tourism

Tourism of juice and sandwich expands through the Basque Country French

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“I had never seen so many people doing picnic on the beach!” The phrase is from Sébastien Meric, manager of the Taverne Basque, a restaurant of Saint-Jean-de-Luzin Nueva Aquitaine (France), and although a priori it may seem a positive comment hides a feeling that worries the hoteliers of this village of the Atlantic Pyrenees as well as those of Other destinations From Spain: they arrive (almost) as many tourists as in 2024, but they think about it much more when it comes to their portfolios. And that is a problem. What happened? That with the summer campaign already advanced, the hoteliers of San Juan de Luz, a small commune of France famous for its traditional beaches, port and architecture, recognize having a bittersweet taste. It is not so much that tourists have stopped visiting the town and that they no longer do it with the same joy. So I know They recognized A few professionals recently to the newspaper Sud Ouestto which they admit their concern about what is promised a “mediocre” summer. Why’s that? To start because Julio has left a puncture in the influx of tourists. According to the Departmental Tourism Agency of the Atlantic Pyrenees, last month the flow of visitors in the Basque Country French descended -1%a fall that was even more pronounced if we talk about overnight (-4%). In the whole of the Atlantic Pyrenees the demand remained stable (+1%) thanks in part to a warmer and dry meteorology of the usual. Sud Ouest Precise That, according to the Julio Tourist Barometer, San Juan de Luz lost about 55,000 visitors, a fall that is largely related to the lower influx of visitors from other parts of Europe with respect to last year (Dutch, Spanish or Germans) but also from travelers from other regions of the country itself, such as Paris or the department of Hauts-de-Seine. From the City of San Juan de Luz, this decline in visitors, which relate to circumstantial factors, reduces importance in any case. “Time has been unpredictable and beaches have been closed by jellyfish,” Clarify The organism, “it is better to wait at the end of summer to draw conclusions.” Is there anything else? Yes. And that is perhaps the most interesting idea than comment The hoteliers of the region A Sud Ouest. Beyond the fluctuations in the influx of travelers, the really curious thing is that businesses perceive a contraction in spending. “Before we made a lobster barbecue per 100 euros, now we make chuletones with blue cheese sauce for three times,” confesses a restaurant, recalling that this is the second summer that does not meet expectations. “Last year we thought it was for the Olympic Games or Bayonne partieswhich coincide with those of Pamplona, ​​but this year is the same. ” detects New habits among veraneantes. “I had never seen so many people doing picnic on the beach!” A third place specifies that this year has encountered an “excess template.” And what is the reason? The big question. The Agite Du Tourism 64 perceive “For the first time in many years” a decrease in the influx of customers with a high level of income (-2%) in the French Basque Country, a trend that the organism believes compensated by an increase in equal extent of the middle-class clientele. The regional press points out other hypotheses, such as a decrease in the purchasing power of tourists or the changes in the legislation that regulates tourist floors. The New standard It puts certain limits to holiday rentals of second residences, which limits their offer and forces tourists to use hotels in which the average price per night in high season, slides Sud Ouestcan perfectly be around 170 euros. A higher expense in the accommodation would leave visitors (especially families) with less margin when it comes to allowing other extras during their vacations, such as meals or dinners in restaurants. Why is it important? Although Saint-Jean-de-Luz is located in France his data and especially the testimony of his hoteliers are interesting because they show us another perspective of tourism. One that is not exclusive to Atlantic Pyrenees. He last balance The INE reveals a considerable rise in the total spending of international tourists (+5.5%) and the average daily expenditure, but in some regions there are also hoteliers who have alerted a billing drop. They did recently in Diario de Mallorcathe hoteliers of Port de Sóller, in Mallorca, where they have detected a puncture of the demand in full high season. “We have gone from not having workers to overcome us,” admits the owner of two restaurants that he has had to do without employees. “This is a rebound effect after the madness after Covid. We return to the situation we had before the pandemic, but with much narrower margins.” Images | Tourisme Pays Basque Office (Flickr) and Cylk34 (Flickr) In Xataka | The north of Spain has been complaining about mass tourism for years. Asturias has discovered the bitter consequences of losing it

In 2015 Scotland launched a route to revitalize highlands through tourism. Ten years later they have a problem

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The story dates back to 2015. Those who know the details that with the support of the then Prince Carlos already through the North Highland Initiativean ambitious project was launched to economically reactivate remote highlands from northern Scotland. To that route the They called North Coast 500but they did not measure the impact it was going to have an “old acquaintance”. The birth of myth. He project A very clear lines had a decade ago. On the basis of existing roads, a circular route of 830 kilometers with start and end in Inverness, conceived as a Scottish version of the mythical American Route 66 Route. The promise It was double: To energize the economy of small forgotten locations and offer the traveler an unforgettable experience between castles, abrupt coasts and virgin landscapes. In their early years, the numbers confirmed success: a 26% increase in visits to tourist information centers and up to 30% in local attractions. In 2018, a study calculated that the route generated more than 22 million pounds per year For the region. That comes tourism … mass. Success, however, brought consequences unwanted. The massive arrival of caravans, motorhomes, sports cars and motorcycles overflowed precarious roads and little prepared peoples, turning them into a sound hell. What was initially presented as an economic impulse ended up being perceived by many residents such as An invasion: Prairies razed by barbecues, paths turned into improvised toilets and fragile ecosystems, such as the habitats of Atlantic Frailecillos, disturbed by reckless tourists. The route Untenable. The lack of basic infrastructure (parking lots, toilets, wastewater discharge points) derived from garbage spills and human waste in private properties and in constant interference in those fragile habitats such as those of the frailecillos. The accidents increasedaggravated by visitors little accustomed to a single lane roads or to the fact of driving on the left. In fact, the official data They show a rebound of serious collisions caused by American tourists. Meanwhile, the mythical port of Bealach Mountain Na Bàwith its curves closed to more than 600 meters high, it became a dangerous funny for Motorhomes oversized. The massive tourism paradox. The prosperity provided by the NC500 is unquestionable: thousands of Linked jobs to tourism and the rescue of rural business that would otherwise have disappeared. Accommodation owners recognize that without the route their companies would not have survived, especially after the pandemic. But that economic bonanza lives with the perception of an authentic “Seasonal invader” that alters the rhythm of life of the communities. Daily coexistence with caravans parked in the windows of the houses, rallies at high speed or campists carving trees to make fire has fed an increasing discomfort, channeled in Facebook groups such as NC500 The Dirty Truth. For many, the brand has become Hostage of large companies that explode it without responsible for cultural and environmental damages. Local and future responses. The situation has led to the NC500 already appears on the blacklist of Fodor’s Travel destinations, which He advises it for “unsustainable popularity.” Given this, authorities and promoters try to recover balance with campaigns Like Press Pausewhich seeks that the communities themselves decide how to promote their territory, and with the hiring of rangers that patrol and educate tourists. The company NC500 LTD. has introduced In addition a “traveler commitment” on its website, with More than 4,000 signaturesto promote environmental and social respect. However, the background It is complex: How to make the appeal of a route that has placed north of Scotland on the world map with the need to preserve its identity, its nature and the daily life of its inhabitants? The Highlands dilemma. If you want too, The NC500 Encarna a global dilemma which we have spoken a lot: the tension between the economic benefit of mass tourism and the erosion of what makes it desirable. In this case, the risk is that the “last wild border” of Scotland becomes a saturated showcase, unable to support either its visitors or its communities. For some stores, the answer goes through Limit the flow of tourists and reinforce infrastructure. For others, for accepting that the Highlands culture It will inevitably change under the weight of international tourism. Between the enthusiasm of the business and the frustration of the residents, the NC500 remains an uncomfortable mirror: a dream of rural development that threatens to destroy what made it possible, the majestic serenity of some lands that everyone now wants to travel. Yeah William Wallace looked up would not give credit. Image | Fabian to Scherschel, Lauren Friedman, ThincatNC500 The Dirty Truth In Xataka | After expanding throughout the planet, touristification has reached Antarctica. And it is already taking its toll In Xataka | Decades ago the cities of Europe joined to capture tourists. Today they allied to the opposite: throw them out

If someone believed that national tourism had entered “crisis” this summer, Aena has something to say: at all

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If Google and Deloitte give in the nail, in a few years Spain will be the great resort of the world. According to Your calculations In 2040 the country will receive around 110 million foreign visitors, even exceeding France or the US. Until then every summer is a fire test for national tourism. This in particular there are voices that already suggest A slowdown in destinations as relevant as Tenerife wave Costa del Sol. There is still a lot of campaign ahead to know if it will be so, but for now AENA’s data show a quite different photo. What suggests His July balance It is a record summer. What happened? That Aena has just published A balance of passengers that are especially interesting for two reasons. The first, because it offers us the ‘photo’ of July, the first strong month of the summer campaign. The second reason is that these figures point to a considerable increase in displacements, which clashes with The voices that over the last weeks They have detected signals of weakening in Spanish tourism, at least In certain regions. Aena’s report does not differentiate between those who move for vacations or other reasons, such as work, studies or to visit relatives. Nor does it distinguish between national and foreign passengers. In any case, another interesting approach provides to take the temperature to the tourism sector in July. 10 main airports July passengers % with respect to 2024 Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas 6,170,130 +0.6% Barcelona-El Prat Jt 5,540,010 +2.9% Palma de Mallorca 4,594,987 -0.1% Malaga-Costa del Sol 2,866,642 +7.8% Alicante-Elche Miguel Hdez. 2.106,991 +5.9% Ibiza 1,446,589 +0.9% Gran Canaria 1,286,184 +6.4% Valencia 1,132,402 +4.2% Tenerife-Sur 1,094,961 +1.4% Lanzarote-César Manrique 798,998 +7.3% Total Aena’s network in Spain 32,765,284 +2.7% What do the data say? That July 2025 was a month of record. The network of terminals managed by AENA on Spanish soil accounted for 32.76 million of travelers. The number of flights amounted to 268,034. They are, respectively, 2.7% and 3.1% more than during the same period of 2024 and mark a milestone in the historical registry of the group. “Passenger and operations figures represent an absolute monthly record, which makes last July the best month in history at the airports of the Aena network in Spain,” concrete The operator. Is there more data? Yes. In the report AENA does not detail why users, their destinations fly or if they are national or foreign travelers, but it does require how traffic has evolved in their airports. At the head in absolute terms, Barajas is located, in Madrid, with 6.17 million travelers in July. The most interesting thing, however, are not the total figures of users, but how they have evolved compared to July 2024, a record year For Spanish tourism. He passenger flow Barajas for example grew 0.6% and Barcelona-the Prat 2.9%. In general, the airports of the country’s main tourist destinations experienced an increase in activity in July. In that of Malaga-Costa del Sol, the flow of travelers shot 7.8%, in Alicante 5.9%, in Ibiza 0.9%, in Gran Canaria 6.4%, in Tenerife South 1.4%and in Tenerife North 8.6%. Of course not everyone grew. ‘Palma’s airfield, where the passenger transfer fell 0.1%, Santiago, who suffered a 12.4%cut, or Santander and Vigo, which scored setbacks of 0.6%and 6.5%, respectively. Are they high data? Yes. Both in fact that some terminals have pulverized their historical maximums. “During the past month there has been an absolute record of passengers at the airports of Barajas, El Prat, Malaga-Costa del Sol, Alicante, Valencia, Bilbao and Tenerife Norte-Ciudad de la Laguna”, They clarify from Aenawhich also specifies that there are 16 airfields that have registered their best July. Why is it important? For several reasons. The main one because in summer a good part of the displacements are by leisure, which gives us another brushstroke to understand how the tourist season marches. The second reason is that Aena’s figures collide in part with others Shared by the hoteliers that suggest a summer with less activity and income than in 2024. The Association of Hotel Entrepreneurs of the Costa del Sol (AEHCOS) I noticed recently That July occupation levels were very similar to those of 2024 (87.82%, 1.16% above last year) but came accompanied by less income: the gross impact per customer fell according to their calculations from 198.61 to 157.18 euros. Facing August, the group expects the average occupation to be 4.57 percentage points lower than that of 2024, so it would stay at 88.32%. Are there more falls? Yes. The one on the Costa del Sol is not the only message that points to a less generous summer campaign than that of 2024. The Tenerife press It echoed These days that the establishments integrated in Ashotel closed Julio with an average occupancy level of 81.97% in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. It is a high percentage that also improves the forecast of reservations that hoteliers handled in mid -June, but still almost two percentage points below July 2024. In Palma de Mallorca the employer speaks Not so much a fall in the flow of tourists as if of the spending in hospitality. What is the conclusion? Touch wait. Soon the INE will publish another interesting clue to take the temperature of the tourist campaign: its statistics of Hotel situation. At the moment the last available data, of June, reflects a 2.1% increase in overnight stays and an increase in both the occupancy level and, above all, in the rates. Waiting for the tourist balance to be outlined and knowing if Spain will finally reach this year the milestone of the 100 million tourists foreigners, there are some clear trends. The main is that the Spanish sector grows largely thanks to the flow of foreign visitors. Aena’s data does not allow to know if July passengers are Spanish or travelers from other countries, but we know that in 2024 foreign demand played A fundamental role In the balance of hotels. 7.5% grew … Read more

A small town in Holland has the solution to mass tourism: to fool Google Maps

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Mass tourism has unable consequences for residents. Recently we talked about the Avalanche of tourists who go to the lavender fields in Brihuega. In the Parkbuurt neighborhood, located in a small coastal town in Holland, they also have problems with tourism. Specifically because, in the most influx days, it is impossible for them to park. The neighbors have got to work to solve it with a very ingenious method. Fed up neighbors. Parking in Parkbuurt was not a problem until tourists arrived. Especially on weekends, its streets are filled with cars and neighbors, fed up with not being able to park normally, as they say in NH News. What they did was start reporting street blockages on Google Maps so that the app sending visitors to other areas. Google Maps to Rescue. It is the navigation app most used in the world And its function to report incidents on the road makes it perfect for this type of actions. A single report would not take effect, but with neighbors organizing to send reports at the same time the thing changes. The streets of the neighborhood appear as cut in the app and that makes visitors go to other areas. Answer. The trick has worked for them, but it has had some unwanted effects. Gert-Jan Bluijs, councilor of the municipality, is not funny and ensures that this measure has generated more chaos in other adjacent neighborhoods. The neighbors defend themselves from criticism ensuring that it is a peaceful measure that only apply on weekends, during the week they were not applying it. They see it as a way of exerting pressure to do something from the City Council. At the moment, what the City Council has done is to place a sign at the entrance of the town asking visitors to deactivate Google Maps. More cases. It is not the first time that similar tactics are used to combat tourist saturation. A few months ago something similar also happened in Holland, near the area of the Keukenhof Tulipanes gardens. This same year, we knew that Barcelona had eliminated a Google Maps bus route so that tourists would not collapse it. The result was good in that bus line, but others collapsed. The other face. We have seen that navigation apps can be a tool to divert traffic, but they can also be the cause of the problem. Years ago we told you how Waze’s suggestions ruined the tranquility of some neighborhoods. The app, now GOOGLE PROPERTYsuggests faster routes and diverts traffic through streets that used to be little busy. In Xataka | Iceland is so tired of tourism that it has decided to stop it drastically: fringing its visitors Image | Rudi Arlt in Pixabay

The Valencian Community has a single inhabited island. And when summer comes tourism is the slightest of its problems

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Tabarca is a special island for many reasons. By its sizejust 1,800 meters long, a few hundred meters wide and an area of 0.3 km2. For its condition of Only inhabited island from the Valencian Community, although its census barely goes from half a hundred of neighbors. And for the particular situation that lives in the tourist stage of the Costa Blanca. Although in summer Tabarca receives thousands of visitors a day, its main problem with tourism is not the massification but The deficiencies suffering from the archipelago and worsens with the arrival of heat. Tabarca is a unique island. And not always for good. In a place in Alicante … Tabarca is a small island on the Alicante coast, located scarce Eight kilometers from the port of Santa Pola. And the “little” is more than justified. The island is around 0.3 km2 and the entire archipelago barely passes from 1,800 m long and 400 wide, which can travel from top to bottom in A small walk. Its size and their population, of just over fifty people (According to the INE There are 34 men and 25 women censored there) they make it an exceptional case. It often presents itself as The only one Populated Island of the Valencian Community and The smallest of the country with permanent population. Its location, beaches and landscapes also make it something else: a busy destination in summer. A figure: 10,000. One thing is the autumn tabarca, winter and the principle of spring and a very different summer tabarca. When the heat arrives, the island becomes a defendant destination. Both in fact that the transfer of bathers and families multiplies exponentially. Some estimates talk that in summer peak days exceed 5,000 visitors. Others raise it to 10,000. It is good for one or another figure, in October that translates into a tourist pressure that far exceeds its register. The figures handled by the local press do not always coincide, but are equally blunt. Some estimates point to more than 150,000 visitors during the summer months or even 230,000 Throughout the year. The influx of tourists also concentrates on a Very concrete season: The drip begins towards Holy Week, with the arrival of retirees of the Imserso, continues among the ends of spring and the beginning of summer with the schoolchildren and intensifies in the warmest months with visitors attracted by the beaches. Is it a problem? The tide of tourists has sneaked into the public debate of Alicante, with Voices in favor to control access to the island and apply “limits to the number of visitors” daily, a measure that already applies in other parts of the country, such as in the CIES, in Galicia. At least a year ago the Almeria City Council It was not shown However, too supportive of afor and restrictions. Others bet on DestationalizeThe demand for the bulk of tourism not to concentrate in the summer months. “The island needs a more balanced approach that considers not only beach tourism, but also ecotourism and cultural tourism, which can help distribute the load of visitors more uniformly during the year,” he said In 2024 Alejandro Triviño, from the University of Alicante, to Information. In his favor Tabarca has more than beaches. It is considered Marine reserve Since 1986 and enjoys an interesting story that links it to Berber pirates and Genoese fishermenin addition to A rich heritage which includes The wall or the Church of San Pedro and San Pablo. Something more than massification. However, the big problem of Tabarca is not the massive influx of visitors, but how they arrive and what they are once land. I explained it yesterday The country in An article Remember that the main challenge of the island in tourism is the deficiencies that it drags, a few deficiencies is that they become even more visible when the heat comes. “The problem is not tourists,” Recognize to the Diario Carmen Martí, president of the neighborhood association. “We need a comprehensive plan that condition the island for inhabitants and visitors.” The reason? In summer Tabarca receives a tide of travelers willing to spend the day on their coasts, but unlike what happens in other Arenales of Alicante, on the island –Martí complaint– They do not have some basic services. “Public toilets, shadow areas, tourist attractions such as the church or the vaults of the wall are closed, the tower is in ruins …” insists The neighborhood leader before adding one more task to the list: regulate displacements and a public transport service. “How 40 years ago”. Martí is not the only one who thinks like that. The owner of one of the island’s restaurants Recognize to The country That Tabarca has gone from being a small community that basically lived from fishing to a hyper tourist destination, but that transformation has not come accompanied by changes that make it more assumed for the locals. “Many people come and we are like 40 years ago,” Reflect. “We need a larger port, to separate the tourist from goods ships and more cultural activity so that the visit is not only sun and beach.” The list of resident requests is wide. They talk about transport, pricing disparity with which visitors are and the cost assumed by those who work on the island, of public services as basic as medical assistance or public spaces (picnic or even shadow areas) in which visitors can protect themselves during the warmer afternoons of the summer. Is it something new? No. It comes a quick search to verify that the complaints of the neighbors are not new. A year ago, during An interview In Onda Cero, Martín explained that the Island supports a tourist pressure similar to that of “any tourist area of ​​the Peninsula”. “The problem is that it is not prepared to welcome with guarantees the numerous visitors who agglomerate mainly during the months of July and August,” warns the representative of the neighbors, who regrets that “the impression that … Read more

Spain has its own Mykonos. And share with her something more than the coast and the wrapped houses: mass tourism

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Its wrapped houses, terraces, alleys and landscapes of the Mediterranean coast earned him Binibeca Vell The nickname “Mykonos Español”but over time this small town in Menorca has ended looking to the famous island of the cycles for another different reason: the Tourist saturation. As is the case in the Greek destiny, The town It fills every summer of thousands of visitors, an avalanche that is not always easy to fit in the routine of its neighbors. Hence they have decided to take action. A Spanish Mykonos? Yes. In fact, this informal title is disputed by several locations in the country, such as Frigilianain Malaga, or The Moorish Isletin Almería. Both stand out for their low houses of enchanted facades, narrow alleys, terraces and coastal landscapes bathed by the light of the Mediterranean. Exactly the same as Binibeca Vella small urbanization located in the south of Menorca, within the municipality of Sant Lluís. Its landscapes have made time win the nickname “Mykonos Menorquín” and a hole on the websites of the travel agencies, Blogs And even in The promotion of the Balearic institutions. What is its origin? Binibeca is not only known as “Mykonos de Baleares”. The locals also usually refer to it as “fishing village”, although in reality its origin has little to do with the people who make a living in the Mediterranean. The settlement is located in an old sailor shelter, but what we see today rose in the early 1960s as a residential urbanization driven by the rigger Antonio Sintes and the architect Corsini beardwho were inspired by Greece. The result is a picturesque populated with white houses glued to each other, 165 constructions distributed by an built surface of about 8,000 square meters located in a privileged environment, just in front of the sea. The Binibeca owners community stands out Another of its peculiarities: the settlement is “an urbanization”, “a private property” in which it is the residents themselves who are responsible for paying a fee for the maintenance of the area. And do tourists receive? Yes. Many. The community of owners ensures that in recent years visits “have increased significantly” to overcome the 800,000 annuallya considerable fact if one takes into account that in the area they reside just 200 people And during the winter months that figure is minimized. Maybe this disproportion between the number of residents and the great flow of visitors, but makes enough sense. To start with the tourist success of the Balearic Islands in General and Menorca in particular, which receives each year hundreds of thousands of tourists. Secondly, due to the visibility and promotion of the town, both in the networks and through Agencies, Forums And even Balearic institutions. “If you put the Menorca word on Instagram, of every 10 images that appear, three are from Binibeca Vell,” assured last year to The country Óscar Monge, president of the community of owners. What is coexistence like? If the neighbors of Mykonos island know something (the authentic, the one located in the cycles) is that living in a Mediterranean paradise is not always simple. On the website of the urbanization the residents themselves They recognize That the avalanche of tourists has a direct effect in its day to day, “complicating coexistence.” “Port adventure looks like, but they at least charge you the entrance,” summarize Monge. In practice that translates into dealing with tourists eager to achieve the best Selfie They do not hesitate to sneak into a private terrace to get it. “Tourists touch everything. One of our neighbors has many plants in pots and tourists move them to get a better photo. They sit in chairs in private porches,” explained a few months ago to The Telegraph one of the inhabitants of the urbanization. “They speak very high and the noise resonates because the town is small and closed. They sit on the stairs and, when the owner asks them to move, they refuse because they want to get the perfect photo.” And what have they done? Move token. That Binibeca is a private urbanization with a community of owners, not a real town of fishermen, makes its residents face tourist saturation with a different approach to that of other Balearic residents. Last year The community decreed that would allow visits only in a certain time slot, during the day. The rest of the time the space would remain closed with chains with notices. In The urbanization website A small plane can be consulted in which the visible areas, passage areas and the visiting schedule are detailed, restricted from 10.00 to 22.00 h. There are also certain guidelines for visitors: they are silent, keep the environment clean, not take photos for commercial purposes or inside the houses and, of course, that they do not enter into private homes or feel on the terraces. “When you visit us remember that you have entered a private property and you must respect the privacy of the neighbors,” They underline. Is there more? Yes. In 2023 the community and the Consell de Menorca reached a pact to lighten tourist pressure on the town, which passed among other issues to regulate the arrival of buses or help in the conservation of the area. The agreement It was not renewed However and a year ago the community threatened to go further and Vote the total closure From urbanization to tourism, a drastic measure because the flow of tourists is key to the businesses located in the area. “We pay expensive to be the most popular tourist attraction of Menorca”, Monge lamented. “Binibeca is promoted by the island administration and tourism companies, but what benefit do we get from it? We have nothing against tourism, but sometimes it seems that we live in Disneyland.” Their complaints of 2024 have served for the moment to promote a change in tourists, among which they appreciate (except exceptions) an attitude “a bit more moderate.” And what do they plan to do? A few days ago residents shared with … Read more

Spain has been an untouchable power of Mediterranean tourism for years. A country steps on your heels: Türkiye

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With tourism recovering (and even overcoming) the pulse I had before the pandemic, Spain is not the only country that seeks break records and crowned at the top of the podium of international destinations. About 2,500 kilometers from the Iberian Peninsula there is another country, also bathed in the Mediterranean, with a powerful offer of beaches, culture, heritage and gastronomy that struggles for Get a hole in it World top 3 of tourism, a select club now basically reserved to France, Spain and the US. Which? Türkiye. All this accompanied, of course, of a powerful flow of billions of dollars in income for the sector. A for the Top 3. Türkiye is determined to increase at the top of the world tourism ranking. He left it Of course in April his minister of the branch, Mehmet Nuri Ersoyduring a forum organized in Eruzurum, northwest of the country: “In 2024 we managed to become one of the four largest tourist economies in the world, but we will not stop there. Our goal is to be among the first three countries in tourism.” Same message He movedThese days Mehmet İşler, vice president of the Turkish Hotel Federation (Türofed), insisting that the “objective” of the sector is to turn the nation into “one of the three main” powers in the sector. “We have gone from being an affordable holiday destination to be a recognized tourist center,” He claimed in statements collected by Hürriyet Daily Newsthe oldest newspaper in Türkiye. How many tourists do they receive? According to The data Disseminated by his Ministry of Tourism and Culture, in 2024 Türkiye received 62.3 million visitors who translated into income from value of 61.1 billion of dollars. The figure however has a “but”: those 62.3 million include both the 52.6 million of international tourists who passed through the country during the year as the nearly 10 million Turks residing abroad and visited their homeland. The nuance does not mean that the trend of international tourism has been clearly positive in Türkiye. Those 52.6 million foreign visitors suppose A historical record and Improve 9% The result of 2023. The rise also moved to the money generated by the sector: the 61.1 billion dollars registered by the Turkish Statistical Institute (Tüik) reflect an year -on -year increase of 8.3%. And how is 2025? The year has also started with the occasional joy for the Turkish industry, although with nuances. The income flow grew 5.6% during the first quarter to place in 9,450 million Of dollars, but the general balance of visitors was not so good: it stayed at 6.7 million foreign tourists, 5% less than last year. The objectives for this year are ambitious, according to Hürriyet Daily: reach 65 million visitors and shoot the billing at 64,000 million dollars. Expanding the photo. To appreciate the growth of Turkish tourism, however, to take perspective and follow its evolution over the last years. He Historical record De Türsab show that in 2017 the country received around 32.4 million foreign visitors. In 2024 they were 52.6 millionso the increase was 62% in less than a decade. In cash and sound money, that boom resulted in an increase even greater of income Climbing in the ranking. Thanks to this growth Türkiye sneaked first in the Top 10 of the great international destinations and climbed positions in that table. The World Population Review website places it in The sixth place In 2024, behind France, Spain, USA, China and Italy. In other classifications (2023) occupies the fifth. It would actually be various criteria When ordering destinations, such as the flow of international travelers, the weight of the tourism sector or the volume of income. During Your intervention In Erzurum, Ersoy claimed that Turkey managed World Tourism Organizationhe trusted to be fourth in 2024. Important how much … and where. The growth of Turkish tourism does not respond only to the attractiveness of Istanbul or Capadocia, its landscape and gastronomy or the government’s commitment to boost the sector. 2024 data show that it has managed to become strong in certain key markets, such as Russian or Iranian. The first, who now see their flights to Europe for The answer From the West to the war in Ukraine, they grew 6% to add 6.7 million of travelers, almost 13% of the total. Iran received about 3.2 million tourists, 31% more than the previous year. Other key markets were the German, the second main issuing market, with 6.6 millionthe British (4.4 million) or the Bulgarians (2.9), also of course from the Turkish citizens who live outside the country and fly to visit their nation. In 2024 they touched the 10 million. In the first three months of the year the demand punctured in the Russian, German and Iranian markets, so Türsab trusts in alleviating its fall with China, Germany or the United Kingdom. The figures import (all). Turkey tourist emerge is interesting because it has not only translated into more visitors. That trend has come accompanied by greater income flow in a country that, Recognize Ersoyit has been proposed to “prioritize quality over quantity”. “The objective is not only to increase the number of visitors, but go to tourists with high expenses not related to accommodation.” For now, 2025 would have started with an increase in almost 5% In the average spending per traveler. And how does Spain affect? Spain and Türkiye may be separated by thousands of kilometers, but in a way they point to the same markets thanks to their heritage offer, Sun and beach. Although their sector drinks largely from Russian and Iranian markets, Turkish hotels have attracted an intense flow of German and British travelers, very relevant markets for Spanish tourism. Only in 2024 both countries added 20% of foreign demand. Turkish growth in those key points could threaten that of Spain, which It goes now Towards the barrier of 100 million of foreign travelers. In his favor Türkiye has another great asset: prices. Although the fees of their hotels … Read more

The US feared a boycott of its tourism sector. It already has a first calculation and shows a hole of 12.5 billion dollars

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He “Make America Great Again” promises get expensive To the American tourism industry. Fulfilled the first 100 days of Trump’s mandate and after a start of the year marked by the Tariff warthe aggressive immigration policy from Washington and his distancing from historical allies, such as Canada or the EU, US tourism faces turbulence. He last report of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), based in London, predict that distrust From foreign travelers it will cost the country around 12.5 billion dollars. And the figure goes with a message included. “This is a US government attention call”, warns The WTTC. What happened? That the WTTC, a forum that brings together the private tourism industry, has just thrown a jug of cold water at the expectations of the sector in the US. And the reason is very simple: according to the forecasts of its technicians the travel, hotels, restaurants and other businesses that depend on tourism will enter much less dollars out of foreign pockets. To be more precise the WTTC talks about a loss of about $ 12.5 billion in foreign visitors spending, an “amazing sum”, Apostille. Where does that data come from? The organism does not clarify how it has calculated it, but it does contribute some context. According to your data In 2024 international visitors who arrived in the US spent about 181,000 million dollars. If its forecasts are fulfilled, in 2025 the figure will remain in “just under 169,000 million”. It is a forecast that could vary if the circumstances that have motivated that collapse of spending, but a priori leaves two bad readings. The first is an interannual fall of almost 7%. The second is that the US tourism industry moves away from the data it handled in 2019, before the pandemic. He WTTC calculates that during that year foreign visitors generated a revenue flow of about 217.4 billion euros that promoted job creation in the country. “Today that legacy is in danger,” warns the organism in A statement in which he sends a couple of errands to Donald Trump’s executive. Why is it important? For the weight of tourism in the American economy and the threats it faces. The US is one of the main destinations of the world. His trade department estimates that last year he received some 72.4 million of international visitors who contributed to the tourism and travel sector contributing, as a whole, 2.36 billion of dollars to the national economy and generate more than 20 million jobs. The administration itself benefits from this activity via tax revenues. The problem is that the vast majority of that tourist expense (almost 90%) It did not start with visitors from other countries but from the domestic market, of travelers who moved nationwide, within the country. For the WTTC that percentage is somewhat a challenge. “This strong dependence on local tourism masks a serious vulnerability: true growth resides in the international market, and the US is losing its leadership,” They warn. Spain leaves a good example: the flow of foreign tourists moves in record levels while falls The domestic. Is there anything else? Yes. WTTC forecasts contradict those who handled It is not so much The US National Travel and Tourism Office (NTOO), which expected the flow of international visitors to the US to increase 6.5% between 2024 and 2025 to reach 77.1 million. In 2026 he even trusted to reach 85 million, which would exceed the data prior to the pandemic. By 2027 it provided for an expense level of 279,000 million Of dollars, quite above what the WTTC now forecasts for this year. Are all forecasts? No. The study of the WTCC cites data from March of the US Department of Commerce that already reveal a contraction in the flow of international tourists. Specifically, it shows an interannual “prick” of 15% in the British market, of more than 28% in Germany, almost 15% in South Korea and between 24 and 33% in “other key markets”, such as Colombia or Spain. “As expected, the Canadian market is exhausted: reserves in early summer have dropped more than 20% compared to last year,” Add the WTTCwhich ensures that in general the country is receiving fewer visitors from both its neighbors and distant nations, “a clear indicator that the global attractiveness of the United States decreases.” The agency ensures that it is the only destination of the 184 analyzed that faces the 2025 exercise with a downward forecast. And what is the reason? The newspaper The New York Times remember That in 2024 the spending of travel in the US already remained below the values ​​prior to the health crisis, basically due to the strength of the dollar and its influence on the budgets of tourists from other countries. The situation is quite different today. Both in regard to The currency as to the geopolitical context, which explains for the WTTC what is happening to foreign tourism in the United States. “The world’s largest economy and tourism is on a bad way, not due to lack of demand, but action. While other nations extend the red welcome carpet, the US government hangs the ‘closed’ poster, closed ‘, Julia Simpson ditchExecutive Director of the WTTC. “If urgent measures are not taken to restore travelers’ confidence, the US could take several years to return to the expenditure levels of international visitors prior to the pandemic.” Is it something unforeseen? Not quite. The tariff war, Washington’s clash with Denmark, Canada or Mexico and especially arrests In the borders and the confusion with visas It has been affecting the flow of travelers to the United States for some time. In fact there is talk of A boycott that extends beyond tourism, industry and Commerce. The US International Trade Administration already registered in March that the number of European visitors who spent at least one night in the country had fallen 17% With respect to last year. The data could be explained in part for the effect of Holy Week … Read more

Mr. Beast has brought his extreme tourism videos inside the Mayan ruins in Mexico. That is a problem for ruins

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Mrbeast It is the most important youtuber and followed in the world, and virtually any idea it has to generate content in its channel becomes a trend. Millionaire contests, spectacular challenges, philanthropic maneuvers … and now, adventure tourism. One of his last adventures has been to pass One hundred hours in an old Mayan temple two thousand years old. It is an idea with a peculiar dark side. One night in the temple. In the video we can see how Mrbeast wanders inside several Mayan pyramids, among other Chichén Itzá. Accompanied by an native guide, which reinforces its promotional character for the powerful tourism business in Mexico, sleeps in the jungle, and can touch funeral masks of the kings buried in the area. A privilege that is not at the scope of any tourist. A superstar. With almost 400 million followers and more than 82,000 million visualizations, no one doubts that Mrbeast is The most important youtuber in the world. The average video display on its channel is about 100 million, although it already has many exceeding 200. The income of your channel They can exceed four million dollars, not counting sponsorships or agreements. An authentic icon of the platform that is largely responsible for the spectacularization of Influencers: Always looking for the most extreme challenge, the most shocking image and the most unexpected trip. The spectacularization of YouTube. This spectacularization of the content is very clear in the titles of its last videos: ‘Would you risk drowning for $ 500,000?‘, I survived 7 days in an abandoned city, I survived the 5 most mortal places on earth… It is a radicalization of the content that is not only in the subject, but in the visual: climbing assemblies, a lot of noise and screams, many careers, a dynamic that stuns and that Keep the spectator dopamine by the clouds. Extreme tourism. Mrbeast exploits a new form of telematic tourism that is hooking millions of viewers by making these trips to remote places, often giving them an adventurous narrative: these trips are often linked to extreme challenges or tests, and have turned tourism into an experience that can be digitally consumed. For example, a few months ago we talked about Fabio Belnome and his trip in a 1998 Fiat to Japan. But there are many more in different social networks: the mountaineer @Nimsdaithe urban explorer @Shieyfreedom or the traveler to high -risk countries @drew_binsky. Thanks to them, the hashtag #tikToktravel, for example, has More than 23,000 million views. The dark side. However, there is a dark side in videos such as Mrbaest Chichén Itzá. In 2024, the Secretariat of Tourist Development of Yucatán reported that he expected the arrival of 6.7 million tourists, more than double those that arrived in the last year pre-pandemic. It is an area to which tourism provides 90% of its income. The controversial Mayan train. To promote and facilitate tourism, projects such as Mayan traina transport that will travel relevant areas of the Mayan zone, with special attention to serve tourism, connecting airports in a space of 1500 kilometers. But the authorities are concerned about Environmental impact of the pharaonic López Obrador project. For example, the works have been arrested in the area of ​​the Riviera Maya, one of the most frequented by tourists. The impact is more than studied in what affects caves, temples and other protected areas, and Even Unesco has intervened. The double track. Mexico is, in this way, before a dilemma: the content of Mrbeast is sponsored, as the video credits affirm, by the Tourism Secretariat of Mexicoin collaboration with institutions such as the National Institute of Anthropology and History. But at the same time, the massification of tourism is eroding archaeological treasures such as these temples, in a dilemma of which perhaps the great travel and adventure youtubers will have to begin to take responsibility in the future. Header | Mrbeast In Xataka | The videos of AI have broken the Instagram and Tiktok algorithms. Welcome to the new “AI landscape”

Venice established a rate to combat tourism hordes. Japan has copied the strategy: the one that arrives, pays

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It happened recently with the arrival of the “Holy Week.” Venice enhanced a little more That pioneering toll years ago. The figures that threw the input rate had gone so well, that the city He folded his price. A measure for which Italy sought to restore the balance between the rights of residents and the massive arrival of visitors. A nation has followed the popular enclave: Japan. Mass tourism and fiscal burden. We have been telling: Japan does not stop Receive touristsand given the unstoppable increase, a growing number of Japanese municipalities It has begun To look at the rates used in other enclaves Like Venice: Implement specific taxes for foreigners, in an effort to compensate for the growing costs that tourism activity imposes on local communities. According to Nikkeithese measures mainly include accommodation taxes per night, but are also expanding towards more innovative taxation forms that seek to exclude local payment residents, applying the principle of “who causes, pays.” The objective is clear: preserve fiscal viability of towns and cities that face a reverse demographic pressure (populations in decline in front of booming tourism) and sustain fundamental public services without moving the burden to those who live there permanently. Accommodation tax. Since Tokyo pioneered a pioneer fixed tax per person And by night in the accommodations, others 11 locations They have joined, the most recent of them Atamiin the prefecture of Shizuoka, which began to collect a tribute from 200 yen per night April 1. This tax, which will generate about 600 million annual yen, will serve to finance the new Atami Tourism Office and local activities such as fireworks festivals. The model adopted by most cities consists of fixed rates, staggered depending on the price of accommodation, to facilitate their collection and minimize the administrative load on hotels and hosts. However, there is a unique case with Kutchanin Hokkaido, which since 2019 imposes A 2% tax On the cost of accommodation in its resort area, a pioneering measure that other municipalities, such as Rusutsuthey study to replicate. Miyajima and the model. One of the most significant developments has been the tax applied by Hatsukaichi for access the island of Miyajimathat since October 2023 gravel with 100 additional yen to each ferry passenger. The measure, inspired by the principle of the so -called as “cause pays”seeks that visitors (not residents) absorb the costs derived from their presence, such as waste management, traffic and water and sewerage services. Unlike other rates aimed at promoting tourism, this is a general tax that can be used for any area of ​​the local budget. With a population of just 1,400 people and 4.85 million visitors in 2024, Miyajima was has become a symbol how mass tourism can overflow the operational capacity of a heritage enclave without adequate corrective measures. Biei: Combined taxes. Another illustrative case occurs in Bieialso in Hokkaido, who proposed A double taxation to balance the impact of tourists: a 200 yen accommodation tax per night and a parking charge in the Shirogane Blue Parkone of its main tourist attractions. With 2.39 million visitors in 2023 but only 158,000 overnight stays, most tourists are one -day hikers, which motivated A mixed scheme For everyone to contribute. Both measures are expected to collect more than 239 million annual yenresources that will be used both to maintain services and to support agricultural policies, in an attempt to reinforce the local economy from multiple fronts. Challenges and risks. As both prefectures and municipalities adopt their own variants of these taxes, new challenges arise, including the double taxation risk in areas where regional and local rates coincide. In addition, given that the fiscal performance of these measures depends directly on the concentration of accommodation facilities, the regions with the highest proportion of visitors without prolonged stay can be at a disadvantage, accentuating territorial inequalities. Solution? Some local governments (such as Sadoin Niigata) have considered alternatives such as Input taxes generalized to the island, which would simplify the collection and guarantee a more equitable distribution of the tax burden between short and long -term visitors. Local response to a global phenomenon. In short, the backdrop of this proliferation of tourist rates is still A paradox Increasingly common: destinations of international fame that at the same time face the collapse of their resident population and the overload of their services for the massive influx of those tourists once longed for their economies. As He counted in Nikkei Mneaki AokiProfessor at the University of Kanagawa and advisor to the tax systems of Miyajima and Biei, the “cause pays” adapts well to places where tourists exceed largely in number to the permanent inhabitants. Faced with tourism as a blessing and burden, these mechanisms seek a more pragmatic solution: conserve hospitality without sacrificing tax sustainability (or local quality of life). In that sense, Japan, with its meticulous normative approach, becomes a RARE Av of policy laboratory that could inspire other countries under the same dilemma, going from “copying” Enclaves like Venice to become a pioneer with their own initiatives. Image | Pexels In Xataka | Venice has just activated his plan against mass tourism: an entry rate that doubles its price In Xataka | Japan has realized that to welcome 60 million tourists, something lacks: workers in the hotels

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