More push back against tourist numbers

Okay, cross those two off the list. Next?

There is a challenge to keep places accessible and still keep them livable. I live in a tourist area where everything changes for the summer. The traffic, the people, etc. I know my neighbors count on the summer months to keep their businesses going year round and I don't let it bother me. I do think I might have a different attitude if it turned into the party zone shown in the article.

Iceland is very protective and proud of its environment. And rightly so. They have a really good record on environmental protection. Their water is probably the cleanest in the world. Tourists behaving badly, defiling national treasures, driving off the roads and intruding on sensitive bird nesting areas, etc. does not sit well with them. They even have strict rules regarding the use of their swimming pools i.e. complete head to toe showering before entering the pools. Clean is the byword here. Our own US national parks are being over run and stricter controls will need to be put in place to protect them for the future. Tourism over the last 25 years has grown exponentially everywhere in the world and I can understand the locals being upset over the impact that is having on their way of life.

In Salem, MA there is a red stripe painted on the sidewalk along a supposed historic tourist walking route, to copy the freedom trail on the ground in Boston (several cities have done similarly, like San Francisco and Valencia) but unlike Boston, the purpose of the trail marker in Salem is to encourage visitors to keep to the approved path, and not leak out too far into the rest of the town.

Reminds me of an article I read in Time Magazine (remember that) in, I think, about 1968, titled in the graffiti slogan, "Hippies get out of Ibiza!". Almost 50 years later what is the result? "Ibiza Party Capital of Europe!"
People from cold northern climates like to party in the sun. Just ask a resident of Cancun.

If you didn't read the first link in entirety , note possible limitations to the Cinque Terre:

"Officials in Italy announced this year they would cap the number of visitors to Cinque Terre, a popular attraction on the Italian Riviera, to just 1.5 million to protect the strained and delicate natural environment."

1.5 million? That’s only 4,500 a day!! That’s barely equal to the total population of the towns on any given day. How are they going to survive? More importantly, how do we avoid the tourist cops!! The will be waiting at every entrance!!

Elaine,

Just to clarify one point regarding the reference to the Cinque Terre in that article. It appears that they're using the same incorrect information as many other publications that didn't bother to check their sources. What's especially noteworthy is the quote from Vittorio Alessandro, who is only one of the officials involved and not someone who can make unilateral decisions on limiting tourists.

Regarding the article on Spain, it's very disappointing to see that. I wasn't aware they were having overcrowding problems, but like the situation in the Cinque Terre the solution is going to require a delicate "balancing act" to not only keep the tourists happy but also the local residents and the business owners.

It's not surprising that Iceland is having problems with Airbnb rentals, as Vancouver is suffering from the same problem. That has not only been restricting rental space for people that live and work there, but also driving prices up. There have been calls to start regulating the number of tourist rentals but again it's a difficult problem to deal with, and the politicians are just wringing their hands in frustration and trying to think of a solution.

I also live in a very popular tourist area, and I know from talking to some of the local shop keepers that they dread this time of year, but put up with it as it's very lucrative for them. There are always a few tourists every year that figure they can act like jerks when they're on holidays (which also appears to be the case with some of the people shown in that video about Spain). It's unfortunate that not everyone follows the RS philosophy about being "respectful visitors".

I see that in both Spain and Italy a particular problem seems to be the mega cruise liners, which can dump hundreds of tourists at a time into locations near a port, who often then make little contribution to the local economy because they are on all-inclusive deals on the boat.

Both Ibiza and Iceland have been weekend party centers, with giant, famous DJ concerts, for many years. Young people fly in from elsewhere in Europe on low-cost airlines to party away. Interesting that you posted the two articles side-by-side.

We just returned from Portugal. You won't find this sentiment in Portugal. The people are wonderful.

I've been told to discount the Daily Mail (isn't it like reading the Enquirer?) The article talks about Airbnb specifically. The Icelandic Tourist Board is the most active and energetic I've ever seen - if they didn't want more tourists, they wouldn't partner with Iceland Air to give folks up to a 7 day layover or to give them extremely lengthy surveys in Keflavik Airport about their travel experiences. The survey I got was so detailed, I could not believe it. They really seemed interested in crafting a good tourist experience. Their industry of tours, bus connections, etc. runs like clockwork. It's a shame some unruly young people have caused some trouble, but they do so everywhere (not just Iceland) - I've seen obnoxious stag parties in Krakow too. Love Iceland. Will visit for the 3rd time sometime in the next few years.

It's important to note that "AirBnB" is used as the "whipping boy" for worldwide vacation rentals. But many other established agencies - such as FlipKey, HomeAway, VRBO, Abritel and so forth - contribute as much or more to the problems related to short-term rentals.

The fact that AirBnB employs a marketing genius is what gets this company an enormous amount of both good and bad publicity. Both are valuable for keeping the company's "brand" in the public eye.

Interestng irony - at the end of the article there is an ad for Spain travel packages.

Similar story. Same theme....
Barcelona’s burgeoning cruise industry: benefit or blight? New report highlights positive effect of job creation and spending, but City Hall is concerned about the environmental impact of so many visitors.
http://elpais.com/elpais/2016/06/08/inenglish/1465391697_493106.html

But if you have teenage children, you still have pickpockets at home.

Interesting.

Just was in Palma 3 weeks ago.. did not feel or see this sentiment at all.

Note Mallorca is the cheap and fast and easy vacation spot for Brits.. and their stupid hen and stag dos.. groups of young drunks that make a huge point of standing out as groups.. I disliked them a lot too. Stay home drunks. We saw groups like this constantly.. 5-20 young drunk screaming drunks.. seriously what is that custom.. they can all seem to afford these 3 or 4 day holidays too..

In DUBLIN however I personally saw a local lady yell " go back where your're from" to a bus load of tourists . She was not kidding and she was not drunk or mentally ill. We were frankly shocked as most Irish we have met were super friendly .. but there is obviously a back lash.

The Daily Mail fails to mention that there are over 1,600 Air B&B listings in Reykjavik alone (a town of less than 120,000 people), and that's in addition to all the hotels and guest houses. Moreover, it's eating into housing for Icelanders who live and work in the city. Residents are being evicted so that the rooms can be rented. Then again, this is a country that has turned out its government twice in the last decade because the people were getting done over. Not surprising that this is another step.

Tom_MN; I am in favor of Passport tests.

Tourist warning if you are in France during the soccer tournament: be aware of hooligan supporters. Some are already being deported as of today.

I haven't seen any "hooligan supporters" wandering the streets in Paris. They're either all at the game, or in Marseille.
I don't see why average tourists should be warned about this. If you see a crowd of drunks, simply avoid them - it's really easy to do, there's enough room for everyone.