Tourists Go Home Protests – Why have they happened & Who is to blame?
If you have been reading the newspapers or watching the news lately then you would have heard about the “Tourists go Home” protests taking place in some major cities across Europe.
When it comes to all disagreements they are a tale of two sides; the only resolution to which lies in listening to both sides and understanding where each party is coming from.
Now when it comes to dealing with the current spate of anti-tourism marches there needs to be communication between both sides – open, honest communication with view to resolving the issues.
From listening to interviews with participants of anti-tourist marches, I don’t believe them to be all far-wing political groups wishing to nationalise their countries, I think the majority are people who just want to protect their country from excess pollution and want to preserve their current state of their national heritage sites.
That is an innately reasonable request. Don’t we all want the best for our home country and our tourist hot-spots?
What makes tourist hot-spots so great is that they are just that – a hot-spot that attracts thousands of people who are interested in what our countries have to offer – so it is reasonable that people would look to reserve them against the side-effects that come with thousands of tourists.
There are several parties here which seem to be the main causes for the frustration that has led to these protests: Airbnb, Cruise Ships, and the tourists themselves.
Airbnb
As someone who has used Airbnb multiple times and absolutely loves the idea I would biased and in favour of it.
When it comes to rising rent prices it us up to the local authorities to deal with rising rent and crackdown on unlicensed Airbnbs.
Those protesting shouldn’t be targeting their frustration at the tourists who are availing of a service – they should be geared at their elected officials who should monitor the rent of a given area and enforce rent controls.
Rent control is not a new idea and there has to be an admittance that Airbnb can be a challenge for a local community battling rising rents – but the solution does not lie in targeting the tourists who use the service – more so those who are renting out unlicensed houses and apartments.
As a capital city or tourist hot-spot increases in popularity so does the rent regardless of Airbnb. I think locals who are used to the area in which they live being historically quiet are starting to see a change in the popularity of their area and they may not like it.
Cheap flights to Europe’s other cities have seen a surge of tourism into these lesser known cities. A rise in tourism will see a rise in rents and cost of living.
The cost of this is often offset by the money tourism actually brings into the town but when it comes down to those who are established in certain cities, their frustration to increasing rent is understandable.
Again the answer of this lies at a political level and the blame is not for the tourists! Look at Barcelona which is cracking down on Airbnbs that had no licence by doubling the number of inspectors – this is a good step in the right direction because it protects both the tourist and the local rental market.
Cruise Ships
When it comes to cruise ships, again, if there is anything to change then it comes down to local politics. One way to tackle the problem is to close down the harbour and prevent cruise ships from docking at the bay.
This will get rid of what those protesting say there is – pollution from the cruise ships. But the locals must also realise that along with everyone they closed their shipping ports to, they also prevented a sizeable amount of money coming into their region.
Scientific research should be undertaken to examine the impact cruise ships have on a local area and if damage is being done then there should be practical measures taken.
Tourists
When the argument boils down to tourists themselves then there is an honus on both the traveller and the local.
Respect is the root of any complaint a local may have of a tourist.
We have all seen photos/videos of people, heard of stories of our friends, or maybe it was even ourselves who have fallen into fountains, or have done something on the same scale as that – whether intoxicated or not.
While it might seem like a bit of fun, it can come across to locals as disrespectful. While you mightn’t see any harm in it, you are only one of however many thousands of tourists these people have to do deal with – and I’m sure they’ve have to do deal with worse than people falling into a fountain.
Some of those protesting saw the likes of anti-social behaviour, public drunkenness together with urination and vomiting to be the biggest issue when it comes to the actual tourists themselves.
And again that is understandable, so where do we go from here?
Well the approach to this situation needs to be three tiered.
First, the local elected politicians need to listen to those protesting and see what their complaints are. Even the World Tourism Organisation – the UN agency responsible for promoting sustainable tourism – has called on local authorities to do more to manage the growth in tourism.
If there are areas of a city where public urination/vomiting is likely to happen, as a result of it being a popular spot for bars and nightclubs, then there perhaps should be free public toilets built so to avoid this situation. While this is just one solution to a specific problem it highlights that there needs to be a practical approach to their complaints.
There needs to be strong and effective tourism policies put in place that tackle key issues and will result in benefits for both the tourist and host coutnry.
The tourist themselves need to have a bit of cop-on. Be aware that certain places you visit might be stunning Architecture or historic monuments, but they could also be situated across the road for someone’s house.
So as conscientious tourists we need to ensure that we respect the places we travel to.
I’m not going to tell you to not get drunk in a foreign country but I would suggest you treat it like you are home. You wouldn’t want anyone shouting down the streets at night, vomiting on your doorstep, or urinating upon your house.
Plan a way home, have a local taxi number on your phone or make sure you have a MyTaxi app setup and linked to your card so there’s no issues when coming home.
I also think those protesting need to change their approach to these protests.
The message they’re sending, while possibly not meaning it, is a very nationalist approach; a tourist-phobia where tourists are not welcome and will be treated with hostility.
The symbols, signs, and chants said by the protesters can really turn off prospective travellers who are naturally conscientious travellers. People, like you and I, who wish to witness the natural beauty of a country or see an historic monument, will not travel to a place where they do not feel welcome.
It seems that these policies banning selfie-sticks and segways are just disgruntled efforts to deter tourists because that is what the locals see tourists as – a gaggle of selfie-obsessed people who don’t really care about where they are or the significance of the country they are in.
Those who look at these protests with disdain will be more than happy to remind Spain, Italy and other countries involved in these #TouristGoHome marches of the money that tourism brings into their respective countries.
It is naive of certain host cities to believe the wealth of their city would be where it is without tourism – local taxes, business and employment opportunities, and VAT from tourist purchases would be sorrily missed.
To have a blasé attitude towards a major source of income for your country is not only impractical it is also a mistake!
Local authorities need to get their act into gear and start enacting comprehensive tourism policies which protects everyone involved. Until then it is not impossible to believe that we will continue to see these protests continue throughout Europe.
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