Establish a visitor quota, control housing rentals, create a new tax or completely close access to a site ... Where tourist frequentation exasperates residents and threatens heritage and the environment, local authorities must force the opinion. Some places see their number of visitors soar beyond their capacity, pushing locals to join anti-tourist movements like in Amsterdam, Barcelona or Venice. Museums are even forced to refuse people so as not to encumber their galleries more. In Paris, the Louvre (the most visited museum in the world) is considering generalizing online booking of time slots. Drastic measures are sometimes necessary to preserve the integrity of a place. Already in 1963, the original cave of Lascaux (Dordogne) closed to the public,prehistoric paintings being threatened by ... the breathing of the 1,500 daily visitors.
From Europe to Asia, from historic cities to natural sites, here are 12 tourist places that have implemented measures against the harmful effects of overcrowding.
Read also:
Mass tourism: a majority of French people ready to give up certain destinations
● Venice (Italy): a tax of 3 to 10 euros for day tourists
Last June, the images of an ocean liner hitting a quay and a riverboat in the port of San Basilio again exasperated the Venetians. These cruise ships, which bring 1.4 million visitors out of the 30 million annually, are at the center of the anti-tourist movement initiated by some of the 50,000 inhabitants who feel increasingly dispossessed by their city. The obligation to dock away from Saint Mark's Square, under study for several years, is still not applied. Nevertheless, the Italian government announced on August 7 that the liners will be gradually diverted out of the city center from next September. Already threatened by rising sea levels, Venice sees its underwater foundations weakened with each passage of a liner. From September 1,tourists who do not sleep in Venice will have to pay a "disembarkation tax" of 3 to 10 euros depending on the time of year. The opening of new hotels and fast food restaurants is now prohibited.
Read also:
Why do cruise ships continue to dock in Venice?
● Le Mont-Blanc (France): reservation in a refuge is compulsory
In summer, climbers must book a night in a refuge to access the summit of Mont-Blanc by the “royal route”.
ARNAUD ROBIN / Le Figaro Magazine
Each year, 25,000 people set off to attack Mont-Blanc, with the risks of insecurity and incivility that this entails.
The Haute-Savoie prefecture has taken measures to restrict access to the highest point in the Alps.
Since this summer, up to 214 climbers can take the “royal road” (by the Eagle's Nest train) every day.
214 is the number of beds available in the huts along the route (Nid d'Aigle, Tête Rousse and Goûter).
The reservation of a night in one of them then acts as a pass.
This measure, in effect from June 1 to September 29, aims in particular to reduce accidents and the number of waste left by mountaineers at altitude.
Read also:
Étretat put to the test of mass tourism
»SEE ALSO - Étretat facing mass tourism - Denis Astruc, head of the Trou à l'Homme brigade
Étretat facing mass tourism - Denis Astruc, head of the Trou à l'Homme brigade - Watch on Figaro Live
● Dubrovnik (Croatia): a quota of visitors to the old town
The global success of the
Game of Thrones series
, which made Dubrovnik the setting for the fictional city of Port-Réal, boosted the number of visitors to the Croatian city.
Guided tours of the filming locations (GOT tours) help fill the alleys of the medieval city.
The 43,000 inhabitants see 4.2 million visitors per year.
As of 2017, up to 4,000 visitors can walk through the old town simultaneously.
In addition, only two ships carrying up to 5,000 passengers in total can dock each day.
Measures made necessary so that Dubrovnik, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979, does not appear on the list of heritage in danger.
Read also:
Game of Thrones: winter never falls on the sets of Westeros
● The canyon of Fjaðrárgljúfur (Iceland): rush after a clip by Justin Bieber
Attendance at the Fjaðrárgljúfur canyon has increased by 50 to 80% since 2016. Flickr / Andrés Nieto Porras
100 meters high, the canyon of Fjaðrárgljúfur in Iceland was closed for a few months ... and fans of Justin Bieber and
Game of Thrones
are not for nothing.
The Canadian singer shot there at the end of 2015 the video for his song
I'll Show You
while the series has made it the backdrop for a few scenes.
Since then, the site has seen an increase in traffic of 50 to 80% each year.
The hiking trail that leads to the canyon having become muddy, hikers have become accustomed to walking parallel to the trail and therefore damaging the vegetation.
The Icelandic Environment Agency therefore closed the site between March and June, but many visitors still defied the ban.
More generally, Iceland has enjoyed spectacular success with the number of tourists increasing from 500,000 in 2010 to 2.4 million in 2018.
Read also:
On Instagram, a fictitious location to protect certain places against overtourism
● The Cinque Terre (Italy): fines for walkers in sandals
The unconsciousness of some tourists is in the crosshairs of the Cinque Terre authorities, 70 km from Genoa, on the Italian Riviera. Since this summer, it is forbidden to venture on the hiking trails in flip-flops or sandals, at the risk of being fined from 50 to 2,500 euros. This is a reminder that walking on steep and stony terrain must be done with adequate equipment in order to limit the risk of accident. Overcrowding (2.5 million visitors per 4000 inhabitants) is another problem in the five villages of Cinque Terre. A visitor quota was almost introduced in 2016, but the project was abandoned in the face of controversy. Alternatively, the Cinque Terre Card was created to allow tourists access to the entire national park (7,50 euros per day) and / or take the train unlimited between the five villages (16 euros per day).
● Barcelona (Spain): seasonal rentals in the sights of the municipality
The capital of Catalonia is the spearhead of anti-tourist movements in Europe.
The nuisance caused by some of the 30 million annual visitors, in particular on the
ramblas
and the beach of Barceloneta, exasperates the inhabitants who do not hesitate to deploy banners such as “Tourist Go Home!”
(Tourist, go home!).
In July 2017, far left activists who claimed that “tourism kills the city” went so far as to tag and puncture the tires of a tourist bus.
The municipality hopes to calm the spirits by controlling seasonal rentals, accused of driving up property prices.
Since 2014, downtown accommodation can no longer obtain a license to be rented on Airbnb-type platforms.
In 2017, the town hall fined Airbnb and Homeaway € 600,000 for renting accommodation without authorization.
It also wishes to limit the development of hotels and youth hostels in the hyper-center.
A municipal decree in force since 2015 prohibits groups of more than 15 people in the Boqueria market on Friday and Saturday from opening until 3 p.m.
● Easter Island (Chile): stays limited to 30 days
On Easter Island, stays are limited to 30 days, compared to 90 previously.
ERIC MARTIN / Le Figaro Magazine
Despite its isolation, Easter Island, located 3,500 km from the Chilean coast, is not spared from overcrowding. Known for its enigmatic stone statues (Moaï), this confetti (162 km²) of the Pacific Ocean welcomes 116,000 tourists per year. Restriction measures applied in 2018 increase the maximum duration of tourist stays from 90 to 30 days, including for Chileans. Other measures have come into force: obligation to fill out a form on arrival, to have a hotel reservation or an invitation from a close islander and to have a return ticket. The Chilean authorities intend not only to reduce the tourist impact on sites thousands of years old, but also to limit the production of waste, which is difficult to remove from the island. Since 2015, it has been part of a marine protected area,the third largest in the world (720,000 km²).
To read also:
Easter Island in a wheelchair: "Nothing was impossible, I was the one who decided"
● Machu Picchu (Peru): four hours maximum visit
Listed among the Seven Wonders of the World since 2007, Machu Picchu receives an average of 5,000 visitors per day. Much more than the 2,500 recommended by Unesco, which included it in its heritage in 1983. A risk for the “Old mountain” built by the Inca civilization six centuries ago. Restrictions were taken in 2017 to preserve the site: reservation of a time slot, visit limited to four hours and compulsory presence of a certified guide. This year, from May 13 to 28, three parts of the site (the Sun and Condor temples and the Intiwatana pyramid) only remained open for three hours; an experiment which should have been perpetuated on June 1 ... The construction project of the new international airport of Cuzco, intended to replace the current one,may well ruin these efforts by bringing in more people ...
Read also:
An airport project at the foot of Machu Picchu worries archaeologists
● Uluru (Australia): a sacred site soon to be banned
Uluru Rock, in the desert center of Australia, is a sacred site for the Anangu aborigines.
Pixabay / Walkerssk
At 348 meters high, Uluru (or Ayers Rock) is certainly Australia's most famous rock.
Located in the “red center” of the country, it received the visit of 395,000 people between June 2018 and June 2019, 20% more than the previous twelve months.
An influx that causes wild parking of 4x4s and motorhomes in protected territory.
This is to forget that Uluru, a rock formed 500 million years ago, is a sacred site for the Anangu aborigines.
The latter made their voices heard with the authorities of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, which will ban its ascent from October 26, 2019. Suddenly, everyone rushes there ...
● The island of Boracay (Philippines): a big cleanup and a controlled hotel offer
Closed to tourists for six months, the island of Boracay finally reopened in October 2018. Six months was the time needed to do a big cleaning on an island described as "septic tank [that] smells of shit" by the Philippine president himself.
The number of daily visitors, previously 40,000 on average in high season, is now limited to 19,200.
To enforce this quota, the authorities keep control over the hotel supply and prohibit the development of new establishments.
Visitors must obey new rules like banning smoking and drinking alcohol on the beach and banning water sports other than swimming.
Read also:
In the Philippines, Siargao: laboratory for sustainable tourism
● Komodo Island (Indonesia): a closure to limit animal trafficking
Cases of monitor lizard trafficking prompt the Indonesian authorities to close the island of Komodo to visitors.
STANISLAS FAUTRE / Le Figaro Magazine
When they land on Komodo Island, tourists (10,000 per month) pay an entrance fee of around ten euros to admire its famous dragons in their natural habitat.
The governor of the region has considered increasing the entrance fee by fifty to reduce not only the attendance, but also the smuggling of this vulnerable species of monitor lizard.
The authorities finally announced in mid-July the closure of the island from January 2020. A measure in force for one or two years which will allow a conservation program to be initiated for this giant lizard which can measure three meters and weigh 70 kg.
There are 5,500 individuals throughout Komodo National Park, half of them on the island of the same name.
Read also:
The Indonesian archipelago by sailboat: dragons and legends
● Maya Bay (Thailand): a coral reef to be rebuilt
Garbage, sunscreens, jumpers and boat propellers ... The coral reefs of Maya Bay (5,000 daily visitors) have suffered seriously from overcrowding.
This paradisiacal place of the Koh Phi Phi archipelago was popularized by
La Plage
, film by Danny Boyle with Leonardo Di Caprio released in 2000. The Thai authorities have decided to close the bay to the public in June 2018. A closure supposed to last four months but which is finally extended until 2021. The site will then reopen with a limited access and boats will no longer be able to dock in the bay. The measure is already proving effective since black tip sharks (harmless to humans) have reinvested the premises after a few months. But it will take much more than three years before the ecosystem returns to its normal state ...
