Article about Trying to Deal with Too Many Tourists

bostonphil7, look at the bright side; maybe the situation will push you in directions you had not imagined and you will make discoveries you never dreamed of.

Good Middle of The Night to you Mr E

Like what and where?

I am going to Barcelona mid October to cruise The Mediterranean.

I was thinking about Japan for the next cruise but have been reading about over tourism in Japan and suggestions of restricting visitors.

In the article that I mentioned, four countries were named as welcoming tourists / visitors because they are seen as an opportunity to bring in money.

I find it disheartening that tourists / visitors are being seen as money makers and how much money they spend.

I remember reading that a study was done in Amsterdam which concluded that visitors who fly into Amsterdam spend X amount of money while cruise pasengers only spend X amount per visit. I can not remember the money amounts.

I travel to see and to learn among other things. I want to know more about the places that I go to and the people that have lived there and those who currently iive there.

I find it disheartening that the residents do not want to know more about us visitors.

Reading some of the recent posts on this forum, i have seen more than two persons saying something about. being on a budget so I am not the only member of this forum who has a tight budget.

Everyone shoudl see London and Paris and Rome ... at a minimum. Maybe even Barcelona (but I have avoided it as the language gives me severe mental anguish). But 4 days in one of the top 10 plus 6 to 10 days in the old Eastern Bloc countries makes for a much more cost effective holiday and you get to see things you never dreamed of. I discovered Eastern Europe about 20 years ago (after I had done a lot of the West) and Eastern Europe was so facinating (and devoid of tourists) that its been my emphasis ever since. I guess "balance" is the word. What you believe you will like plus what you know nothing about.

I don’t have any answers for you - except to say you are going to one of the most visited cities, with Japan (mainly Tokyo and Kyoto) right along with it.

I know you like to cruise and that has its merits which may outweigh over-touristing for you. But there are plenty of places in both Spain and Japan to visit that are both interesting, culturally worthwhile, and not crowded. But by and large, a very large cruise ship does not go to those places. You really rarely get everything in life at the same time. So it is about trade offs that work for you.

As far as locals learning from us visitors, just for a visual imagine hosting 200 people in your apartment for an hour every day and trying to learn from each one. Near impossible.

Unfortunately, with cruising, you are going to go to many of the places (big and small) suffering from overtourism, so you will see both the effects of tourism, and the countermeasures.

I agree that many of the measures will increase costs, it is a matter of simple economics, if way too many people want your product, more than you can service, then you would be foolish not to raise the cost to thin demand.

It is also important to keep in mind that it generally it is not the people, the merchants, or even the protesters that hate you as a person for visiting, but their anger is at their government to take measures to address the issue, sometimes with unrealistic expectations, and sometimes tourism is not even the root of the issue.

But, to one of your points, if a city sat down and came up with a plan that pleased everyone, it likely would be to only attract the high spending tourists. Get them to stay in the higher end hotels, eat in the higher end restaurants, and shop in the luxury stores. The budget travelers like you and I are not really what they want, even though we think we are the "good" tourists.

I agree with TexasTravelMom and Mr. E.

Limiting yourself to just where big ship cruises go is limiting your travel.

Most people to Japan go to Tokyo and Kyoto. Both amazing to visit. But there are so many other places just as interesting that cruise ships don't go. Kanazawa and Takayama are two of my favorites. Both rich in culture and history. I can't wait to go back to explore more.

Eastern/Central Europe is a new find for me that I really enjoy. Interesting, beautiful, historical and much less expensive than much of Western Europe. And off the beaten track for many Americans.

With American news, American culture and the number of Americans visiting some places in Europe, I think the locals know enough about us than they might want.

And why shouldn't the places we visit make money from tourists? That's a big part of their economy.

I fully understand but find it somewhat disheartening because one way of doing so is to raise prices.

Economics 101. Supply and Demand. If the demand goes up and the supply stays the same, prices go up. It happens in Austin as well. Gas prices go up when there is big demand, food prices go up where there is big demand.

If you want a river cruise, think about Budapest to Bucharest, then go on to Istanbul. Istanbul is thick with tourists but the attitude towards them is pleasant.

There is another interesting one, not running right now, from Kyiv to Istanbul. Wait a few years......

But all the bad press against tourism falls into two catagories.
1. The ocassional outcry by a minority that makes good "news" clickbait but isnt founded in much reality.
2. One of a very small handful of locations that is indeed beat to death by tourists to the dismay of the locals.

And I thank each and every person for their input.

We all make choices.

Given my age and the normal problems that come with aging, mobility issues and budget, I believe that a cruise works best for me.

I began to sail Norwegian because NCL was the first cruise line to offer studio cabins for solo passengers and they continue to be revolutionary in what they offer the solo passenger. This will be my 9th cruise with Norwegian. I get rewards and discounts. I know the score with NCL. I know what to maybe expect. But the cruise I am going on this October is a 4,000 plus passenger ship and sold out. I think that I will probably stick with Norwegian until it is over, either me or my money, whichever comes first.

Norwegian does offer cruises to those places that are less popular but then it might be more difficult for me to get to the port we sail from. I have to look into those cruises but traveling to and from a port might also be an issue. Only partly is it money. My age keeps me from being as adventurous as when I was young.

Most river cruises do not offer cabins for one person. Usually you have to pay for two. I wish I could sail Viking but usually you have to pay the full single supplement.

I became attracted to Japan because of posts on this site. Now I am obsessed with visiting Japan or maybe another Asian city. I think that I would like to explore another continent.

When I booked this cruise leaving from Barcelona, I had no idea that Barcelona was so popular and over visited. Now I know. That's part of the learning.

Many of these cities and countries became over visited by their advertising of themselves which I no longer see. Once they wanted visitors. "If we advertise, they will come" Travel writers were schmoozed And visitors came and came and came. And now "Hey wait a. minute".

Cruise lines continue to have heavy advertising on TV. So do the airlines. So do hotels and booking sites such as Booking. Persons are healthier and live longer. They have more time and money, even those on a. budget. And they get hooked by the ads.

However since I usually sail in Fall, there are supposed;y smaller crowds and costs are less. Weather may be cooler but can also be unpredictable. I would also consider sailing Spring but never in the summer. I travel in what was once known as the shoulder season but this season has been heavily promoted including on this site. The shoulder season is now very popular for travel. Crowds are smaller but places are still crowded. Costs are less but still can be costly.

Maybe what cities and countries can do is advertise the reality of what it is like t visit some of these places. For instance, they could show the crowds in Rome in 90 degree weather in summer with a caption "Do you really want to come:" Just an example on how to discourage people from coming.

I was watching YouTube videos about Rome and someone was posting a video with "Rome in July" and showed the massive crowds trying to visit the Trevi Fountains, etc .

Most river cruises do not offer cabins for one person. Usually you have to pay for two. I wish I could sail Viking but usually you have to pay the full single supplement.

Not all of them. Gate 1 is a company that just had a large promotion that waived the single supplement for its tours. They do this several times a year and it's a great time to sign up for a tour (they also offer European river cruises). In addition, their prices are very reasonable. I just signed up for a 10-day tour to Romania in September of 2025 (my first tour) and the total cost (not including air, but including add-ons) was $2100. The $550 single supplement was waived because of the sale.

Usually someone posts the sales here (see this thread) but you can also sign up for their mailing list and receive offers.

Interesting about the shoulder seasons. I am not suggesting that where I live its typical, but this year the summer was a bit slow but first of September they arrived. The "shoulder season" may come close to the high season.

Doesn’t really matter much here because the city is so large and the sites so dispersed that the even at full swing the tourism doesn’t take over anything beyond one street (that isn’t that interesting anyway).

Here is a great Gate 1 Cruise. But I would end it with a tour of Bulgaria (very affordable to go sort of first class). https://www.gate1travel.com/RIVER-CRUISES/EUROPE-RIVER-CRUISES/2024/EASTERN-DANUBE/DANUBE-RIVER-CRUISE-11DBUDBUDROU24.ASPX

bostonphil7, its been a few years since I have done a driving tour of Romania or Bulgaria, but a few years ago you could hire a guide with a car and spend 10 to 14 days on a private tour for a lot less than a Viking Cruise. And with a private tour it can be designed around your comfort and exertion levels.

I will keep rambling as i often do. The concept of going east as it is less expensive can be viewed two ways. Either you return home with more money in your pocket. Or, like me because I am no youngster either, you spend the savings on a higher level of travel. One with more comfortable accommodations and one with more personal attention (private guides) in which case it costs no more than a cruise but you get off the beaten tourist trails. But no holiday is worth anything you pay for it if it isnt something you enjoy. So, before you go east, watch a lot of videos and do a lot of reading and see if it speaks to you. It does to me, but I might just be an oddball.

Good Middle of The Night to you Mr E

Its 7 hours later here (Magyarország) than Austin

Not that some of the places they go aren’t some of the more popular places, but Overseas Adventure Travel is doing more and more “Small Ship” trips, most with no single supplement charge. Single women are 50% of the customer base.

OAT groups are small, and their itineraries include involvement with local communities. Maybe their cruise offerings are better for some participants and destinations than some of the other options?

The summer that tourism fell apart

@bostonphil7 - I wouldn't get too disheartened nor really change what you're doing. Set your budget, explore your options, and travel & have fun.

Most of travel is about timing and your timing really influences costs and crowds. I personally find travel to be best when there are fewer families with kids in the mix, so shoulder and off-season are when we do a lot of our traveling.

I think the strength of the US dollar relative to most of the world will help your buying power and keep prices relatively manageable for now.

Enjoy your cruise!

Hey there, will just add a few comments about Japan - they're geared up for crowds because they themselves love to travel together during peak seasons like New Years and 'Golden Week'. Avoid cherry blossom season. You will be treated with respect and politeness anywhere you go in Japan, regardless of how many tourists they see. And I know of nowhere that respects the older generation more than Japan, having grey hair is a plus!

These types of articles love to emphasize the horrors rather than the delights. 'Talking about limiting tourists'. - Limiting tourists maybe per day in a specific location like Nara, or per famous site in Kyoto, but if you're going on a cruise, they would have that all worked out. I hope you go. It's a fabulous country!

Tom R, the Dollar to Euro is not quite at its 5 year record, but close. US inflation was a bit less than the EU as a whole, but worse than some countries and much better than others. All told, in the big scheme of things, tourism costs in Europe are no bargain compared to the last 5 years. Pretty much more of the same give or take a few percentage points depending on the destination. Now we have countries and cities wanting to limit tourism by which can only be done by increasing prices. AirBnb's are getting banned here and there and with sometimes 30% of the accommodations for tourist disappearing overnight hotel prices have to spike. Naaaa, monetarily I wouldn’t say Americans are not in any special position because of the strength of the dollar. And this doesn’t even take into account households in the US having lost some part of the discretionary spending budget because of our own inflation.

Do more research to maximize our enjoyment per dollar spent so to make every dollar count is all you can do.

Good morning Austin Time Mr E

I am an insomnia and when I first responded to you it was middle of the night Austin TX time.

I am so glad for Rick Steves when.my insomnia presents. Helps my brain waves relaxes until I can get back to sleep.

Went back to sleep after posting middle of the night and glad to be feeling refreshed. Back to Rick Steves among other sites.

Thanks once more to all who responded. I was not expecting many responses, if any, to my post.

Mardee and others

I have heard many good things about Gate 1 . I may be wrong but I this this site even recommended it to me as a source for the older traveler who can not always keep up with the excursions.

Hello Paul from Eastern Iowa

But most high end tourists do not want to stay in 3 star hotels. They usually want 4 or 5 star hotels except for those who like to save money. There are some of the latter.

So what would happen to the 3 star hotel and lower hotel industry. They would go bust without tourists like you and me. .

I may be wrong but I this this site even recommended it to me as a source for the older traveler who can not always keep up with the excursions.

I don't know, but I do know that they are very good about explaining exactly what physical requirements would work for each tour. And I would think that a river cruise (which you had mentioned being interested in) would be relatively low in terms of physical exertion.

There were days this summer when the Euro/$ exchange was 1,07 based on my credit card statements. Am looking forward to the return of that rate, which is realistic . Maybe by the spring.

My guess , a mere guess based on superficially following the news in the French and German press this summer, is that the reaction of pop. in Barcelona to mass tourism will continue and be adopted in other cities so similarly disaffected by this amount of tourism.