Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on email
Email

Over tourism

A problem being faced by countries that have highly developed tourist attractions these days is that of over tourism, which is what happens when there are too many tourists that they already start to affect the original community negatively.

It has been an issue in some areas of Japan, most famously in Kyoto where rude tourists have been hounding the geisha district, and that Lawsons with a view of Mount Fuji, where the locals felt they had no choice but to put up a barrier to discourage tourists from overcrowding the area to take their obligatory version of a viral photo.

More recently, in Barcelona, locals have protested by shooting water guns at tourists dining in al fresco, blaming them for a rise in rent and the cost of living, which is what happens when local businessmen try to take advantage of the purchasing power of tourists and their peak season.

According to a National Geographic article, over tourism, in essence, is too many people at one place at any given time. While there isn’t a definitive figure stipulating the number of visitors allowed,  an accumulation of economic, social, and environmental factors determine if and how numbers are creeping up.

It comes with far-reaching effects, such as climate change and environmental degradation in natural attractions. Local effects include renters being evicted by landlords in favor of turning properties into holiday lets, and house prices escalating as a result. Also, as visitors outnumber the local residents, communities are in danger of being lost. Not to mention skyrocketing prices, excessive queues, overcrowding, noise pollution, damage to historical and natural sites.

Fortunately for Filipinos, we don’t have such a problem yet, as our tourism industry is still lagging behind and we are at that point where we cannot imagine how over tourism could be a problem, simply because we are yet to fully benefit from and enjoy the economic, social, and environmental benefits of the industry.

At this point, we cannot imagine imposing visitor limitations or taxes on tourists, because we are just happy to see their kind and most Filipino towns and cities will probably bend over backwards just to attract more tourism, as it is still mainly regarded as generally beneficial to most communities. But if you come to think of it, the good thing about being so far behind is that we have a lot of time to learn from the mistakes of those who are way ahead of us in that game.

It may seem like the thinking of the issue of over tourism is putting the cart way ahead of the horse, especially here in the Philippines, and even Negros Island in particular, where the sector has so much room for growth. However, if we include preparations for it in any long term plans, it would certainly help us avoid the pains that many of the world’s successful tourist draws are currently suffering, which would make the industry more sustainable and resilient, along with the communities that ironically also depend on it.

It is difficult to imagine how it could come to a point where we despise tourists, but as the world has demonstrated, it is possible in areas where tourism has become wildly successful. Those are places that have been made prettier, more accessible, and convenient; initially for tourists but ultimately for the benefit of the local residents. Where success has become too much to handle and streets have become too crowded, food and rent too expensive, communities lose their identity, and the treasures of heritage and natural beauty which were what made that place so attractive are threatened. If we can avoid falling into that trap as we build and promote our own communities to become attractive to others, then the endeavor becomes more sustainable.

That means having the foresight to figure out when to set limits, what those limits are, adding protections to prioritize the way of life and livelihood of the locals who are supposed to be the main beneficiaries, along with leaders who are empathetic enough to see when the local population is already starting to suffer.

We can already see this happening in beach communities that have become popular tourist destinations, where locals are being edged out by tourists who bring in more money, and the “boom” is good only for the big businessmen who can build the fancy resorts and hotels, but everyone else is feeling the pinch of a change in the cost of living.

Over tourism is not just a first world problem. The only difference is that they can afford to protest it, while those in developing countries try to gloss over the looming issues because they don’t want to be seen as anti-progress. But if you come to think of it, it can impact Barcelona as much as it can Sipalay, and the ones that can minimize the bad effects and maximize the positives would be the quality of leadership and foresight on the local government level.*

ARCHIVES

Read Article by date

February 2025
MTWTFSS
 12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
2425262728 

Get your copy of the Visayan Daily Star everyday!

Avail of the FREE 30-day trial.