Any tourist who comes to Rome next year during a Jubilee year is immoral to be honest. We need to start holding travelers accountable. Rome is expecting 100,000 visitors a day from 24 December. We don't have the infrastructure for this. Despite all their fake attempts to update the metro.
I mean, if the pope is supposed to be the mouth of God on earth, God may not be the person to ask for help. Cause it's thr Pope that opens a holy year. It's going to be a clown show. I want to move.
Don't patronize global corporations - or silicon valley vultures that help this happen, like AirBnB.
Fact is though, the local politicians were easily bribed into letting this happen, approving ports for cruise ships, permitting more development, etc. And now they complain? They made their bed, after all.
There is a restaurant across the street from a place I often stay in when in Rome. It became a Tik-Tok sensation and, as a result, there are lines of people waiting to get in every day for lunch and dinner. They stand there through rain, cold and heat, all to eat perfectly fine but not outstanding Roman cuisine. You can get food just as good a half block away, with no wait.
Have we all forgotten how to be original? Are we so afraid of risk that we'll sacrifice so much of our time on what we perceive as a "safe" choice? The way you find the great places is not by following the masses, it's by risking a so-so meal (or a meh museum, etc.) every now and then in the search.
We definitely need to talk about it, thank you! I live in Rome, near the historical center, and the situation is becoming... A total nightmare. Tourists behave as if this city was disneyland as you say (I always say a lunapark), leaving garbage, screaming, eating anywhere as if they have never seen food before, stopping traffic just to take a picture for instagram (girls in cocktail dresses in the middle of the street taking selfies...), messing on the buses when we are going to work...
This morning, in the building I leave, they left packs of rubbish in the hall.
Ciao Stefania, quanto mi dispiace. Il centro storico di Roma è un tesoro prezioso per l'umanità e dovrebbe essere sempre trattato non solo con rispetto ma con riverenza. È davvero un tesoro prezioso.
I love this post. I live in Italy and every summer it turns into the hunger games. I love your point about buying souvenirs and snacks from local shops instead of corporate giants that sanitize the culture from each location!
In Southeast Asia it is a pollution and crowding nightmare.
The islands and beaches in the Gulf of Thailand are so polluted with plastics and garbage that they are unusable for anything like swimming or snorkeling; I shook my head wading through floating bottles and wrappers to a waiting tour boat.
The beautiful ancient ruins of Sukhothai and Ayutthaya are surrounded by costume rental huts where “grammers” can rent clothes for the pose. It is impossible to view the sites without being mumbled at for photo-bombing someone’s experience.
These are functions of over-population combined with social media attempts to have an interesting life despite the masses.
I felt a fool trying carry the trash of others to a receptacle that overflowed.
I am now living 15 miles from a soon-to-be-over-toured area of North America where I have lived for decades.
I have submitted to knowing the peak hours to avoid visiting the grocery and the gas station.
I used to be a touristic and real estate promoter-since the 1980’s. Now I can no longer, in good conscience, invite more pollution, water use and environmental damage that comes with more people.
I am so sorry to hear about Southeast Asia. In the late '80s and early '90s, I traveled through India, Thailand, Indonesia, and I recall being quite upset in Thailand when the driver of the long tail boat I was in, carelessly threw plastic into the pristine-looking sea. I tried to explain to him why it was a problem and I fervently hoped he would take my explanation to heart. Nine years ago when I was teaching in Qatar, I went to Sri Lanka and found it to be lovely. Much calmer than India, and I did not see copious amounts of plastic in the water. Maybe the sea around there is getting lucky....?
The increasing restrictions on short-term rentals (not just in Italy) render slow travel (stays of weeks or months) all but impossible. In the past few years, I’ve stayed in several cities for weeks and months at a time, taking courses, interacting with locals, etc. I would argue that my contribution to the local economy and my impact as a responsible slow traveler are a benefit to the host country. I don’t know how to solve the problem of rental shortages for the local market, but you can’t say that short-term rentals should be eliminated and advocate for more slow travel/tourism at the same time.
I'm so glad you are able to stay in cities for weeks and months at time. It's more enriching and has a healthier impact on the location, and I agree that slow travel and responsible travel almost always go hand in hand.
But I can’t continue to do it if the only accommodation option is a hotel. It’s important to me to have a kitchen, washing machine and workspace…at an affordable price.
Thank you for this article, very well written. As someone who travels a fair bit, I have been thinking about over tourism in general a lot in the last few years. I don't have solutions, but I try to travel in a way that is an immersive experience, learning about the places I am visiting, going in shoulder or off season times of the year, mingling with locals best I can, staying at hotels (or with a host family in some instances), and staying in one place for longer than 2-3 days so I can really soak it all in. I think there is a difference between vacationing and travelling. It may be a generalization, but I find that those who vacation are the ones who show bad behavior, while those who travel are more respectful (just a personal observation). Thanks for sharing your thoughts and suggestions in this article!
I went to France in high summer last year, my first visit in that season. Having previously only visited in the other seasons, I just wanted to experience it. Well, I did. The weather, the greenery, and a few off the beaten path places I went to were lovely, but anywhere on the beaten path was unbearable. I'll never go back at that time of year again. Now, Italy. I went this year in May for the first time ever. I landed in Milano, went straight to Parma for a couple of nights, then to Vicenza for a week, during which I took day trips to Padova and Venezia, and finally Milano for a few nights before flying out again. As a first-timer, I was taken aback by how crowded Venice was even mid-week in May on a day not subject to the then-new entry fee. I was also struck by how uncrowded Vicenza and Padova were in contrast. It's weird how specific touristic fame is, and not just with regard to panini joints. In Padova, for instance, the Scrovegni Chapel and the adjacent museum were mobbed (with reserved, timed entry to the chapel itself), but I had the design museum across the street, every floor of it, completely to myself. I'm not exaggerating. There wasn't one other visitor in view until a few minutes before I left. All this to say, I suppose, that in future I'd only visit second-tier cities not just in summer, but also in late spring and early autumn and avoid the first-tier cities as you suggest. Additionally, I second the advice to patronize small hotels and pensions, at least for short stays. I did book a short-term rental in Parma, but it wasn't worth the bother for 2 nights. It would've been simpler, more user-friendly, and not much more in cost to stay at a place with a staff onsite.
Thanks a lot for this article, Chandi. This can't be said and published often enough, what over-tourism disaster we have in the world. Unbearable. I live in the very north of Italy and travel 2 times a year to Venice (off season, staying 4 days) and it is sad to see what authorities allow happening to this city.
Crazy stories about Florence and Rome. I knew it's bad...but your stories highlight it even more.
If people/travelers were showing more respect and slowing down a bit, that would help. The nasty and dumb behavior is what drives me nuts.
It's one thing how tourists should change their travel behavior. But the city authorities have to do way more....stop being after all the money the tourist bring...and think more about ways how to rescue their cities. Otherwise, there won't be much left to visit.
I read a story that on the Greek island Santorini, the mayor asked his citizens to stay at home (lockdown) when a cruise ship unloads their e.g. 17.000 tourists, so they can get the tourists easier and faster through the little alleys before they return to the ship. THAT's in my opinion entirely wrong from a city offiical how he thinks to "better regulate" the tourism.
Hi Claudia, Wow, if that's correct about the mayor of Santorini, that's appalling. Cruise ships are the problem, not the residents. Cruise ships are hugely problematic in many ways, for the environment as well as for "hit and run" tourism. Incredibly sad and frustrating if the mayor is not sensitive to those things.
totally agree. I think I read it in the Wash.Post. Not sure. But I find it also appaling.
Cruise ships in Venice are such a disaster as well. Even though they changed the docking station further out....it's still pretty bad. Especially for the canals and the structure of the city on water. But Venice city officials love to sell Venice's soul.
Yes, the cruise ships in Venice are awful. They are awful everywhere! 😡
Thank GOD they have stopped allowing them into the Grand Canal. How anyone ever thought that was a good idea is beyond me. And yeah, they are still detrimental to the lagoon even docking further out.
I live in Rome and the Centro is unbearable. My former street is now overrun with AirBnBs. The hardware store, and a favorite newsstand, is gone replaced by a store/stand geared towards tourists.
I think people with huge platforms need to be more responsible about what they post. I just saw this on Rick Steves's FB page and the comments were very interesting:
"After a month of research in Italy, my great triumph was finding the untouristy alternative to glitzy Positano, Amalfi, and Capri. Welcome to Minori, the overlooked Amalfi Coast town where, for a third the cost — and with a third the crowds — you get triple the Italy.
I can promise you Minori will be well-covered in the next edition of my “Rick Steves Italy” guidebook. But wait!! Am I just ruining a rare, fragile, and pristine bit of untouristy Amalfi Coast? Honestly, I don’t know. What do you think?"
Why would he need to ask this question? He knows how popular his books are. Minori doesn't have the infrastructure to handle mass tourism.
I see more and more articles about the Aeolian Islands. They are a pain the butt to get to even if you live in Italy so maybe that will "save" them (though I heard Filicudi was nuts last summer). The Cilento is next on the list. I can feel it. Go now while it's still under the radar. Two summers ago I met a friend who was staying with her friend whose parents built their beach house in the 60s. That friend told me not to geotag the small village. Ha. I don't have many followers but understood her gatekeeping. Didn't see or hear a single American tourist. No huge crowds. Mostly French, Italian, and German tourists. Water was pristine. Food was delicious.
I was in Florence in February to meet up with friends and was shocked at how crowded the Uffizi was on a Tuesday. It was madness, during the winter on a weekday. I'm so glad it was my second trip. I went back in 2006 during a vacation, in May, and it was fantastic.
I can't believe large cruise ships send passengers to tiny Cinque Terre.
Hi Arlene, Thanks for your comment. I saw that FB post of Rick Steves' about Minori and I was pretty frustrated by it. I did not have time in that moment though, to comment. I should go back to it and take a look at the comments. And yes, I really really hope the young self obsessed influencers do not start going to the Aeolians. At least I went to them 20 years ago. I'd like to go again and hope not to be heartbroken.
Reminds me of our trip to the Town of Mykonos (Chora) in Greece. We reserved a table on the water to watch the magical sunset. When the time came for photos just as the sun sat on the edge of the world, the wind picked up fiercely and our table, perfectly perched for sunset viewing, was swarmed with Instagramers posing every which way, blocking our view. Who knew? We eventually got a decent photo but the sunset lost a little of its magic that day.
I could have written this post myself! In fact I'm always going on about the panini (I used to live on Via dei Neri back in 2010-11) and the made-up wine windows, here's one example from three years ago: https://www.emikodavies.com/the-11-best-panini-in-florence-that-arent-that-panino/ And I am preparing an English version of an article I've written for Corriere della Sera that overlaps with this topic very much (about a restaurant closure in Florence that blames hit and run tourism) and I will link to this post as well.
Emiko, I found your article above just before I traveled to Florence last October. Pretty sure we ate at one of the places you suggested in your article and loved it! No crowd. Great food.
Hi Emiko, I can imagine you're often going on about the panino place, as I and my guide friends often are. Thanks for the link to your post. I'll take a look. I'm following you now so I'll be sure to restack your upcoming article 👍
Thank you for this piece. As someone who has traveled extensively my whole life I wasn’t aware of how much things are changing all over the world. I don’t use IG or FB (only Substack). I am saddened but also heartened that you’re bringing awareness to the detriment of over tourism. I always try to travel respectfully and thank goodness in the places I visit “American” isn’t people’s first guess as to my nationality. It’s weird, but I am so ashamed for these people who are so ignorant to place and culture. Brava! for your words and for keeping the larger perspective alive!
Hi Shinay, it's interesting to hear you've traveled extensively your whole life. Where do you live now? Yes, it is indeed shameful that they are that clueless about history and ancient monuments. It's one reason I find meaning in teaching history.
Any tourist who comes to Rome next year during a Jubilee year is immoral to be honest. We need to start holding travelers accountable. Rome is expecting 100,000 visitors a day from 24 December. We don't have the infrastructure for this. Despite all their fake attempts to update the metro.
Holy Cannoli! 100,000 a day? 😲
I can't find the article I read the other day but yes.
Dio ci aiuti 😧
I mean, if the pope is supposed to be the mouth of God on earth, God may not be the person to ask for help. Cause it's thr Pope that opens a holy year. It's going to be a clown show. I want to move.
So true!
It seems to be talked about everywhere, these days.
😢
Don't patronize global corporations - or silicon valley vultures that help this happen, like AirBnB.
Fact is though, the local politicians were easily bribed into letting this happen, approving ports for cruise ships, permitting more development, etc. And now they complain? They made their bed, after all.
the cruise ship thing is a nightmare 😤
There is a restaurant across the street from a place I often stay in when in Rome. It became a Tik-Tok sensation and, as a result, there are lines of people waiting to get in every day for lunch and dinner. They stand there through rain, cold and heat, all to eat perfectly fine but not outstanding Roman cuisine. You can get food just as good a half block away, with no wait.
Have we all forgotten how to be original? Are we so afraid of risk that we'll sacrifice so much of our time on what we perceive as a "safe" choice? The way you find the great places is not by following the masses, it's by risking a so-so meal (or a meh museum, etc.) every now and then in the search.
Exactly! Take the road less traveled!
We definitely need to talk about it, thank you! I live in Rome, near the historical center, and the situation is becoming... A total nightmare. Tourists behave as if this city was disneyland as you say (I always say a lunapark), leaving garbage, screaming, eating anywhere as if they have never seen food before, stopping traffic just to take a picture for instagram (girls in cocktail dresses in the middle of the street taking selfies...), messing on the buses when we are going to work...
This morning, in the building I leave, they left packs of rubbish in the hall.
So yes, we need to talk about this.
Ciao Stefania, quanto mi dispiace. Il centro storico di Roma è un tesoro prezioso per l'umanità e dovrebbe essere sempre trattato non solo con rispetto ma con riverenza. È davvero un tesoro prezioso.
I love this post. I live in Italy and every summer it turns into the hunger games. I love your point about buying souvenirs and snacks from local shops instead of corporate giants that sanitize the culture from each location!
Hi Kenza, good to hear what resonated with you!
This is happening worldwide.
In Southeast Asia it is a pollution and crowding nightmare.
The islands and beaches in the Gulf of Thailand are so polluted with plastics and garbage that they are unusable for anything like swimming or snorkeling; I shook my head wading through floating bottles and wrappers to a waiting tour boat.
The beautiful ancient ruins of Sukhothai and Ayutthaya are surrounded by costume rental huts where “grammers” can rent clothes for the pose. It is impossible to view the sites without being mumbled at for photo-bombing someone’s experience.
These are functions of over-population combined with social media attempts to have an interesting life despite the masses.
I felt a fool trying carry the trash of others to a receptacle that overflowed.
I am now living 15 miles from a soon-to-be-over-toured area of North America where I have lived for decades.
I have submitted to knowing the peak hours to avoid visiting the grocery and the gas station.
I used to be a touristic and real estate promoter-since the 1980’s. Now I can no longer, in good conscience, invite more pollution, water use and environmental damage that comes with more people.
I am so sorry to hear about Southeast Asia. In the late '80s and early '90s, I traveled through India, Thailand, Indonesia, and I recall being quite upset in Thailand when the driver of the long tail boat I was in, carelessly threw plastic into the pristine-looking sea. I tried to explain to him why it was a problem and I fervently hoped he would take my explanation to heart. Nine years ago when I was teaching in Qatar, I went to Sri Lanka and found it to be lovely. Much calmer than India, and I did not see copious amounts of plastic in the water. Maybe the sea around there is getting lucky....?
The increasing restrictions on short-term rentals (not just in Italy) render slow travel (stays of weeks or months) all but impossible. In the past few years, I’ve stayed in several cities for weeks and months at a time, taking courses, interacting with locals, etc. I would argue that my contribution to the local economy and my impact as a responsible slow traveler are a benefit to the host country. I don’t know how to solve the problem of rental shortages for the local market, but you can’t say that short-term rentals should be eliminated and advocate for more slow travel/tourism at the same time.
I'm so glad you are able to stay in cities for weeks and months at time. It's more enriching and has a healthier impact on the location, and I agree that slow travel and responsible travel almost always go hand in hand.
But I can’t continue to do it if the only accommodation option is a hotel. It’s important to me to have a kitchen, washing machine and workspace…at an affordable price.
Thank you for this article, very well written. As someone who travels a fair bit, I have been thinking about over tourism in general a lot in the last few years. I don't have solutions, but I try to travel in a way that is an immersive experience, learning about the places I am visiting, going in shoulder or off season times of the year, mingling with locals best I can, staying at hotels (or with a host family in some instances), and staying in one place for longer than 2-3 days so I can really soak it all in. I think there is a difference between vacationing and travelling. It may be a generalization, but I find that those who vacation are the ones who show bad behavior, while those who travel are more respectful (just a personal observation). Thanks for sharing your thoughts and suggestions in this article!
Yes Noa, I agree. There's a difference between the tourist and the traveler. I'm so glad you found my article meaningful.
I went to France in high summer last year, my first visit in that season. Having previously only visited in the other seasons, I just wanted to experience it. Well, I did. The weather, the greenery, and a few off the beaten path places I went to were lovely, but anywhere on the beaten path was unbearable. I'll never go back at that time of year again. Now, Italy. I went this year in May for the first time ever. I landed in Milano, went straight to Parma for a couple of nights, then to Vicenza for a week, during which I took day trips to Padova and Venezia, and finally Milano for a few nights before flying out again. As a first-timer, I was taken aback by how crowded Venice was even mid-week in May on a day not subject to the then-new entry fee. I was also struck by how uncrowded Vicenza and Padova were in contrast. It's weird how specific touristic fame is, and not just with regard to panini joints. In Padova, for instance, the Scrovegni Chapel and the adjacent museum were mobbed (with reserved, timed entry to the chapel itself), but I had the design museum across the street, every floor of it, completely to myself. I'm not exaggerating. There wasn't one other visitor in view until a few minutes before I left. All this to say, I suppose, that in future I'd only visit second-tier cities not just in summer, but also in late spring and early autumn and avoid the first-tier cities as you suggest. Additionally, I second the advice to patronize small hotels and pensions, at least for short stays. I did book a short-term rental in Parma, but it wasn't worth the bother for 2 nights. It would've been simpler, more user-friendly, and not much more in cost to stay at a place with a staff onsite.
Hi, yes, good plan. Only second-tier cities and middle of no where places from Easter through October!
Thanks a lot for this article, Chandi. This can't be said and published often enough, what over-tourism disaster we have in the world. Unbearable. I live in the very north of Italy and travel 2 times a year to Venice (off season, staying 4 days) and it is sad to see what authorities allow happening to this city.
Crazy stories about Florence and Rome. I knew it's bad...but your stories highlight it even more.
If people/travelers were showing more respect and slowing down a bit, that would help. The nasty and dumb behavior is what drives me nuts.
It's one thing how tourists should change their travel behavior. But the city authorities have to do way more....stop being after all the money the tourist bring...and think more about ways how to rescue their cities. Otherwise, there won't be much left to visit.
I read a story that on the Greek island Santorini, the mayor asked his citizens to stay at home (lockdown) when a cruise ship unloads their e.g. 17.000 tourists, so they can get the tourists easier and faster through the little alleys before they return to the ship. THAT's in my opinion entirely wrong from a city offiical how he thinks to "better regulate" the tourism.
Hi Claudia, Wow, if that's correct about the mayor of Santorini, that's appalling. Cruise ships are the problem, not the residents. Cruise ships are hugely problematic in many ways, for the environment as well as for "hit and run" tourism. Incredibly sad and frustrating if the mayor is not sensitive to those things.
totally agree. I think I read it in the Wash.Post. Not sure. But I find it also appaling.
Cruise ships in Venice are such a disaster as well. Even though they changed the docking station further out....it's still pretty bad. Especially for the canals and the structure of the city on water. But Venice city officials love to sell Venice's soul.
Yes, the cruise ships in Venice are awful. They are awful everywhere! 😡
Thank GOD they have stopped allowing them into the Grand Canal. How anyone ever thought that was a good idea is beyond me. And yeah, they are still detrimental to the lagoon even docking further out.
I live in Rome and the Centro is unbearable. My former street is now overrun with AirBnBs. The hardware store, and a favorite newsstand, is gone replaced by a store/stand geared towards tourists.
I think people with huge platforms need to be more responsible about what they post. I just saw this on Rick Steves's FB page and the comments were very interesting:
"After a month of research in Italy, my great triumph was finding the untouristy alternative to glitzy Positano, Amalfi, and Capri. Welcome to Minori, the overlooked Amalfi Coast town where, for a third the cost — and with a third the crowds — you get triple the Italy.
I can promise you Minori will be well-covered in the next edition of my “Rick Steves Italy” guidebook. But wait!! Am I just ruining a rare, fragile, and pristine bit of untouristy Amalfi Coast? Honestly, I don’t know. What do you think?"
Why would he need to ask this question? He knows how popular his books are. Minori doesn't have the infrastructure to handle mass tourism.
I see more and more articles about the Aeolian Islands. They are a pain the butt to get to even if you live in Italy so maybe that will "save" them (though I heard Filicudi was nuts last summer). The Cilento is next on the list. I can feel it. Go now while it's still under the radar. Two summers ago I met a friend who was staying with her friend whose parents built their beach house in the 60s. That friend told me not to geotag the small village. Ha. I don't have many followers but understood her gatekeeping. Didn't see or hear a single American tourist. No huge crowds. Mostly French, Italian, and German tourists. Water was pristine. Food was delicious.
I was in Florence in February to meet up with friends and was shocked at how crowded the Uffizi was on a Tuesday. It was madness, during the winter on a weekday. I'm so glad it was my second trip. I went back in 2006 during a vacation, in May, and it was fantastic.
I can't believe large cruise ships send passengers to tiny Cinque Terre.
Hi Arlene, Thanks for your comment. I saw that FB post of Rick Steves' about Minori and I was pretty frustrated by it. I did not have time in that moment though, to comment. I should go back to it and take a look at the comments. And yes, I really really hope the young self obsessed influencers do not start going to the Aeolians. At least I went to them 20 years ago. I'd like to go again and hope not to be heartbroken.
Reminds me of our trip to the Town of Mykonos (Chora) in Greece. We reserved a table on the water to watch the magical sunset. When the time came for photos just as the sun sat on the edge of the world, the wind picked up fiercely and our table, perfectly perched for sunset viewing, was swarmed with Instagramers posing every which way, blocking our view. Who knew? We eventually got a decent photo but the sunset lost a little of its magic that day.
Oh my gosh, I can image the scene. NUTS! 😲 And disappointing for sure.
I could have written this post myself! In fact I'm always going on about the panini (I used to live on Via dei Neri back in 2010-11) and the made-up wine windows, here's one example from three years ago: https://www.emikodavies.com/the-11-best-panini-in-florence-that-arent-that-panino/ And I am preparing an English version of an article I've written for Corriere della Sera that overlaps with this topic very much (about a restaurant closure in Florence that blames hit and run tourism) and I will link to this post as well.
Emiko, I found your article above just before I traveled to Florence last October. Pretty sure we ate at one of the places you suggested in your article and loved it! No crowd. Great food.
So glad to hear it!
Hi Emiko, I can imagine you're often going on about the panino place, as I and my guide friends often are. Thanks for the link to your post. I'll take a look. I'm following you now so I'll be sure to restack your upcoming article 👍
Thank you for this piece. As someone who has traveled extensively my whole life I wasn’t aware of how much things are changing all over the world. I don’t use IG or FB (only Substack). I am saddened but also heartened that you’re bringing awareness to the detriment of over tourism. I always try to travel respectfully and thank goodness in the places I visit “American” isn’t people’s first guess as to my nationality. It’s weird, but I am so ashamed for these people who are so ignorant to place and culture. Brava! for your words and for keeping the larger perspective alive!
Hi Shinay, it's interesting to hear you've traveled extensively your whole life. Where do you live now? Yes, it is indeed shameful that they are that clueless about history and ancient monuments. It's one reason I find meaning in teaching history.
I currently live in Arizona in the US. Over tourism is even happening here in my small town. Thank you, thank you for teaching history abridged!
Air BNB + Cruise Ships = all the problems
😢