4 popular holiday spots that hate tourists
Don't expect everywhere to welcome you with open arms…
Barcelona
In 2015, a poll of Barcelona residents found that they thought tourists were a bigger problem for the city than poverty. Ouch. But with an annual visitor count of almost 7.4 million (more than four times the city’s population) they may have a point. Mayor Ada Colau introduced strict policies in 2015 in an attempt to preserve the city’s identity, including a freeze on all licenses for new hotels and holiday rentals.
Berlin
The German capital has long been proud of its gritty reputation and underground subcultures. The problem is, lots of tourists wanted to see them too. Native Berliners started to worry that what made their city unique would be trampled under a horde of package tourists, so don’t be surprised to see anti-tourist graffiti or hostile signs in the window of some local pubs.
Kho Kai islands, Thailand
Thailand is one of Asia’s great destinations and popular with everyone from backpackers to families and retirees. But the pristine Kho Kai island group has had enough. Day trippers from nearby Phuket were damaging the fragile reef system and estimates suggest up to 80% has been seriously degraded. So in 2016, the environment was put first and day trips were banned.
Arlington, Texas
A recent survey of social media found that the Texan city of Arlington has the most hostile attitude towards tourists. Locals said some pretty unflattering things about tourists on their Twitter accounts, suggesting that a lot of visitors are really rubbing them the wrong way.
What can you do?
- Be respectful. This is their home, not some tourist theme park set up solely for your entertainment.
- Don’t expect everyone to speak English. To be even more considerate, learn a few basic phrases in the native language and use them whenever possible.
- Try to blend in. That means no ‘I Heart NY’ tshirts, no giant cameras swinging from your neck and (please) no bum bags.
- Don’t take photos of people without permission. How would you like it if someone walked up to you in a café at home and started snapping away?
Have you visited any of these popular destinations? How did you find the tourists?