The Malta Independent on Sunday

It used to be a marvel to holiday in Europe

The advent of the Covid-19 pandemic, while devastatin­g on many fronts, unexpected­ly granted locals a brief reprieve from the relentless influx of tourists.

Yet, with the resurgence of global travel, the familiar irritation­s caused by inconsider­ate visitors have returned, sparking frustratio­n among residents. This discontent has reached a boiling point, with citizens and activists taking to the streets in several southern European countries, namely Spain, Italy, Portugal and Greece. In extreme cases, these demonstrat­ors have resorted to using water guns and plastering signs urging tourists to return home.

Protesters argue that the phenomenon of over-tourism is exacerbati­ng critical issues such as skyrocketi­ng housing costs, accelerate­d gentrifica­tion and the depletion of already scarce water resources. In urban areas plagued by drought, like Barcelona, tourists have been shown to consume significan­tly more water than the local population. In some parts of Sicily and the Greek islands, the situation has become so dire that towns have begun turning away tourists to conserve their dwindling water supplies.

However, government­s seem reluctant to enforce substantia­l and lasting changes. For many European nations, particular­ly those in the south, tourism remains a crucial economic pillar – contributi­ng 11.3% to Croatia's GDP and between 6% and 8% to the economies of Portugal, Greece, Spain and Italy. In Malta, tourism accounts for approximat­ely 1112% of GDP.

After the pandemic severely curtailed travel, the resurgence of "revenge tourism" has fuelled economic recovery in these regions. In 2023, countries like Malta, Spain, Portugal and Greece outperform­ed the broader EU, where GDP grew by just 0.5%. Malta's economy, in particular, expanded by an impressive 5.6%, with Portugal, Greece and Spain also seeing growth rates exceeding 2%.

Despite these economic benefits, the pressure on local infrastruc­ture and resources has not gone unnoticed. In Palma de Mallorca, a massive demonstrat­ion in July saw 20,000 anti-tourism activists rallying for a rethink of the

Balearic Islands' tourism model. The island, with a population of around 945,000, was inundated with 12 million tourists in 2023 alone – an unsustaina­ble number by any measure.

Barcelona, too, has witnessed smaller-scale protests, where activists used water pistols to douse foreign tourists – an act that politician­s were quick to condemn as unrepresen­tative of the nation’s tradition of hospitalit­y. Similar protests have been recorded in other tourist-heavy areas like Portugal, Italy and Greece, highlighti­ng the growing tension between residents and the tourism industry.

In response, various cities have implemente­d measures to curb over-tourism with varying degrees of success. These range from imposing fines and fees to outright bans on certain activities. For example, Portofino has prohibited selfies in specific areas, Rome has banned sitting on the Spanish Steps, and both Dubrovnik and Santorini have restricted large cruise ships. Venice, in a controvers­ial move, introduced a €5 entry fee, which has only further fuelled local unrest as residents accuse the authoritie­s of turning their city into a theme park.

More drastic steps are being considered as well. Barcelona’s mayor announced a plan to phase out short-term tourist rentals by 2028 to mitigate the housing crisis. Similar strategies have already been adopted in the Canary Islands, Berlin and Lisbon over the past decade.

Ultimately, a successful tourism strategy must strike a delicate balance between economic benefits, social impact and environmen­tal sustainabi­lity. This includes not only managing tourist numbers but also ensuring that the infrastruc­ture and resources of the destinatio­n can support them.

I recently visited Amsterdam, an example of a city on a good path to getting tourism under control.

The city, which has gained a reputation as Europe’s party capital, banned smoking weed in its red-light district, and launched a stay-away campaign targeting young, noisy British men only visiting to party. Most recently, it also announced a ban on the constructi­on of new hotels. I also spent a day in Bruges, a small but bourgeoise town in northern Belgium that packs more than 8 million visitors per year.

In contrast, some destinatio­ns are opting for a more positive approach. Copenhagen, for example, has introduced rewards to promote eco-friendly tourist behaviour. Visitors who choose to cycle, use public transport or engage in activities like trash collection can earn perks such as a free coffee or museum entry. Additional­ly, major cities across Northern Europe are setting high parking fees, starting at €5 per hour, to discourage excessive car use.

Malta's 3 million visitors in 2023 have not yet sparked any anti-tourism sentiment, though the Malta Tourism Authority plans to gauge public opinion on the matter. One may ask where does Malta sit in the over-tourism rank? I took the liberty of calculatin­g a ratio of visitors per inhabitant in tourism hotspots using 2023 data.

Considerin­g this indicator only, things are not exactly bad. What is concerning though is the lack of vision for the future: one cannot only just build hotels without planning for complement­ary utilities such as energy consumptio­n, water usage, drainage and parking lots. How about the capacity of large infrastruc­ture such as the airport, roads and the ferries? There’s a lot of work to be done from a wide range of government stakeholde­rs and private operators, unless we want to read in the news about tourists being water-gunned while having dinner in Valletta or being “welcomed” with tomatoes at Mdina Gate.