Overtourism in Italy and Spain

Faced with more and more tourists, Venice is now paying for day visitors. In Spain, the Canaries, and elsewhere, residents are demonstrating against the explosion in housing prices.

In Italy, the very famous city of the Doges is visited by tens of thousands of day visitors, who pass by in a rush. To try to reduce this overtourism, the city of Venice has been experimenting since Thursday April 25, 2024, and for the first time, its entry tax for daily tourists. But not all Venetians agreesome consider that little is being done for them and for Venice to remain “an inhabited city”.

In Spain, overtourism is beginning to affect citizens who, in certain cities or regions, feel expelled by the explosion in housing prices. On April 20, demonstrations took place on the Canary Islands. But the Spanish also have other stratagems to divert tourists.

Italy: 20 to 30 million passages per year on the Venetian canals

The city of Venice now charges entry to the very famous city of the Doges because of overtourism. It is both the result of fed up and a form of prevention, to reduce traffic between bridges and gondolas. Since Thursday April 25, 2024, entry is 5 euros on the busiest days. For the moment, to visit historic Venice and islands like Murano, only one profile is targeted: those who fly by, these tens of thousands of one-day visitors. Everyone else is exempt, foreigners who have booked a hotel, workers or relatives of Venetians. On the day of the launch, of the 100,000 registered, only 10% had to pay their ticket. The idea is above all to discourage quick visits which degrade more than they bring.

Massive tourism threatens Venice. You have to imagine up to 20 to 30 million passages per year between the charming Venetian canals, but in which several tons of waste end up each year. It is a fragile city, insist local officials, an asset of humanity protected by UNESCO, which is already suffering the effects of climate change. The tourist invasion for part of the year also affects the daily lives of Venetians, half of whom have deserted the center. After the ban in 2021 on cruise ships in the lagoon, the mayor, who has been announcing paid entry for years, promises to preserve the famous city of the Doges from visitors who are not always very respectful. Moreover, in the same vein, from June, Venice plans to ban megaphones and tourist groups of more than 25 people.

The Venetians denounce a “Veniseland”

Not everyone likes the idea of ​​charging for entry. It becomes “Veniseland”, denounce dissatisfied Venetians who protested on the day of the launch. They insist that rents are not capped and holiday accommodation is not regulated. “Venice is to defend, not to sell”, chant residents like Marina. “We’re not in Pompeii here! It is an attempt to transform Venice ever more into a city of extras and not of residents.she gets carried away. “We are fighting to keep it a real inhabited city. Not much is done for that, even though that is what would really limit overtourism”, pleads Marina. To reduce the number of tourists, many would find a numerus clausus more effective, rather than charging entry 29 days a year. It’s a testing phase, replies the mayor. For a first assessment, meet on the last day, July 14, 2024. Until then, you will have to draw your QR code every weekend to visit Venice.

Spain: “Vacation rentals are kicking me out of my home“

In the Canaries, tourism is no small matter, it represents 35% of GDP and 40% of employment. In general, the population is welcoming and grateful, but enough is enough. “We no longer want hotels in our natural spaces“, say some during the demonstrations which took place on the Canary archipelago on April 20 against overtourism. “Vacation rentals are kicking me out of my home“, say other demonstrators. These words sum up quite well the main nuisances that overtourism poses to the local population. Which repeats that it has nothing against tourism itself, but that it is the economic model that is wrong. Regarding accommodation for example, in some islands, this did not pose a problem until around ten years ago, the hotels were near certain beaches and the premises were in the big cities. But the explosion of Airbnb-type accommodation has caused rents to increase considerably.

The demonstration is a great classic, but it is not the only recourse for Spaniards to mobilize against overtourism. IThere are quite dramatic means, such as the hunger strike. These are precisely six of the organizers of the demonstrations in the Canary Islands who have not swallowed the slightest food since April 9, 2024, without agreement, for the moment, with the regional authorities, to end the movement. Elsewhere, there are less drastic measures. In the Balearics, the other Spanish archipelago, but this one in the Mediterranean, activists have placed fake signs in English to keep foreign tourists away from the beaches. A so-called risk of falling stones or non-existent jellyfish are thus mentioned in English, while in Catalan, the local population is reassured.

Bus in Barcelona removed from Google Maps

Last example, this one more institutional. There is a small municipal bus in Barcelona which has been designed for the population of the La Salut district. A 20-seat bus, which is mainly used by elderly people. However, the bus passes through Park Guell, a little marvel of Gaudi and the tourists have taken it by storm. A few weeks ago, the town hall asked Google Maps to remove information on this line. As a result, people passing through have very little chance of knowing about its existence; they instead take the metro and local residents find a seat on their bus.