Overtourism: Amsterdam says no new hotels in a bid to deal with this menace
It joins the world's top cities that have come up with curbs to deal with tourist congestion, crowds cramming into sites, traffic snarls and rising pollution.
Here's a dilemma facing the world's most popular destinations - there's just too many tourists visiting there. Termed as overtourism the concept revolves around an influx of people, littering and overcrowding facilities, leading to a menace in the lives of visitors and locals in a place and hampering the environment there. And overtourism is everywhere, thanks in part to social media and the need for live content, stories and reels.
Last year, Amsterdam voted to ban cruise ships from the city centre in a bid to control pollution and rising visitor numbers. And this year, the Dutch capital's municipal government has said it will not be issuing permits for new hotels in a bid to control visitor numbers and keep pollution in check.
Venice has a huge overtourism issue
Amsterdam is not alone. Several places like Angkor Wat, Bali, Barcelona and Ibiza have also been hit by overtourism and have come up with measures to deal with it.
Venice is top on this list, too. Starting June 1 this year, the City of Canals will limit the number of people in tourist groups to 25 people in not just Venice but also the islands of Murano, Burano and Torcello. There will also be ban on loudpseakers here. What's more, any visitor to Venice who wishes to spend the day in the city will have to sign up online for it and shell out a small fee (said to be €5 per person, with a few exemptions).
Japan to Iceland: Other destinations take a firm stand
While footfalls and tourism is a good thing, if not controlled it can lead to a bunch of negative consequences.
Did you know, Dubrovnik was names as the most overcrowded tourist spot in Europe last year, causing huge traffic jams and a rise in prices!
To manage its burgeoning numbers, last year Japan came up with a prevention plan, that included heading tourists away from already burgeoning hotspots like Kyoto and Tokyo to lesser-visited interior areas.
Iceland - hot on travel lovers' agendas - has come up with a tourist tax to safeguard it unspoilt surroundings. The Nordic country is witness to an astronomical rise in tourism and ex-Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir had said that a tourism tax could help combat the effects of this influx on the country’s environment.
Another top spot, Machu Picchu, that was awarded the prestigious Unesco World Heritage status in 1983, saw an erosion of stone structures on the Inca citadel due to a staggering number of people that visit the place. As per reports, the Peruvian government will increase the number of daily visitors allowed entry into the Inca citadel.