Overtourism Problems and Escaping Them on the Amalfi Coast
Part Two
Last week, just as I was writing Part One of my suggestions on how to get away from the crowds on the Amalfi Coast, an article came out in the Washington Post declaring the ruin of the Amalfi Coast due to the chaos of overtourism.
The article put a lot of blame on “influencers”, stating they care more about promoting their brand than the destination’s quality of life. I agree their approach is part of the problem. With a single-minded focus to please their sponsors and constantly gain followers, influencers make everything appear as dreamy and enticing as possible in their images. Reality is sidelined. Deep, thoughtful interest in the location is sidelined. In the wake of their lopsided promotions are thousands of this.
As the Washington Post article rightly says, the influencers don’t tell people that visiting this coast in high season requires “climbing countless steep steps in punishing heat” or that “the fashionable people cruising around in vintage Fiats are not showing us the harrowing crawl along SS163 or their futile attempts at finding a parking spot.”
The fiasco of overtourism is heartbreaking and we MUST do better. Those of us living in over-touristed places in Italy—places we deeply care about—whether we’re foreigners or locals, desperately want respectful tourists who are sensitive to local culture, who are aware of the problems of overtourism, and who are conscientiously designing their trip with that awareness in mind.
More and more, the residents of Italian towns and cities are vocalizing the type of tourist that is wanted and not wanted. Tourists are not wanted who are culturally clueless, who rush to a destination because Kim Kardashian partied there, and who shove their elbows frantically into people’s ribs at an overlook at sunset to get their selfie.
We are at a point where about fifty-percent of tourists choose a destination based on its instagramability. Please don’t do this.
Instead of focusing your trip on quasi-fake content for your followers, focus on showing a level of conscientiousness toward the residents and the natural environment.
Linda Orozco, from Los Angeles who has lived in Atrani (a village near the town of Amalfi) for the past fifteen years, has seen overtourism create a deteriorating quality of life on the Amalfi Coast.
“In Atrani, we have lost seventeen percent of our resident population in the past fifteen years. There are only 300 homes in Atrani for the 800 residents. The town is basically one square kilometer and no new homes can be built. When I moved here there were about six short term rental apartments in town. Now approximately 220 of the 300 homes are short-term rentals. This means we lose businesses that cater to locals, such as grocery stores, clothing stores, stores with household goods. Instead, those are replaced with shops catering to tourists.
I repeatedly hear locals complain about the deteriorating quality of life. Since businesses catering to residents have disappeared, locals can only find low paying jobs in tourist-driven shops. A key step in preserving the authentic culture of these places is to restrict short-term rentals.”
As I said in Part One, I think the Amalfi Coast is one of those places to see before exiting this world, but let’s have your visit conscientiously deviate from the “influencer” approach.
While the gorgeous water makes this coast appealing in summer, the crowds don’t. Since I’m constrained by overtourism to recommend low season, here are two more non-beachy, and lesser-known things to do on Amalfi Coast, in addition to the three I shared in Part One.