Will New Hotel Construction Be Banned? New Steps Are Being Taken in Europe to Combat Overtourism.
A survey across Europe has revealed the increasingly negative impact of overtourism on local people. In popular tourist destinations like Spain, a third of locals say there are too many foreign tourists in their area. The Spanish government is preparing to introduce strict controls on short-term holiday rentals in an effort to reduce the negative impact of tourism, while some cities, such as Amsterdam, are planning to ban new hotel construction altogether. But will these measures be enough to solve the problems of overtourism?
A third of people in Spain say there are too many foreign tourists in their local area.
Special:YouGov’s survey across Europe finds that protests against overtourism are sympathetic in most countries.
Will the Spanish put a stop to the tourist influx?
A third of people in Spain say their local area now has too many international visitors, according to a continent-wide survey. The European survey found that most people sympathise with protests against overtourism and support steps to prevent it.
YouGov poll,It follows protests and urgent warnings over the summer against the impact of mass tourism from Santorini to the Canary Islands, and after measures to reduce tourism were announced from Cinque Terre to Amsterdam.
Are protests against overtourism increasing?
The survey, conducted in Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom, found that Spain was the country with the strongest response to this phenomenon, with 32% of respondents saying that there were now too many foreign tourists in their region.
That figure rose to 48% in Catalonia, a region that includes Barcelona, a city of 1.6 million that receives around 32 million visitors each year. “My city has been taken from me and I can’t get it back,” one local columnist said last month.
According to the survey, 28% of respondents in Spain have a negative opinion of international tourists. These figures are significantly higher than in other countries, although significant minorities in some countries also share similar views.
In France, 18% of respondents said there were too many international tourists in their area, while 16% had a negative view of foreign visitors. In Italy, the figures were 16% and 11%, and in Germany, 13% and 14%.
Spaniards have also been more vocal than other countries about the short-term holiday rental sector, which has been accused of taking homes out of the local housing market and driving up rents to such a level that many locals can no longer afford them.
Are short-term vacation rentals killing tourism?
The Spanish government in July a crackdown on short-term holiday rentalshas launched a new law that will check whether listings on platforms such as Airbnb and Booking.com are licensed, while Barcelona city council aims to ban all holiday apartments by 2029.
The survey found that 37% of Spaniards think the holiday rental sector does more harm than good, while 45% have a negative view of the sector. Smaller but significant minorities in other countries shared similar views.
In the UK, 33% of respondents had a negative view of the sector, compared to 30% in Italy, 28% in France, 24% in Denmark and 21% in Germany. The hospitality sector was largely viewed positively in all countries surveyed, with support rates ranging from 69% to 73%.
Will cruise ships pull out of popular cities altogether?
France (47%) and Germany (45%) were the most negative about cruise tourism, another controversial sector. Views were less negative in Spain (20%) and Italy (19%), despite cities such as Barcelona and Venice taking steps to discourage cruise ships.
Europeans largely supported the concerns of campaigners against overtourism, with significant majorities in every country either “very much” or “somewhat” sympathetic to the protests of residents of popular tourist destinations.
Support for this issue was again highest in Spain (66%), followed by France, Germany and Sweden (65% overall), Denmark (63%), the United Kingdom (57%) and Italy (53%). As for the authorities’ reactions, the survey also revealed general public support. Controlling tourist numbers is a difficult balancing act for national, city and local authorities, as vital revenues and job opportunities from international visitors must be reconciled with the quality of life of local residents.
Cities such as Amsterdam, Paris, Seville and Venice, major tourist attractions such as the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul and the Acropolis in Athens, and natural beauty spots such as the Calanques of Marseille, have all adopted the latest measures to prevent overtourism.
Are tourist taxes the solution for crowded cities?
Strategies include increasing tourist taxes, introducing entrance fees, implementing time slot systems or advance booking schemes, or launching mass information campaigns aimed at reducing visitor numbers.
The policy most supported by majorities ranging from 57% to 76% across countries surveyed was requiring advance reservations for entry to popular sites such as the Colosseum in Rome and the Louvre in Paris.
Respondents in every country, ranging from at least 50% to 62%, also supported limiting the number of tourists who can access popular cities or destinations. This measure was implemented at the Acropolis in Athens and on a small island in Brittany.
In all seven countries, respondents overwhelmingly supported a ban on the construction of new hotels (between 46% and 58%), a measure announced by Amsterdam this year that was said to be taken to “preserve the quality of life” in the city.
Other less popular measures, but still supported by many in some countries, were tourist taxes for overcrowded cities; bans on letting homes as holiday accommodation; and bans on visitors who do not stay at least one night.
