Booming tourism takes its toll on Europe's tourist magnets

For El Periódico de Catalunya tourism is part of a brutal form of capitalism:

“Work, exhaustion and lack of time are without doubt factors that drive the desire to escape. This desire is accompanied by the urge to travel as quickly as possible as well as a personal urge to be productive which pushes us to make the most of every available minute of our holiday. ... Tourism is travel as a consumer good, supported by structural policies that sell evasion and souvenirs rather than culture or scenery. ... Mass tourism, which transforms cities into a papier-mâché backdrop, is one of the great accelerators of the global ecological crisis. It is part of a savage capitalism for which the entire planet - including humans - is for sale.”

Greece's infrastructure cannot cope with the onslaught, Naftemporiki frets:

“We've gone from 12 million tourists in 2009 to 33 million in 2023. ... With a lack of infrastructure modernisation, causing the collapse of the primary sector on the islands, a serious decline in living standards and irreversible environmental damage. The locals are not demanding changes, they are realising their business dreams in the Eldorado of the 50-day season. The government isn't intervening, instead letting the crisis-ridden middle class have its way. ... In the meantime the Eldorado is literally drying up, but this is an exercise (in survival) for the next generations. For now, welcome to another season at Aegean Disneyland.”

The Copenhagen City Council has voted in favour of a tourist tax. Berlingske is against the proposal:

“Of course it might make sense to people that tourists should contribute to financing public spending. But they already contribute enough. They pay what is probably the world's highest VAT on hotels and restaurants in advance. And they contribute indirectly through the income tax paid by the many people employed in tourism. ... A large majority of Danes - eight out of ten - believe tourism has more positive than negative effects. ... Tourism is an important source of income for many. In addition, the wide variety of languages spoken by visitors to Denmark is inspiring.”

Housing must be made affordable once more for those who live in popular holiday destinations, The Guardian insists:

“In urban centres and resorts where foreign investment in property and short-term letting has priced locals out, a housing strategy is required that balances the benefits of tourism with community priorities and needs. In Mallorca, the average monthly rent for an apartment has risen far beyond the means of many who work in the island's tourist industry. The gradual emergence of an overpopulated two-tier summer economy, in which some locals feel driven to the side of their own everyday lives, is a depressing development in one of the most beautiful corners of Europe.”

Low air fares are accentuating the problem, says the Irish Independent:

“Ireland is an island nation, and holidaymakers from here must either fly or go by ferry (a costlier option) if we want to leave. ... People are encouraged to book flights almost on a whim because of the low cost - but that attractive price is subsidised. Why is air travel given this lucrative tax treatment? ... Overtourism delivers an unpleasant experience for travellers, too. Queues can be long, streets congested and attractions too crowded. Nor is it all down to airlines. ... But the role of the airlines can't be ignored. A cheap plane ticket isn't much of a bargain when you consider the pollution costs incurred.”

Kathimerini worries about the situation in Athens and on the Greek islands:

“The sidewalks are occupied by tables and chairs. The restaurants are unbearably expensive, and at the open-air cinemas, you have to book a seat. ... Airbnbs are gentrifying entire neighbuorhoods, driving out regular tenants. ... Athens belongs more and more to visitors rather than its residents. On the beaches along the southern coast on weekends, shade costs as much as champagne: 30-90 euros [per day] for an umbrella. Swimming in the sea, even in May, is therefore a luxury for Athenians. The same goes for a short trip to the Cyclades. Even on a not particularly sought-after island it's hard to find a double room for less than 120 euros per day.”

The consequences of overtourism are particularly evident in Paris, architects Dominique Dupré-Henry and Tangui Le Dantec criticise in Le Figaro:

“Paris has always been popular with tourists, but it is in danger of losing what made it such an exceptional city by allowing itself to be overly commercialised, refusing to regulate the excesses of overtourism, cutting maintenance funding and ignoring local democracy. The decision to hold the Olympic Games tournaments at some of Paris's most beautiful historic sites, even if it means sacrificing them and congesting the entire city, exposes the decline of the capital and its living conditions to the rest of the world.”