The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
AVOID CROWDS BY GOING ELSEWHERE
Overtourism is hurting famous sites. Explore alternatives.
During a trip to the Czech Republic this summer, Bret Love desperately wanted to escape the crowds at Prague Castle but couldn’t. He was stuck in a Vltava River of humanity.
“There were thousands and thousands and thousands of people jostling for space,” said the co-founder of Green Global Travel. “You start to feel like cattle being herded.”
No matter what you call it — overtourism, overbooked or a foreign invasion — it’s the same squeeze: A handful of destinations around the world are under siege by too many tourists. The stampede is having a deleterious effect on the culture, environment and spirit of these places. Locals are getting pushed out. Foundations are crumbling. Tourists are complaining about other tourists.
“You try to keep these cities livable for the residents,” said Martha Honey, executive director of the Center for Responsible Travel, “but overtourism is killing these neighborhoods and the reasons we go there.”
The issue is not the industry itself but the hordes of people who descend on one place during the same time period (often summer). Destinations that are ill-equipped for the masses can’t keep up with the demand, and everyone suffers for it.
Travelers can help ease the pressure by tweaking their trips. For instance, visit offseason, book tickets to major attractions in advance and venture beyond the historical core.
To further help beleaguered destinations, we singled out some spots buckling under the weight of too many feet and provided alternatives that are similar in all but one category: They could use more — not fewer — tourists.
Overbooked: Venice
As if sinking weren’t enough, the Italian city of canals and masquerade balls is drowning in tourists. More than 30 million people visit annually, swamping the local population of 50,000 and causing rifts between the two camps. Several years ago, UNESCO warned Venetian officials that the city could end up on its endangered list of heritage sites if they did not curb their enthusiasm for tourists — an estimated 60,000 a day during peak season. Officials responded with a raft of initiatives, such as relocating the cruise ship port to the mainland and banning new hotels in the historical city center. Venice also unveiled an awareness campaign last year called #EnjoyRespectVenezia, which encourages responsible behavior (e.g., do not picnic on church steps) and provides a daily meter of crowds (all red from June through mid-September). The city is also promoting Detourism, a movement that urges visitors to avoid beaten-to-a-pulp routes and to behave like a local.
Overlooked: Verona
The Italian city 75 miles west of Venice is the setting of two Shakespeare plays. Bard fans can practice their lines beneath Juliet’s balcony while relationship-seekers can give her statue a hopeful tap instead of swiping right. Similar to Venice, the UNESCO World Heritage site comes with the requisite Old World charms, such as a piazza populated by statues of Greek gods, a performing arts venue inhabiting a Roman amphitheater and a 13thcentury castle built to defend the Veronese from invaders. The destination is also known for its European Union-protected variety of rice, a mainstay on local menus. Follow the grain along La Strada del Riso Vialone Nano Veronese IGP — longhand for the Rice Route. For a wilder ride than a gondola, go rafting down the Adige River. Ask nicely and maybe your guide will sing “O Sole Mio.”
Overbooked: Machu Picchu
The 15th-century Incan site survived the Spanish conquest but its downfall could be tourists. In 2013, UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, aired its concerns about the degradation of Peru’s top attraction. Among its myriad offenses: “Impacts of tourism/visitor/recreation.” In response, the government and UNESCO capped the number of daily visitors at 2,500. However, last year, 1.4 million people toured the ruins, a clear breach of the directive. To control the chaos, the government announced new restrictions last July, such as requiring accredited guides to accompany all visitors and funneling hikers onto three established routes. Also gone: staying all day. You can buy a ticket for the morning or afternoon slot, but once your time is up, your visit is over.
Overlooked: Choquequirao
Machu Picchu and Choquequirao might as well be twins: Both ancient Incan cities are in Peru’s Andes Mountains and demonstrate the same architectural style and building techniques. They also have the same jumping-off point (the city of Cusco) and are accessible by multiday trek, though the Choquequirao Hike is more arduous than the Inca Trail. Despite the similarities, Choquequirao, which is three times larger than Machu Picchu, receives only a dozen to 30 adventurers a day. Why the trickle? Maybe because the site is less-known: Archaeologists did not start excavating the ruins until the 1970s, more than a halfcentury after Machu Picchu was cleared. Or that it is less-developed. Only one-third of the site has been exposed. Or harder to reach. As part of an initiative to double tourism by 2021, the government has floated plans to build a road connecting the two sites, which sit about 40 miles apart, and install a cable car. But for now, only the hardiest souls can swing in the Cradle of Gold.
Overbooked: Amsterdam
Tourists outnumber residents by double-digit millions, so it’s no wonder the high of tourism has worn off. To reclaim the Dutch capital, officials are mulling or have executed several laws, such as doubling the tax on hotel rooms and banning short-term Airbnb rentals and souvenir shops in the historical center. They are also considering relocating the cruise-ship berth and passenger terminal away from the middle of the action, a move that will affect cruisers on more than 2,000 ocean liners and riverboats.A new color-coded system will monitor crowds; a red signal could result in street closures, for example. To lure visitors out of the choked center, the tourism organization responsible for the City Card expanded benefits to include day trips outside the city, such as to Haarlem, Zaanse Schans and Keukenhof, where you can tiptoe through the tulip fields.
Overlooked: Ljubljana
Tulips, bikes and waterways define Amsterdam, but the trio also describe Ljubljana. The capital of Slovenia shares many of the same attributes as its western neighbor, such as the Volcji Potok Arboretum, which holds a tulip exhibit every April; a bikeshare program with rentals and more than 5,450 cycling routes; and the Ljubljana River, which wriggles through marshes and the heart of the city. Ljubljana is more green than red: The European Commission crowned the city the European Green Capital in 2016, a distinction Amsterdam has never won. You can inhale the fresh air aboard Kavalirs (Gentle Helpers), the free public transport system that runs on electricity, and in Tivoli Garden, the city’s largest park. The Central Market is a feeding frenzy with an openair and covered market, plus food shops and other retail.
Overbooked: Rome
A marketing research firm expects visitation numbers to surpass 10 million by 2020, but you doesn’t have to wait for the future to see the toll tourism has taken on the Eternal City. In 2015, the Spanish Steps closed for a year to reverse damage caused by too many touchy people. The renovation, which cost $1.7 million, removed stains, repaired broken pacing stones and re-leveled the steps. The lines to enter the city’s Roman ruins and museums are notorious. The Colosseum’s website, for once, states that the arena can accommodate up to 3,000 people at one time but warns, “This could lead to delays in access to the site, even for prebooked visitors.” More than 2,000 fountains add a cool splash to the cityscape. To keep the water features clear of snacks and limbs, a new rule will fine anyone caught eating or drinking on the edges of 40 fountains or taking a dip in its waters.
Overlooked: Turin
Like Rome, the ghosts of Roman civilization haunt this Piemonte city in northern Italy. You can find them under your feet, on the cobblestone streets, and looming overhead, in the 16-sided towers bookending the Palatine Gate. Quadrilatero Romano, or the Roman Quarter, showcases the period’s signature grid as well as ancient wall ruins and the excavated remains of a Roman theater. The Royal Museums contain several institutions that track the city’s arc from Roman times to Italian unification in the 1800s. Among the complex’s cultural attractions: the Archaeological Museum; the Royal Garden, Armoury and Library; and the Chapel of the Holy Shroud, which reopened in September after a 28-year closure.