The protests in Spain will spread if European officials fail to address the negative impact of mass tourism on residents’ lives, UNESCO’s Peter de Brian told “Squawk Box Asia” on Monday.
“The situation is becoming very fluid,” said UNESCO’s senior program officer for sustainable tourism. “It’s important for civil society to come in and try to make changes because at the end of the day, these are elected officials, so they have to … respond to the needs of city residents.”
he quoted Large cruise ships banned Take Venice, Italy in 2021 as an example.
“People are taking to the streets over this issue,” he said. “Cruise ships no longer pass through the Grand Canal.”
Are the measures effective?
Cruise ships now dock further from Venice, which helps maintain the city’s structural and environmental integrity.
But thousands of passengers on board still crowded into its narrow passages. Venice is expected to attract about 540,000 cruise passengers this year, a 9% increase from 2023, according to the North Adriatic Port Authority.
To evacuate crowds, Venice A €5 ($5.45) tourist tax was reportedly introduced during peak periods this year, but the measure has so far not been effective european news.
Like Venice, residents of Barcelona have long struggled with their hometown’s global visibility. According to a 2023 survey of Barcelona residents conducted by the Barcelona City Council, each year, the number of people who think tourism is good for the city is decreasing, while the number of people who think tourism is bad for the city is increasing.
“In Barcelona… they really crossed the threshold,” DeBryan said. But “there are solutions.”
“Quality over quantity” tourism
DeBryan said the interests of locals and tourists needed to be rebalanced.
He said a city dealing with too many tourists could promote “quality over quantity” tourism, that is, prioritizing high-spending tourists over mass tourists.
The strategy has gained traction during the Covid-19 pandemic, when destinations around the world have euphemistically announced an all-out effort to attract fewer luxury travelers instead of the many budget travelers due to safety and staffing concerns.
“Quality” tourists also help correct another problem: badly behaved tourists.
“For residents, it’s not just the numbers that matter, but the way people behave,” DeBryan told CNBC. Spaniards have complained for years about tourists drinking, littering, fighting and even Running naked in the street.
DeBryan said Amsterdam was exploring policies to change such behaviour.
As well as cracking down on coaches, tourist shops, new hotels and short-term rentals, the Dutch capital has launched a travel campaign in 2023 telling some tourists – namely young British male travelers – to “stay away” if they are traveling Go to the city to do drugs or party.
Call for “tourism to grow”
Civil society groups have called on Barcelona officials to implement a series of policies aimed at “de-growing the tourism industry”, namely raising tourism taxes, limiting cruise ships and restricting short-term housing rentals.
But DeBryan said travelers also played a role in curbing mass tourism.
“We need to be more cautious when making travel decisions,” he said, suggesting the concept of “mirror cities” as one approach.
“There is a beautiful city south of Barcelona called tarragona. It has a lot of wonderful cultural attractions,” he said. “Similar to Barcelona, it also has a beautiful seaside.
But unlike Barcelona, he said, it “could benefit from more tourism”.
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