While most places around the world welcome tourists with friendly arms, there are some that would rather tourists went elsewhere. According to a survey, there are eight destinations that are particularly fond of hating on tourists.
- Koh Khai islands, Thailand
The Koh Khai islands are home to beautiful coral and scenic beach views, however, as of May 2016; tourists have been banned from visiting the island because of the harm being done to the marine ecosystems and island environment. According to The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, up to 80 per cent of the coral reefs had been damaged, most likely due to the anchored boats and human activity.
- Bhutan
Bhutan, a region located near the Himalayas, is taking strict measures to ensure that the natural and cultural landscapes are not destroyed by tourism.
Since opening its doors to tourists in 1974, Bhutan has maintained its policy of ‘high value, low impact tourism’. If you are keen to visit, each day there will set you back approximately $332 in visas and fees!
- Barcelona, Spain
The city’s mayor is no fan of tourism, citing Venice in her comment that Barcelona may turn into a “cheap souvenir shop”, and freezing licences for new hotels and rental apartments.
Airbnb have been given a hefty fine of €30,000 (AUD $45108.83). The news is that to reduce visitor numbers, the mayor proposes introducing a tourist tax.
- Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Tourism is killing the cities, according to Amsterdam Marketing’s chief executive Frans van der Avert. So many people are visiting Amsterdam that the city’s marketing team doesn’t even bother with campaigns, they want the tourists to back off!
“We want people who are interested in the city, not who want it as a backdrop for a party,” Frans told.
“We see lots of visitors with no respect for the character of the city” He said, adding in that low cost airlines like RyanAir are part of the problem!”
- Various onsen, Japan
The Onsen, Japan’s natural hot springs, are of high appeal to tourists flocking to the country. However, the Onsen can cause a bit of a problem for visitors with tattoos.
Tattoos are still not widely accepted in Japanese culture, and so it is not uncommon for onsen to ban visitors with tattoos, or at least require them to be covered up. Tattoos mean different things to people across countries and cultures, where they are embraced or hold intrinsic value.
As tourism increases, so does this issue of visible tattoos and requirements that may contravene people’s values.
- Santorini, Greece
Santorini is famous for its stunning cliffside villages that overlook the alluring landscape of the Mediterranean sea. However, it seems that too many people are wanting to take in the breathtaking scenery, and so in 2016, Greece put a cap of 8,000 cruise ship visitors.
- Cinque Terre, Italy
Cinque Terre have had enough of the influx of tourists visiting the small UNESCO World Heritage Site. Last year’s summer, the fishing villages had a whopping 2.5 million visitors. In response, Cinque Terre have decided that there will be 1.5 million visitors at a time via a ticketing system.
- Arlington, Texas
Looks like Arlington residents didn’t keep quiet on Twitter about their dislike for tourists. Statos Jets, a private air charter have analysed more than 37,000 geotagged tweets about tourists, and found Arlington folk were the most hostile
