Can Europe Find the Balance: Too Much Tourism in Popular Spots?

CGTN Europe

Simon Calder, Travel broadcaster and commentator spoke to CGTN Europe and discussed the issue of overtourism in European cities like London, Paris, Barcelona, and Dubrovnik.

Transcript

00:00And we can return now to that over-tourism in Europe story.

00:04I'm delighted to introduce Simon Calder, a travel broadcaster and commentator.

00:08Great to have you on the programme again.

00:10And you know what, Simon, whenever we talk, you're in a different location.

00:13I can see right now you're in the best city in the world, in London.

00:17And really, you know, tourism is the very bread and butter of many of these visitor hotspots,

00:22some of which are saying numbers are sustainable and are damaging the communities.

00:26I mean, can there ever really be too much tourism?

00:30Well, that's a really good point, Juliet.

00:34And a lot of people, of course, will say it's the closest you can possibly get to free money.

00:41Because tourists come here to London and every other city and country in the world.

00:46They are spending money.

00:47They are paying taxes.

00:49They're creating jobs.

00:51They're helping to fund amenities that you couldn't afford otherwise.

00:55For instance, London, of course, has the West End theatres full every night.

01:01And an awful lot of the people filling those seats are tourists.

01:06However, as we've been seeing in that report, there are many, many complaints,

01:12not just in Paris, but also in places in Spain, particularly Barcelona hinted at of partly people don't like the crowds.

01:20They feel they're losing their lifestyle.

01:22But also, crucially, that they are getting a bad deal in terms of housing,

01:27because so many apartments are now being turned into rentals on platforms such as Airbnb.

01:33And Airbnb, then, is banned, I believe, in lots of cities, like Lisbon, like in Ibiza.

01:41So what is the fix?

01:43Is it lotteries?

01:44Is it regulating accommodation in that way?

01:46Is it raising prices at high season?

01:48Where is doing what that's working?

01:50Okay, well, you mentioned lotteries, and, in fact, the boss of Booking.com said,

02:00yeah, really good idea to allow people to visit important sites only if they win the lottery.

02:09However, I've been talking, actually, before this broadcast with the mayor of Dubrovnik,

02:15who probably comes up with about the best set of proposals.

02:19He is limiting cruise ships.

02:22He's saying to the cruise ships, you're not just staying properly,

02:24appreciate everything that Dubrovnik has to offer.

02:28From next year, he tells me, and you're the first to learn about this,

02:32the city walls, which are such a celebrated part of the city,

02:36you will only be able to go if you book ahead for those.

02:39And he's also limiting the number of coaches that can drop tourists off outside the beautiful old city.

02:45So that's the sort of set of policies you need.

02:48And, of course, we've seen taxes at work in various places, including Venice,

02:52where they've introduced a day visitor tax on days when they think they're simply going to get too many visitors.

02:58If this is happening in those tourist hotspots, places like you mentioned, Venice, Barcelona, Paris,

03:05does it mean there are opportunities for other maybe less visited parts of the world to cash in on tourism?

03:11Oh, sadly, and that's, of course, what, 99.9% of all the destinations in the world wish they had over-tourism as a problem.

03:23And so it's very easy if you're a tourist in Barcelona, feels a bit crowded, well, catch the train.

03:30In one hour, you will be in beautiful Girona or Tarragona, both of them deeply historic, friendly cities where you will be warmly welcomed.

03:39And wherever you are in the world, there will be an alternative to the tourism hotspots.

03:44But, of course, they are wonderful, which is why so many of us want to go to those great places.

03:50It's just up to the local community to set the rules, their place, their rules, and we have to respect that.

03:56Certainly do.

03:57Simon Cowder, great to talk to you.

03:58Thanks very much.

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