What Europe is Doing to Handle the Rising Number of Tourists

By Kaelie Piscitello

Tourists have swamped Europe all summer, and the locals have begun feeling fed up with the crowd’s antics.

Many top tourist attractions have become unlivable areas for locals, and museums at total capacity require people to book the most popular displays months in advance.

Europe expects to see over two billion visitors by the end of this century. Each country has developed its own ways to combat the rise in numbers, with some tourist populations equating to that of the citizens.

Even some of the most liberal cities, like Amsterdam, have implemented new measures to make the spaces breathable.

Italy

As one of the most visited countries in Europe, tourists have swamped Italy since spring.

They are now introducing fees to visitors acting irresponsibly. Portofino, a swanky seaside resort, now charges €275 fees to anyone blocking traffic or taking too many pictures in red zones of the bay.

Florence and Venice also charge people for eating snacks on the streets of their city centers. Venice has acted more strictly than other Italian cities by banning cruise ships back in 2021.

Venice also introduced an entrance fee between three to ten Euros starting in 2025 for any travelers looking to visit the city as a day trip. Anyone staying overnight will not need to pay the fee.

Amsterdam

Similar to Italy, Amsterdam also banned cruise ships; however, their anti-tourist mindset seems directed at British people. They have introduced specific “stay away” ads targeted towards British men between 18 and 35 years old.

Many British men frequent Amsterdam to enjoy the party scene and marijuana. However, the “Stay away” ads feature young men getting arrested, handcuffed, and fingerprinted after their mischief in the city.

In addition to this, posters now line the famous Red District, reminding visitors people live there.

Twenty million travelers visit the city annually, and Mayor Femke Halsema explained she doesn’t want to prevent tourists but a form of behavior where people take what she described as a “vacations from morals.”

Greece

The famous Greek Acropolis has an all-time high of visitors as the tourist population increased by 70%. Lines to the Acropolis comprised 100s of people at once, and many travelers described the top as the most crowded.

As a result, Athens now implements an hourly time slot for Acropolis ticket purchases to avoid overcrowding.

In addition to this, the city has built a concrete walkway for wheel accessibility and to spread people out more. A ticket cap does not exist yet, but the city might create one soon.

France

American travelers know all about the French disdain towards them, but France now goes further to prevent over-tourism. Cote D’Azur has started building unusual street art pieces to “eradicate the tourist pest” in their villages. France also plans to launch a digital campaign in March 2023 to encourage domestic and foreign travelers to change their destination choice and schedules.

Spain

In Mallorca, Spanish people have protested against the tourists visiting their area. Protestors have spray painted and graffitied black paint onto the famous Pacha Discotheque and even stormed a beach club, Blue Marlin, in Cala Jondal. Taking it even further, the Spanish also spray painted a mega-yacht owned by the heiress of the Wal-mart company during her visit.

Continuing with the vandalism trend, the Spanish have launched a graffiti campaign in Barcelona to direct tourists away from Park Guell. In addition, Spain has implemented laws banning people from walking around “naked or half-naked” through small towns.

Portugal

Portugal has not taken as many steps as other European countries to restrict tourists; however, they have implemented fines against people playing loud music of 200 to 400 Euros.

No one can have unauthorized ball games on beaches or camp outside of camping sites, and Portugal also fines those caught fishing in bathing areas.

Croatia

Croatia, one of the up-and-coming tourist destinations of Europe, has now had to introduce some of its legislation to protect its citizens.

They recently introduced bans on people sleeping in public areas. Visitors must also now adhere to rules requiring them to place their bags in compulsory luggage lockers, as travelers cannot walk around with luggage anymore.

Finally, Croatia has banned tourists from climbing monuments, peeing in public, and drinking near protected public spaces. All offenses are punishable by jail sentences and fines.

All of this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t consider a European vacation destination. But perhaps the lesson here is to see more than the most well-known tourist sites and consider traveling at different times of the year, such as Spring and Fall. And if you aren’t a rowdy tourist keeping the rest of us awake all night, you’re not the people European governments are trying to keep out.

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