The news has been full of protests against tourism in certain hotspots. Have we reached saturation point for tourism?

It’s become an annual occurrence; protests by the residents against the swamping of cities and popular attractions by tourists. So, do they have a point?

For several years there has been a movement in Venice against the masses of visitors who arrive in the city annually, including the huge Cruise Ships which bring them. In fact, Venice attracts over 20 million visitors each year, which, for a city with a population of 265,000 is obviously hugely noticeable.

It’s not just Venice.

Barcelona, Mallorca, Dubrovnik, The Isle of Skye, Amsterdam. Angkor Wat, Macchu Pichu… All have been subject to protests or concerns by local authorities about the amount of visitors or the damage done to the local environment.

Nouveau Riche

A combination of cheaper airfares and a growing and increasingly mobile middle class in countries like China and India have driven numbers up drastically in recent years. In fact, head to any popular tourist destination and you’re likely to see a flamboyant Chinese wedding taking place with photographers snapping the bride and groom in the postcard position outside Buckingham Palace, the Eiffel Tower or Rialto Bridge.

You’re also likely to get caught up in a guided tour packed full of Japanese, Brazilians, Germans, Americans or any other assorted nationalities at pretty much every popular tourist destination the world over.

And who are we to complain?

If we’ve splashed the cash to head to one of the great destinations or monuments of the planet, surely we can expect others to have done the same thing.

And that’s kind of the problem. We’re all after the same thing. We’re all heading to see the spectacular sights, the destinations we’ve been told so much about. And who wouldn’t want to visit Venice or Barcelona or see the Taj Mahal or Great Wall of China?

How Does This Affect These Destination?

From the most simple perspective, the problem is congestion and it’s associated problems such as erosion and pollution. If you have ever been to a tourist trap at the peak of summer season you’ll know what we mean.  So, if you live in Amsterdam or Prague and your commute to work is blighted by extremely drunk stag do’s and holiday makers behaving badly then very soon your patience is going to run out.

Added in to this is the littering and general disrespect people have for their surroundings.

I live in South London and there is currently an issue with visitors to Brixton coming in on the weekend and treating the place like a street party and public toilet. Buskers and sound systems set up in public spaces, just around the corner from residential areas and pay no mind to the fact that people need to sleep, raise families or go to work. Then revellers whoop, puke and piss all over the streets leaving the residents to face a grim sight on a Sunday or Monday morning.

In Angkor Wat and Macchu Pichu, people are inscribing their names in the ancient stone and then climbing where they shouldn’t to get the perfect selfie. Venice, Dubrovnik and Santorini are being swamped with cruise ships which although they don’t bring a relatively large number of arrivals, they still produce mammoth amounts of pollution and water erosion.

What Can I Do?

For you and I as tourists and travellers, there are a few small things we can do to reduce our impact. Hopefully most of you reading this are already conscientious travellers and you take your rubbish home, you don’t carve your name on ancient monuments and you turn off lights when you’re not using them. Small things.

If you still want to see the world, but only want to take photos and leave footprints, follow these simple rules.

Avoid un-necessary waste

Water bottles, straws, pre-packaged food, wet wipes… These are all items which produce massive amounts of waste annually and can be avoided. Carry a water bottle with a filtration system, try not to drink anything that uses straws and aim to consume food that is freshly produced.

Bag It And Bin It

If you do hike up a hill or visit a secluded beach, take your waste home. This includes cigarette butts. Take a container with you specifically for waste, especially if you’re heading into nature.

Visit Out Of Season

Some places are always in season, but where possible, try to reduce your impact on a place by coming when it is less packed. For Europe this means Spring and Autumn. Alternatively…

Go Somewhere Obscure

Everyone knows about Bali or Berlin. So why not head to somewhere really off the beaten track or under visited places where they’re calling out for tourism? Bulgaria, Romania and Albania are all as fascinating and scenic as Italy and Croatia. Instead of Thailand, try the Philippines or Taiwan which get a fraction of the tourism of the banana pancake trail. Skip Barcelona and head to Seville, La Coruña or Valencia. Better still, find small towns near these big cities and explore them!

Choose Your Transport Wisely

Air travel is notoriously polluting, but, that is how you get to most places. Try to avoid criss crossing a region by plane and instead take a leisurely train or boat ride.

Cruise ships are one of the biggest offenders when it comes to pollution. Their wake causes erosion and disturbances to sea life and they produce a phenomenal amount of waster water. They’re also very insular when it comes to discovering new places as you are often only ashore for a short time which encourages congestion and superficial tourism. We would recommend avoiding cruise ships.

As an exception to the cruise ship rule: the Arctic circle and whale watching cruises can be great when explored via cruise ship. Other than that, it’s often better do DIY.

Volunteer To Clean Up

Lots of popular places offer the opportunity for visitors to get involved in beach clean ups, litter picking or other conservation based activities. There are even whole packages build around conservation. But even if it’s only for a day or two, every little helps.

If there isn’t a program in place, you can also get a group together and do it yourself! A group of us spent a day cleaning up a beach in Thailand after seeing the state of it. It might be a Herculean task but, do what you can…

Behave

We all like to let our hair down and have fun and in fact, that’s one of the main reasons we visit certain places. But remember you are leaving an impression of all tourists. Puking, peeing, fighting or singing in the street at 3 am… All sure ways to annoy the locals. In fact. Ibiza and Mallorca are considering limiting the amount of certain types of tourist due to these types of misbehaviour.

It’s not just the obvious destinations though. Many Thai islands are plagued by poorly behaved visitors as are popular destinations from Costa Rica to Copenhagen.

Behave as you would expect visitors to behave in your home town.

The Bottom Line To Being A Better Tourist

We all want to see the world and explore new cultures while having fun. But, key to this is respect for your surroundings and your host culture.

• Take your rubbish with you (and take some other peoples rubbish too).
• Try not to upset local customs, cultures or ways of life. Basically, treat others as you’d expect them to treat you and your home.
• Take only photos – leave only footprints (OK, buy some souvenirs too!).

So there you have it. Enjoy the world and do your best to save it while you’re out there…

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