The fiftieth edition of the tourism Fair in Utrecht, is already in full swing. Here, people can be inspired for your next holiday. However, it is not easy to be an original destination that is not overrun by tourists. Jeroen Klijs, lecturer, and social impacts of tourism at Breda University of Applied Sciences, explains how overtoerisme is and how you can be a holiday destination, you can find it without having to carry it.
It’s no fun to have a holiday in a crowded city or a resort, a place where you are shoulder-to-shoulder with other tourists, the streets run, and is where you will find dozens of selfiesticks flying through the air at well-known places of interest. However, it has a lot of tourist destinations used to be the case.
consider, for example, the famous Charles bridge in Prague or Las Ramblas in Barcelona, spain. In these areas, it goes beyond the number of tourists and the local population. As a result, the number of facilities for the local population, such as laundromats and grocery stores, making way for the geldwisselbureaus, souvenir shops and tourist restaurants. Klijs studies of this kind, the consequences of tourism and to think about how to fix this.
“When the quality of life of the people is deteriorating, and it’s a visit to a destination for the tourists not to have more fun. For example, when a tourist with a very large numbers to a specific destination, or if they are there, three items are kind of behavior.”
“In Amsterdam, you can see, for example, with the advent of Airbnb, tourists will not only be in the area, but all over the place. The other parts of the city are not at all well suited to the task, and there is more resentment between the locals and the tourists. Especially for people who have no room to let out, but there are side-by-side to live in.”
“Here, we can see that the principle of the mass that is the mass will follow. If there is, we think, often, that that’s the best point of it is. Especially if you are in a destination where you haven’t been before, it seems to be the scenic route, the best way to do things. Even though this is not necessarily the case.”
“In the tourist areas are more expensive, and you also are more likely to be in a tourist trap to the stairs. In other parts of the city, often to beautiful places, hidden, where you have fewer people you encounter. How towns and cities are in a better spreidingsbeleid to educate people about the most attractive places in the city, but you don’t get in everyone’s way. There will always be people who will go to the well-known places to aim.”
“It requires a little bit more in-depth than the standard offering from the providers, who are often in exactly the same places and accommodation on offer. For example, you could have more question with your family, friends, and family. On social media, you can find often some tips from the local residents. And if you’re in the destination to google and scroll down, you will find often is the information on how the residents of a destination to visitors to look at.”
“When you get to your destination, it helps you to act like a local. Do you have, how you want to be a guest in your street. This is not a museum, but a place with its own culture, and to use it. To eat, for example, in the local restaurants, so that the proceeds for the benefit of the people who live there. It is a very interesting and eye-opening for local food and products to buy. Think about it, if you really have to go to a location where you already have a lot of complaints about the influences of mass tourism. There are plenty of places in the world that has not yet been discovered.”
