Cities tackling ‘overtourism’

SOLUTIONS: SMART PHONE APPS, CAR-SHARING SCHEMES ‘Thin line between success and failure,’ says Dubrovnik mayor.

Europe’s tourist hot spots are looking for new ways to cope with “overtourism”, where cities like Venice, Dubrovnik and Barcelona are struggling to manage huge crowds arriving daily on cheap flights and cruise ships.

They are turning to smartphone apps and car-sharing promotions to try to cope with the overcrowding, which has upset the local population and also the tourists.

Some 9% of travellers who took part in a survey by consultancy IPK said that overcrowding affected the quality of their trip last year.

Security concerns over beach destinations in Egypt and Turkey and a rise in cheap flights have boosted growth in international arrivals to countries like Spain and Croatia to more than 10% over the past few years, according to data from the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

“Overcrowded destinations are successful, but there is a thin line between success and failure,” Dubrovnik mayor Mato Frankovic said at the ITB travel trade fair in Berlin.

But rather than limit the number of visitors, who spend money on hotels, meals and souvenirs, the cities are coming up with ways to channel tourist flows away from the most popular attractions.

There are plans to launch a smartphone app by the end of 2018 that lets users know when the narrow alleys of the old town are crowded and suggests alternative sights outside the city walls.

Also, a car-sharing scheme will be tested to entice tourists to explore surrounding areas. –