Connect with us

Travel

Tourist taxes, bus bans and TikTok: How Europe’s popular cities are tackling overcrowding

Published

on

From Venice to Amsterdam, bus bans and TikTok influencers are helping reduce tourist numbers.

Europe’s ETIAS online travel authorisation has been delayed until 2025.

The requirement restricts travellers from non-EU countries to 30 European nations, including France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain. Applications will bring in €7 each, adding up to considerable money.

As popular European cities continue to confront the challenges of overtourism in 2024, they choose to move beyond the financial solutions provided by tourist taxes.

These destinations are now deploying unprecedented and innovative strategies aimed not only at managing crowds, but also at preserving their cultural heritage, protecting the environment, and maintaining the quality of life for their residents.

Multiple new anti-tourism measures in Amsterdam

Amsterdam is raising its tourist tax to 12.5 per cent of the accommodation cost in 2024. This means an average €120 room would carry a potential €15 charge per night. Up from the current 7 per cent, that’s the highest rate in Europe. The increase applies to all establishments, from hotels and bed-and-breakfasts to campgrounds.

2024 also means further measures to combat overtourism in Amsterdam. The city banned buses weighing over 7.5 tonnes from entering the city centre, except those granted special exemptions, and increased the tax for cruise ship passengers visiting the city for a day from €8 to €14 per person.

The Netherlands’ capital also prohibited opening new B&Bs within certain central districts to help with its increasing housing problem.

Paris imposes unprecedented rise in tourist tax

The tourist tax in Paris increases by 200 per cent in 2024. According to news network France24, the increase is part of the government’s plan to fund enhancements in public transportation.

The city will host the 2024 Olympics from 26 July to 11 August, drawing global attention. Hotels in Paris already raised their rates for the event’s duration. The tax increase will further elevate the cost of staying in Paris. But will it combat overtourism?

Instead of restrictions, limitations and bans, France plans to take a positive approach. “If we want to decongest overcrowded sites, we must bring out other destinations and other tourist routes,” said Olivia Grégoire, the Minister Delegate for SMEs, Trade, Crafts and Tourism of France, in an interview with Le Figaro.

The country is adopting a novel approach to address overtourism in 2024. By engaging social media influencers to highlight less-visited areas, it hopes to decrease interest in more well-known destinations. Understanding the significant influence these individuals wield, the French government is keen on using its extensive networks to direct tourists toward unique, off-the-beaten-path experiences like French eco-lodges or glamping sites.

Venice tightens group tour regulations

As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Venice still feels the pressure of overtourism despite banning large cruise ships in 2021.

To combat the influx of daily visitors, the Italian city is testing a new access tax for tourists who visit without staying overnight. Each visitor pays €5 per day from 8.30am to 4pm. The city will test this tax for 10 days in May, June and July 2024. Based on the results, the city hopes to implement changes in 2025.

Venice also announced on its official website that it will limit tourist walking groups to 25 people and ban loudspeakers since the latter cause disturbance. It will likely take effect on 1 June, which fits with its Detourism campaign to promote a lesser-known Venice for visitors.

Venice may join Rome and Florence in restricting the number of short-term rental properties, which aligns with broader national efforts in Italy. In June 2023, the Italian Ministry of Tourism unveiled the first draft of a proposed legislation to regulate short-term tourist rentals across Italy, including Airbnb listings.

Daily cap for visitors to Athens’ Acropolis

In September 2023, Greece’s Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni announced a daily visitor cap of 20,000 for the Acropolis Museum in Athens. The previous average was 23,000 visitors per day. The new programme is on a trial run until 1 April.

It follows the example of many other European locations that introduced daily tourist caps in previous years, like the Louvre in Paris, France; Calanques National Park in Marseille, France; Villa de Balbianello near Lake Como, Italy; or the Old Town in Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Portugal contemplates further actions for non-compliant cruise lines

At the end of December 2023, Carlos Moedas, the Mayor of Lisbon, announced a new tourist tax of €2 per person for all cruise ship passengers, the same fee each guest at a hotel pays.

He added that the income from this tax “will be used to clean the city, to have green spaces and represents a strategy for the future of the city.” The new fees hit on 1 January 2024.

Portugal News reports that the mayor indicated that if cruise operators fail to comply, he is prepared to use his authority to make their entry more challenging. This could mean further measures in 2024, including restrictions on the mobility of their buses.

It aligns with the year-end announcement of the Turismo de Portugal (the Portugal Tourism Board), which placed sustainability and authenticity at the forefront of its 2024 promotion strategy. This approach includes highlighting eco-lodges in Portugal and many other sustainable and authentic travel experiences.

Additionally, they will also utilise TikTok for the first time, aiming to inspire people across multiple channels to explore the diverse regions of Portugal beyond the urban allure of Lisbon.

Dublin is eager to boost its tourist numbers

While certain European cities continue to be popular travel destinations, it’s worth considering other cities that offer equally stunning but less crowded experiences. These alternative destinations provide unique opportunities to explore and enjoy without the challenges of overtourism. They even took measures to attract more tourists in 2024.

In December 2023, Dublin Airport took a significant step toward expanding its capacity to accommodate the growing number of travellers. The airport submitted an application to increase its annual passenger capacity cap from 32 million to 40 million. This move is indicative of Dublin’s expectation to increase the number of visitors to the Emerald Isle.

Author

  • Daniela Daecher

    Daniela Daecher is a twenty-something bookworm and coffee addict with a passion for geeking out over sci fi, tv, movies, and books. In 2013 she completed her BA in English with a specialization in Linguistics. In 2014 she completed her MA in Linguistics, focusing on the relationship between language and communication in written form. She currently lives in Munich, Germany.

Continue Reading

Travel

Budget sightseeing: The most scenic bus routes in Britain for less than €3

Published

on

The discount fares can be purchased this week, until 21 April, on journeys up until 12 May.

If you fancy seeing some of Britain’s top sights on the cheap, this is the month to book some leave.

Travel tech company FlixBus is celebrating its 3rd anniversary in the UK by offering £2 (€2.34) tickets for coach services across England, Scotland and Wales.

The discount fares can be purchased this week, until 21 April, on journeys up until 12 May.

This year, FlixBus added connections to the city of Inverness as part of its Scottish Network, which will be included in the deal.

The company says it aims to make coach travel “as sustainable and affordable as possible”.

It recently launched an electric, long-distance, zero-emission route between Newport, Bristol and London.

Here are five of the best journeys available on the £2 offer.

Escape to the Scottish Highlands

Visitors seeking bracing air and epic scenery can take a four-hour bus from Glasgow to Inverness, stopping on the way in Perth.

The city of Inverness is considered the gateway to the Scottish Highlands.

From here, you can strike out into the countryside and lose yourself in heather-carpeted glens and granite mountains.

Journey back in time to the historic city of York

This route takes travellers from the city of Manchester to the historic heart of York in northern England. The journey takes two hours and 40 minutes, stopping at Bradford and Leeds on the way.

York is one of the UK’s cultural hotspots, home to the UNESCO-designated York Minster, a Gothic behemoth from the 13th century with medieval stained glass windows.

If it’s a sunny day, take a walk around the city walls – a reminder of York’s Roman past.

Harry Potter fans should leave time to stroll down the Shambles, a street of charmingly crooked half-timbered houses that bely its macabre past as a slaughterhouse.

Visit the vibrant city of Manchester

This route travels between the city of Birmingham and the city of Manchester passing through Stoke On Trent and stopping at Manchester Airport.

The two-hour and 45-minute trip gives travellers access to one of the UK’s trending tourist destinations.

Once the hub of the Industrial Revolution, Manchester is now home to a buzzing music scene, warehouses transformed into popups and co-working spaces and the unmissable Gay Village along Canal Street.

Chill out in the Cairngorms National Park

A three-hour bus from Glasgow takes travellers through the attractive Scottish towns of Perth and Pitlochry to Aviemore in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park.

Nature lovers will find ancient forests, secluded lochs and a funicular whisking you up to sublime valley views.

Author

  • Daniela Daecher

    Daniela Daecher is a twenty-something bookworm and coffee addict with a passion for geeking out over sci fi, tv, movies, and books. In 2013 she completed her BA in English with a specialization in Linguistics. In 2014 she completed her MA in Linguistics, focusing on the relationship between language and communication in written form. She currently lives in Munich, Germany.

Continue Reading

Travel

‘An excess of tourism’: Lake Como to introduce daytripper fee to curb visitor numbers

Published

on

This Italian lakeside city wants to impose a daily visitor fee.

Lake Como is glitzy, glamorous and engulfed by tourism.

The third largest lake in Italy, it sees as many as 1.4 million visitors a year descend on its shores.

The tourist numbers are proving overwhelming for the holiday hotspot in northern Italy, and one city is now considering introducing a tourist tax.

Mayor of the lakeside city of Como Alessandro Rapinese says he is mulling a Venice-style daily charge with suggestions that it could come into force soon.

Lake Como to introduce a daytripper fee

Rapinese has lambasted Lake Como’s overtourism saying it is “difficult to be mayor when you are fighting tourism”.

“We are already discussing the idea[ofa[ofatourist tax]. Revolutions begin with concrete measures and we are ready for this long journey,” he told UK newspaper The Times.

The fee would apply to daily visitors to the city of Como.

The mayor has not shared any further details about how much the fee will be, who will have to pay and when it will come into force.

If he uses the Venice model, the charge will apply to daytrippers (not those who have booked overnight accommodation in the city) and may be levied only on busy days like weekends and public holidays.

Lake Como battles overtourism

The chic lake has been struggling with soaring tourist numbers in recent years.

Crowds have boomed since several celebrities including George Clooney purchased multi-million euro properties along the shoreline and the lake provided a backdrop for films including Casino Royale and House of Gucci.

“I visited Lake Como last year and said I would never go back. Standards had dropped. Restaurants were disappointing in quality and price. Too many people to enjoy anything about the resort,” one visitor wrote on X.

Last summer, one lakeside villa which appeared in James Bond and Star Wars films was forced to limit visitor numbers.

Villa del Balbianello cut daily entries from 2,000 to a maximum of 1,200 to protect the historic house.

The Italian Fund for the Environment (FAI), which runs the property, called it “a drastic decision” but essential to counter the effect of “an excess of tourism that has an ever greater impact on Lake Como”.

Author

  • Daniela Daecher

    Daniela Daecher is a twenty-something bookworm and coffee addict with a passion for geeking out over sci fi, tv, movies, and books. In 2013 she completed her BA in English with a specialization in Linguistics. In 2014 she completed her MA in Linguistics, focusing on the relationship between language and communication in written form. She currently lives in Munich, Germany.

Continue Reading

Travel

Istanbul, Dalaman, Izmir: Where to go with Türkiye’s new digital nomad visa

Published

on

Applicants are accepted from most EU countries as well as the UK, USA and Canada.

Türkiye has become the latest country to launch a digital nomad visa for foreign remote workers.

The Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry has created a dedicated website where those interested can complete the first application stages.

The country hopes to lure digital nomads to destinations including Istanbul, Dalaman on the southwestern coast and Izmir on the west.

“Thousand years old ancient cities, unique bays hidden between forests, turquoise seas, dynamic people, big cities; Türkiye has all,” the visa promotion reads.

“In addition, this beautiful country is one of the biggest countries of the world in terms of economy and business, with strong infrastructure services.”

Who is eligible for Türkiye’s digital nomad visa?

Those interested in Türkiye’s digital nomad visa need to be aged between 21 and 55. Applicants are accepted from most EU countries as well as the UK, USA and Canada.

Additional prerequisites include holding a university degree, having an employment or business contract and being able to prove a monthly income of $3,000 (€2,800) or an annual one of $36,000 (€33,800).

Applicants can register and upload their documents – including a passport with six-month validity and a photo – on the dedicated Digital Nomad GoTürkiye website.

If the application is accepted, you will be issued a Digital Nomad Identification Certificate which you can then take to a Turkish visa centre or consulate in your place of residence.

The best locations for digital nomads in Türkiye

The digital nomad website also promotes destinations around the country as prime spots for remote workers.

Istanbul is “a business centre with large companies and small start-ups, a metropole of 20 million inhabitants, a meeting point of different cultures [and] a historical centre where the paths of millennia-old civilisations converge.”

Digital nomads will find a strong transportation infrastructure with several metro and bus lines, and ferry journeys between its European and Asian sides, according to the website. It also says it is easy to find fully furnished apartments to rent.

Dalaman, on the Aegean coast, “offers great transportation options, an easy escape from the crowds, an impressive variety of free-time activities, and a strong infrastructure for those who want to work from this paradise on Earth.”

Izmir, also on the Aegean Sea, is ideal for those seeking year-round warmth and Blue Flag beaches.

Author

  • Daniela Daecher

    Daniela Daecher is a twenty-something bookworm and coffee addict with a passion for geeking out over sci fi, tv, movies, and books. In 2013 she completed her BA in English with a specialization in Linguistics. In 2014 she completed her MA in Linguistics, focusing on the relationship between language and communication in written form. She currently lives in Munich, Germany.

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2023 EuroTimes