guide channel have spoken with, eastern Europeans (Poles, Bulgarians, Romanians, Turks, etc.) run a lot of those shops, trdelnik stands, and shady cash exchange windows, and thai massage parlors. I highly recommend that channel, their videos have done a lot for bringing light on the scammier businesses targeting tourists and bringing official action against them, and they also recommend actual locally-owned restaurants and businesses to go to instead.
@frrp
That is the case yes. But a lot of foreigners don't know that.
What about cruise ships? When those mega ships arrive, they infringe greatly on the local population. A mindless form of travel.
I’d like to know how much money these ships actually bring in.
We had the situation in New Zealand where there was an egg shortage a couple of years ago and a cruise ship arrived into a small port (akaroa) and sent out the crew to buy up the whole supply of eggs from the one local supermarket - how is that a good thing?
@ecco
I disagree with cruises being a mindless form of travel. I think it's a decent way to visit otherwise difficult to reach places like the Alaskan, Norwegian, and Newfoundland coasts for example, or to hit the highlights of a country's major coastal cities if you're pressed for time. They're also great for older or less mobile people. I agree that the mega ships are an issue though, especially when you have multiple mega...
@ecco
I disagree with cruises being a mindless form of travel. I think it's a decent way to visit otherwise difficult to reach places like the Alaskan, Norwegian, and Newfoundland coasts for example, or to hit the highlights of a country's major coastal cities if you're pressed for time. They're also great for older or less mobile people. I agree that the mega ships are an issue though, especially when you have multiple mega ships all making port at the same time in relatively small towns, like those in Alaska, the Greek isles, and the Caribbean for example. Tourists just completely overrun the towns in those situations, and in many of those ports the cruise lines also own or partner with the companies running the tours or the shops at the port that most of the tourists walk through. Skagway in particular is almost literally a cruise line Disneyland in that sense, and the tourist shops I railed about in my OP also get a lot of business from cruise passengers buying thoughtless last-minute souvenirs.
At the end of the day, IMO the problem comes back to the majority of tourists expecting and treating travel to foreign countries like either theme park "Disneyland" experience, but I don't have any ideas on how to change that mindset.
Never experienced any hostility in Spain while walking the Camino. But that is mostly in the rural north with Pamplona, Burgos and a few other cities thrown in. I did go to Barcelona, but preferred the other parts of the country.
The big issue here is housing, particularly short term rentals for tourists that take apartments out of circulation for the locals. In housing crisis areas (including in the US) the short term rentals should be banned.
Funny, given how many of the Spaniards (and especially the ones from Barcelona) I know hate tourists, but go on several trips a year as tourists themselves…
Behavior is mainly negative if it’s done by someone else, especially so when that someone else is from another nationality / social class / ethnic group or nationality other than yours. Other people are the problem, not us, right?
People don't get capitalism.
Ridiculous behavior and absurd rationale. If they have a legitimate issue with tourism, should take it up with their politicians who are empowered to take appropriate action for the benefit of their constituents. Although this is likely a small minority of loud mouthed rabble-rousers..
"...As a visitor, it’s uncomfortable to go somewhere and be shot with a water pistol..."
Yeah, water does cause snowflakes to melt.
Just think of it as the tamer European version of Songkran, go with the flow, and enjoy.
Ha! Songkran was my first thought too. Not a protest, but a very wet celebration. As long as you're only being squirted with water, allow them to vent.
They can squirt me all they want!
I'm visiting Canada!
Next time I am going to Spain, I am going to trash the f* place. I have always tried to be a respectable tourist and be considerate to the locals, but f* this.
Mark, married to a Spaniard and a longtime visitor/family member. I pointedly request that YOU stay the F out. You need to get a life, and go somewhere you actually want to have a positive experience in. Do is a favor, and delete Spain from your bucket list.
Nope. I am coming. Flights already booked. Will bring my own water pistol filled with urine. Will be shooting back at anyone that shoots at me.
@Mark: I guess the obvious didn’t reach your little brain. Tourist are already trashing the places and that is why the protest. Not hard to guess who got your vote.
If they think tourists are trashing the place now, the won't know what hit them when I am there.
The Japanese should have done this a long time ago.
Japan receives less than a third the foreign visitors of either Spain or France, in spite of having a significantly greater population than both countries. Moreover, Japanese destinations off the Tokaido-Sanyo corridor are basically empty of tourists.
At any rate, there really is no such thing as “overtourism.” Just poorly-managed tourism (and, in the case of the events described in this post, people biting the hand that feeds them).
As a Japanese, I'm not sure I agree. Post-COVID, there is a palpable increase in foreign tourists and the state of the country actually makes me sad. I visited Tohoku area recently and there were more foreign tourists there than I have ever seen. Same in Hokuriku area. Kamakura area - my absolute favorite in Japan - was devoid of "huzei" because of blatant disrespect for customs and common practices. Plenty of videos going around...
As a Japanese, I'm not sure I agree. Post-COVID, there is a palpable increase in foreign tourists and the state of the country actually makes me sad. I visited Tohoku area recently and there were more foreign tourists there than I have ever seen. Same in Hokuriku area. Kamakura area - my absolute favorite in Japan - was devoid of "huzei" because of blatant disrespect for customs and common practices. Plenty of videos going around with trashed streets filled with foreign tourists.
I love traveling. I love for others to travel. But we gotta "do in Rome as Romans do" when we travel and respect the local culture and learn from them.
@Hiro The sorts of foreigners who go to Tohoku, Hokuriku or further afield are not the same ones trashing streets in Tokyo or Kyoto. It’s intellectually dishonest to suggest otherwise.
To be sure, the reality is that the vast majority of foreign tourists (with the exception of those on group tours from one large, neighboring countries and, in some cases, US troops in Okinawa, Kanagawa or Iwakuni) do try and respect Japanese customs as much...
@Hiro The sorts of foreigners who go to Tohoku, Hokuriku or further afield are not the same ones trashing streets in Tokyo or Kyoto. It’s intellectually dishonest to suggest otherwise.
To be sure, the reality is that the vast majority of foreign tourists (with the exception of those on group tours from one large, neighboring countries and, in some cases, US troops in Okinawa, Kanagawa or Iwakuni) do try and respect Japanese customs as much as they can.
Unfortunately, many Nihonjin seem to long for the days of covid, when your country’s entry ban was one of the most severe and longest running in the world. Under the guise of “keeping out the virus” (which was always a joke, given that Japanese could freely come and go as long as they adhered to a quarantine that was neither enforced nor legally enforceable), Japan got to retreat to a Sakoku-lite policy; many Japanese (and many government officials) showed their true colors during this time.
Look, I wish my fellow gaijin would speak more quietly (or not at all) on trains, bathe before entering onsen and generally blend in a lot more than most of us do. But unless Japanese start having way more babies (and unless Japan wants to retreat from the world stage and the G7), inbound tourism will become an even more important pillar of the Japanese economy in years to come, and Japan will continue to become more integrated with and dependent upon the world economy.
It would behoove y’all to learn from the mistakes of Europe—start by firing all the morons at JNTO and rebuilding it from the ground up with people who’ve actually worked in private sector tourism—and manage your tourists more efficiently. Because as sad as it might make you to see white faces in Kamakura, you will be seeing more of them, not fewer, in the future.
@Hiro Also, let’s not be dramatic. Kamakura still has plenty of 風情. I stayed two nights there last year during 紫陽花 season and found that except for during the middle of the day (when day trippers were there, en masse of course), and a few busy attractions, I had the entire place to myself. I remember walking down the stairs of Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu as the sun set and there being more 蛍 than humans when...
@Hiro Also, let’s not be dramatic. Kamakura still has plenty of 風情. I stayed two nights there last year during 紫陽花 season and found that except for during the middle of the day (when day trippers were there, en masse of course), and a few busy attractions, I had the entire place to myself. I remember walking down the stairs of Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu as the sun set and there being more 蛍 than humans when I got to the ponds at the bottom.
Sadly, the thing I noticed most in Kamakura was what a chip so many locals had on their shoulders. Even though I’m polite, well-dressed and speak passable Japanese, many people were downright rude to me simply for walking past them or wandering into their shops.
Last I checked, the Kamakura area doesn’t have anything major going for its economy besides tourism, so it seems that an attitude adjustment is in order.
@JSH I think the biggest discordance between the Japanese government and the people of Japan is that the people could care less about the "inbound" economy. This goes beyond tourism, but many feel like the government has actively acted against the country's and people's long term interests in so many ways. And contrary to what the government promotes, if we cannot protect the culture and heritage and turn historic towns to resemble any Western cities...
@JSH I think the biggest discordance between the Japanese government and the people of Japan is that the people could care less about the "inbound" economy. This goes beyond tourism, but many feel like the government has actively acted against the country's and people's long term interests in so many ways. And contrary to what the government promotes, if we cannot protect the culture and heritage and turn historic towns to resemble any Western cities with just interesting buildings, then what's the point of promoting tourism? I don't think maintaining the economical power and global standing is end all be all re: biting the hand that feeds.
I'm not sure how long you have lived in Japan, but I'm telling you, as someone who has visited the Kamakura area for 30+ years, the behaviours of foreign tourists there have drastically changed in recent years. And mind you, I never said anything about white tourists, just foreign tourists in general.
Also, slightly off topic but my non-Japanese wife speaks good Japanese and has a high social awareness. In all years of traveling throughout Japan, I have not heard of any situation where she was ill-treated because of the race. I'm sorry you had that experience in Kamakura recently but I would hope that it was just a rarity.
Btw, I suggest you use Gaikoku-jin instead of Gai-jin just because the latter can carry a note of disdain.
To Dusty's point - I think the government can work on strengthening the currency. If we go back to 1 USD = 110 JPY range, it'll cut down on the sheer volume of the inbound traffic while somewhat maintaining the foreign currency spent.
@Hiro Japanese people might not care about the inbound economy, but the LDP (whom the Japanese keep voting for overwhelmingly in every election) have set a goal of 60 million tourists by 2030, and will no doubt want 100 million shortly after that. So whether or not you want more foreign tourists, you’ll be getting them.
As far as currency is concerned, I don’t see the government working to strengthen the currency unless forced to...
@Hiro Japanese people might not care about the inbound economy, but the LDP (whom the Japanese keep voting for overwhelmingly in every election) have set a goal of 60 million tourists by 2030, and will no doubt want 100 million shortly after that. So whether or not you want more foreign tourists, you’ll be getting them.
As far as currency is concerned, I don’t see the government working to strengthen the currency unless forced to do so by the US or the World Bank. A weak yen makes all Japanese exports more attractive, not just tourism.
With regard to the use of the term gaijin, I purposely use this word (rather than gaikokujin) when talking about topics like this one because Japanese people really seem to otherize foreigners outside the context of おもてなし. I don’t believe that you are personally bigoted, but it’s difficult to deny (again, especially after the covid era) that many Japanese would like to return to a time where foreigners weren’t allowed in at all.
I concur, Hiro. I specifically visited Japan in the offseason and still found many locations slammed. On the other hand, I learned a little Japanese ahead of time and instantly looked way better than many other tourists (bit sad how few will make the effort - I arrived ashamed at how basic my Japanese was).
@Japan Starts Here
You can say the exact same thing about France and many European countries. 99% of tourists visit the same handful of cities and places within those cities, because that's where the most famous and just the most tourist sites are, and also the most infrastructure in place to help tourists navigate and sightsee. Same reason Kyoto sees over 10 million tourists per annum but Kanazawa doesn't break 1 million, despite being...
@Japan Starts Here
You can say the exact same thing about France and many European countries. 99% of tourists visit the same handful of cities and places within those cities, because that's where the most famous and just the most tourist sites are, and also the most infrastructure in place to help tourists navigate and sightsee. Same reason Kyoto sees over 10 million tourists per annum but Kanazawa doesn't break 1 million, despite being still being convenient to reach and having much of the same "vibe" as Kyoto.
I agree that it's partially that tourism is generally poorly managed, but I don't see a good way to change that. Most people visit once, maybe twice to a certain country in their lives, so they're going to "hit the highlights". Using Japan as an example, if I'm going for my first trip for 10-14 days and might never go again, why would I spend time going up into Tohoku or the central Alps instead of seeing Tokyo, Kyoto/Osaka, and maybe Himeji or Hiroshima?
@Dusty A big part of the problem is JNTO, which is staffed almost entirely by entrenched desk jockeys, and employs very few people who have ever worked in private sector tourism. The organization has neither any vision to develop secondary and tertiary destinations from the top down, nor the will to provide resources to DMOs off the Golden Route to do it themselves. This is to say nothing of how poorly funded and staffed regional...
@Dusty A big part of the problem is JNTO, which is staffed almost entirely by entrenched desk jockeys, and employs very few people who have ever worked in private sector tourism. The organization has neither any vision to develop secondary and tertiary destinations from the top down, nor the will to provide resources to DMOs off the Golden Route to do it themselves. This is to say nothing of how poorly funded and staffed regional and local tourism boards in Japan are in general, even (it might shock you to learn) in Kyoto of all places.
If I were an entrepreneurial Japanese person with my same level of experience in tourism (and much more patience for local bureaucracy), I would’ve long ago taken steps to try and create new, better tourism organizations, and promotional/policy infrastructure in the country.
Unfortunately, as a non-resident foreigner, there is a limit to the influence that I can personally exert.
@JSH
I'm uncertain how the national tourism organization is going to make it a meaningful proposition for first-time visitors on tight schedules to trek to say, Yamadera, Chuson-ji and Motsu-ji, Aizuwakamatsu Castle, etc. when places like Nikko, Himeji Castle, and Kyoto's multitude of shrines are so simply so much easier and more convenient to reach. This is a factor of geography as much as it is the area being tourist-friendly in terms of signage...
@JSH
I'm uncertain how the national tourism organization is going to make it a meaningful proposition for first-time visitors on tight schedules to trek to say, Yamadera, Chuson-ji and Motsu-ji, Aizuwakamatsu Castle, etc. when places like Nikko, Himeji Castle, and Kyoto's multitude of shrines are so simply so much easier and more convenient to reach. This is a factor of geography as much as it is the area being tourist-friendly in terms of signage and publicity.
There are definitely other less-traveled sights near the Golden Route that could see more tourism, such as Kanazawa in general and Togakushi-jinja in Nagano, but at the end of the day people are still going to do the Golden Route unless they're 2nd or 3rd time visitors, just maybe going by way of Kanazawa to Kyoto rather than taking the Tokaido shinkansen. As another commenter mentioned, it's a hell of a proposition to try and convince somebody to NOT go to Paris on their first trip to France. Same goes for trying to convince somebody to not to visit Kyoto on their first trip to Japan. Both due to the concentration of major and legitimately impressive cultural heritage sites, and the fact that anyone capable of using Google Maps is going to see real quick how much extra time and effort it would take to go farther afield to less traveled and less famous places.
@Dusty: excellent point. Wish JSH was kinder in response. No need to take a high and mighty approach.
OK, their message is noted: Tourists are not welcome. There are plenty of other beautiful places in the world to visit, share local culture, and spend money at without being harassed.
Best of luck to the Spaniards for replacing the 126B Euro gap, maybe they can start by working more than 15 hours a week?
As someone living in Barcelona - tourists are the pawns because our government doesn't create policies for us to live. Of course we welcome tourists in Spain, but let locals have a place to live first. Currently rent controls are in place so landlords make more money on leases under 11 months or Airbnbs. How are we supposed to live in a city that is consistently pushing us out to make space for tourists.
The...
As someone living in Barcelona - tourists are the pawns because our government doesn't create policies for us to live. Of course we welcome tourists in Spain, but let locals have a place to live first. Currently rent controls are in place so landlords make more money on leases under 11 months or Airbnbs. How are we supposed to live in a city that is consistently pushing us out to make space for tourists.
The Spanish working week is 37.5 jours, not 15. Many people work more. I know you were exaggerating but we aren't lazy, just appreciate life
I wonder how many Barcelona city politicians own Airbnbs and taxi licences.
@Brad: such an ignorant American response. Grow up and think it through before you put your fingers on the keyboard. It wouldn’t be hard to guess who you voted.
Hey Ray...take some of your own advice: think it through before you put your fingers on the keyboard!