Tourist

Some researchers have calculated mathematically which are the most tourist cities in the world. Bad news, Barcelona

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Each summer Barcelona usually Be news in the foreign press for its attractiveness as a tourist destination. After all, its mixture of Mediterranean climate, beach, culture, architecture and gastronomy attract every year to hundreds of thousands of travelers from other parts of the world. However in July 2024 The Ciudad Condal monopolized holders in the media of the entire planet for a rather different reason: fed up with saturation, a group of neighbors dedicated himself to shooting visitors with water guns next to posters in which messages such as “Tourists Go Home” were read. That was a sample (The nth) The impact of the sector in the Catalan capital, a phenomenon that has now been black on white in A study which identifies Barcelona as the city most pressured by tourism. Tourist density. That is the parameter that has analyzed Nomad Esim in A report published a few days ago, a study in which he is dedicated to examining how Overurism It is affecting some of the most popular destinations in the world. To do this, it has basically valued two parameters: the size of the cities and the number of foreign visitors who receive each year, which allows it to calculate their “density” of travelers. With the results it has elaborated A 40 -cities ranking Headed by Porto, Cancun and Barcelona, ​​which leads the list. Why’s that? Nomad technicians have estimated that Barcelona receives about 20.37 million tourists who are forced to be distributed by an urban area of 101 square kilometerswith what the concentration of visitors per km2 amounts to 201.722. There is no other city on the list that approaches him. The second in the ranking, Cancun, has 147,887 tourists per km2 and in Porto do not even reach 144,000. The fourth place is occupied by New York, with 137,712, which Dubrovnik (112,500), Florence (107,843), Kyoto (98,651) and Lisbon (88,000). Mallorca occupies the 37th position, with 5,137, and Paris the 29th (16,820). Issue of density and size. That data does not mean that Barcelona is the one that receives the most tourists. Not much less. New York, Kyoto, Los Angeles, Paris, Las Vegas or London (to quote only some examples) receive more visitors than the city, according to the information that Nomad Esim manages, but its largest urban extension explains that the tourist massification is not so high. The data of the report They must also be taken as what they are: a report, with their biases and limitations. His estimate of tourists does not coincide for example with the global data that the city handled in the late 2024 (15.5 million). In 2023 the observatori of tourism spoke of 15.6 million of visitors, balance that rose to 25.9 million if the region was taken into account, not just the city. The report It is interesting in any case because it provides clues about other destinations and connects with a feeling that has been breathed for years in Barcelona: The discomfort from the neighbors for the tourist. The pressure on residents. In his report, Nomad has done something else: calculating the “pressure” that tourism exerts on the local population of each of the destinations. To do this he crossed the flow of tourists from each city and its census. The most bulky data is taken in that case Orlando, with 241 tourists for each resident. They are followed by Santorini (220), Queenstow (116), Mykonos (105) and Cozumel (94). Barcelona occupies the 24th place of the international list, with an average of 13 visitors per local, a result slightly lower than that of Mallorca (20). If both metrics are mixed, the surface, total register of neighbors and influx of tourists, the first in the list is Cancun, followed by Orlando, Dubrovnik, Kyoto, Florence and witches. Barcelona is in tenth place and Mallorca in the 32nd. Of the imforms to the streets. The study is interesting because it gives a measure of the pressure that great destinations support, including Barcelona or Mallorca, a phenomenon that has caused resident mobilizations that claim a more sustainable tourist model. The Protest with guns Water was surely the most media, but not the only one: in Barcelona (as in other locations) the neighbors have taken to the streets to show their rejection of massification or demand a greater access to housing, a market conditioned for tourist pressure. The risk: die of success. Saturation supposes something else: a threat to the quality and future of its own destination. The “No List 2025” of Fodor´s, one of the most solera guides among the Anglo -Saxon travelers already has proposed To their readers who “reconside” spend their vacation in three emblematic destinations in Spain that face the risk of dying of success or are directly saturated. Which is it? Canary Islands, Mallorca … and Barcelona, ​​who share a list with international destinations such as Bali, Venice, Lisbon, Koh Samui (Thailand) or Agrigento (Sicily). It is not that they have asked for charm, but about the consequences that tourist success is having in the functioning of cities. Image | Sung Shin In Xataka | The tourism paradox in Spain: if you have not reserved your vacation in the Canary Islands, it is possible that the same thing costs to go to the Caribbean

Machu Picchu has become a world tourist destination. Now face the unwanted consequence: die of success

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Machu Picchu is one of the most popular icons in Peru, one of its greatest heritage treasures and a powerful magnet for tourists who only during the first two months of 2025 attracted more than 191,000 visitorsalmost 17% more than in 2024. For that reason, the Inca citadel of Cusco faces the same threat that looms over other large international destinations, such as Mount Fujithe monumental areas of Rome, Venice and Florence either The pyramids of Guiza, in Egypt, to cite only a handful of examples: tourist saturation. So They just warned The Peruvian authorities, who have launched a notice to navigators: the “tourist overload” of the Inca city threatens its conservation. What happened? That the Would control general Of the Republic, an autonomous body responsible for ensuring the assets and resources of Peru, has just made a warning to the country’s ministry of culture: Machu Picchu is suffering a “tourist overload.” The problem has been detected both in the old citadel and in the Inca road network (Qhapaq Ñan), he Road System of the Incas. After verifying the influx of visitors, the general control has come to the conclusion that there is an excess of tourists that puts “at risk” the conservation of both points and affects their “structure and ecosystem.” And if that message had not been clear enough, warns: To extend, that situation could lead to Machu Picchu ending in the World Heritage List in Danger of UNESCO, a risk that he already faced A few years ago. What is the problem? The Peruvian agency provides concrete data to support its complaints. Between April 17 and 30 of this year its operators detected “an overload” of 2,505 people on the upper terrace of the Inca city (Route 1-B). And it was not an isolated case. In May they estimate that this saturation will reach 1,546 users. What does that mean? That authorized maximum aguoros are repeatedly overcome in the protected space. “Although the sustainable access limit to said AES area of ​​450 people per day in regular or low season, the sale of tickets for daily income from 549 to 789 users was evidenced. And while in high season the limit is 490 people, access tickets of between 495 and 639 users were sold.” The key, They need From the control, although the state platform for the sale of tickets is respected the capacity of the upper terrace of the LlaqtaVisitors arrive on the road network. Is there more data? Yes. The agency has also detected a considerable “overload” of 836 visitors, on Route 5 of the Inca road network between April 17 and 30. In May the data will amount to 1,490. “Although the permitted capacity is 250 people per day, the sale of tickets for the entry of 300 users between tourists, guides and support personnel was evidence insist From the entity. In the case of the Route Route designedanother of the great tourist claims in the region, saturation reached 1,368 visitors during the last 13 days of April and set 1,248 people in May. The control even speaks of “errors in the sales platform” that “make it difficult to plan the number of visitors.” Why is it a worrying? Because that excess tourists can take its toll to the deposits. “These situations do not guarantee the conservation of the areas because the constant transit of visitors could cause the erosion of the soil in areas with pronounced slopes and nearby areas, as well as the compaction of the land due warns The entity. Something similar would happen on the route, where the technicians consider that the “overload” endangers the residential and ceremonial area for the wear of the stone. Is it something new? Yes. And no. The touch of attention of the control of the Ministry of Culture of Peru is new, but as it is responsible for remembering the body itself in Your official statement It is not the first time that the preservation of Machu Picchu generates debate. In 2017, UNESCO He examined the situation of the Inca citadel to decide whether or not to include it in the world heritage list. The problem, explained at that time from UNESCO, was not so much the state in which the sanctuary was, as the management of the “long -term” environment. “The difficulties are in the control of tourist flow in the area”, warned. E that occasion the Unesco chose not to register To Machu Picchu on his list, but he would control it, he remembers that this option could be on the table again. Is it a real risk? I would control it like this seems to believe it. In fact, he recalls that at the UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting held in July last year in New Delhi, the state of the Inca deposit was approached. “Concern about the state of conservation of the historical sanctuary was expressed in relation to several aspects, including the high number of daily visitors that has generated pressure on the structures and the natural environment of the site.” The truth is that Peru It has moved token so that his great tourist claim does not die of success. At the beginning of this year the authorities of Cusco and the headquarters of the Archaeological Park of Machu Picchu They announced that would reinforce the safety and control in access to the citadel after a field guard be convicted of accepting bribes to pass to tourists skipping the rules. To avoid repeating episodes thus Cusco promised to reinforce inspections by the police and install cameras. Machu Picchu is one of Peru’s great claims: only during the first two months of 2025 attracted More than 191,000 peoplepromoting national tourism to record figures. Images | Eddie Kiszka (UNSPLASH) and Shashi Bellamkonda (Flickr) In Xataka | For decades the families adapted their vacations to travel with children. Today sends another priority: pets

The Ribeira Sacra is becoming a lethal trap for tourist buses: there are too closed curves

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In April a bus full of retirees was heading to the cannons of Sil, one of the tourist points more striking of the Ribeira Sacra. When trying to turn in one of the curves that gives access to this location, the bus He got stuck. Not only that: its front part was on the edge of the road and exposed dangerously to the slope that led to the river. It is the third incident of this type in the last two months. Curves too closed. Last weekend another bus full of tourists was caught on the Lu P-4103 road, between Ferreira de Pantón and Santo Estevo de Ribas de Sil, in the province of Lugo. As they point out In Galicia Newsthat section is already known for its closed curves, which are not a problem for cars, but that are for buses. A misleading road. As they point out In the voice of Galiciathe road that has become a nightmare for buses cheats at the beginning. When Ferreira de Pantón leaves “it seems safe, but its final stretch, the descent to the bridge that crosses the SIL near the Santo Estevo train station, not only narrows, but earns pending and is filled with curves.” It is in the two worst, 180 degrees, in which buses can get stuck. The narrowness and slope join the problem and turn these curves into a true trap for buses. Black Points in La Ribeira Sacra. To that black point are joined by the entries to the Tourism Parador of Santo Estevo, in Nogueira de Ramuín, and to the abandoned monastery of Santa Cristina, in Sil Parada. Access to Playa de A Cova is also complicated. GPS browsers don’t help. In that incident the driver, alerted by a neighbor, was able to maneuver and turn to continue the journey by an alternative route, the N-120. The problem in many cases is that the GPS browsers used by drivers indicate that LU P-4103 is the fastest route, but do not offer notices about those paths that can be an important problem for heavy vehicles. The two possible routes: La Corta (Lu P-4103) is the one that makes us go through closed curves that can become a bus trap. Better the longest route. To go from Ferreira de Pantón to the jetty of Santo Estevo, from where the guided tours of boat to the cannons of the Sil, there are two possible routes. The browsers They show both. The fastest is that of the Lu P-4103 road, 18 km away and that is traveled on average in 28 minutes. The second, adequate for heavy vehicles as buses, is what is made along the N-120 road, with a 28 km route that is completed on average in 36 minutes. In this second case there are no closed curves that threaten buses and other heavy vehicles. And it is not easy for them to be updated. Today we depend on companies such as Google and Apple and their maps to use their browsers, but it is not easy to suggest changes in these maps to prevent such problems. Each of the three major alternatives acts as follows: WAZE: It only allows you to warn of incidents andn real time (Works, cars in the gutter, bumps, objects), but there is no way to suggest that this type of notices are added to the map permanently. Is A very voted request In your suggestion mailbox, but for now there is no update that allows you to do something like that. Google Maps: It allows to contribute With data or content errors, such as Add or correct roads, although this option is “only available in some countries and regions.” Although we can notify on cut roads, it is apparently not possible to mark that road as narrow or with curves too closed for heavy vehicles, for example. Apple Maps: In Apple’s service there is also the option of Notify incidents In real time, and also to inform with a problem And the signage, what? The neighbors themselves expressed in the voice of Galicia their opinion on a problem that has an obvious solution: signaling these roads to warn of these closed curves. As those neighbors indicated, “it is not understood that they have not yet placed warning signs on the roads.” Spokesmen of the Diputación de Lugo indicated in that newspaper that that is effectively the solution, and confirm that they will “reinforce and improve signaling” on that road to “anticipate these situations, protect both users of the road and the environment and guarantee a safer and more orderly circulation.” Image | Saxad Isz In Xataka | Painting color asphalt is the latest trend on half -world roads. And the DGT has its own plans

Everest has become a tourist monster. Someone believes that drones are the solution

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Yeah Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay The cold slopes of Everest are assumed today in the most likely to stay ice cream. And not for temperatures. Since Hillary and Norgay crowned the top in their historic ascent of 1953, Everest has ceased to be an inhospitable place to become a kind of monster touristified. Every year they visit it hundreds and hundreds of mountaineers who leave in their path a millionaire business and a long wasting waftment. That does not mean that crowning Everest is today a simple task. Neither safe. It was not in times of Sir Hillary and Norgay and it is not now, although technical advances make the experience more bearable. Good proof is that in 2023 they disappeared Three Sherpas professionals in the Khumbu ice waterfall. The repeated attempts to recover their bodies served little. Their names have passed to Get the list of dead and missing On the mountain. Now both the work of the sherpas and the experience of the mountaineers and the conservation of the mountain have found a valuable ally: the drones. An ally on heights The disappearance Of the three 2023 Sherpas left its mark on the company that led the expedition, Imagine Nepal, so after the tragedy its responsible began to look for new ways to improve security in Everest. That effort led her to look at what her Chinese colleagues were already doing in Muztagh ata peak of 7,500 near the border between China and Pakistan where companies turn to drones for transport hot food Between camps. “I told myself: why not use drones on the southern face of Everest, especially in the Khumbu ice waterfall section,” remember The director of Imagine Nepal in a recent interview with The New York Times. He was not the only one to think about the possibilities of drones on the roof of the world. A similar idea was responsible for those responsible for Airliftcompany interested in mapping Everest with drones. The theory did not take long to practice and in 2024 there was already a team of the Chinese manufacturer in Nepal DJI testing its cast drones in the area. The devices ended in Airlift olees, which hasn’t taken them to use them. Since then they have demonstrated their Mountain potential. Despite the initial misgivings on how drones would respond in Everest, under conditions of high altitude, cold temperatures, low visibility and wind gusts, the company has already achieved some interesting results. For example, during a cleaning campaign on the mountain they managed to move about 500 kilos of waste from camp one to the base camp. The task required 40 flights from a drone, The CNN requiresbut it could have been finished in much less time. Although the apparatus that the company used is capable of transporting 66 pounds of weight (about 30 kilos), preferred to stay in a little less than 20 kg for security reasons. It is not a bad balance if one takes into account that the accumulation of garbage and feces begins to be A serious problem In Everest, which has even led to local authorities to demand from the mountaineers that They collect their excrements in biodegradable bags. Graph prepared by statista. Drones serve however, for much more than clean the slopes and camps of Everest. In addition to loading trash can transport stairs, ropes, oxygen bottles and other tools that serve the sherpas and the so -called ‘Icefall Doctors’veterans who are in charge of opening (and maintaining) a route in the Khumbu glacier so that mountaineers can cross it. For decades the most experienced sherpas have been in charge of that work, but … what if their knowledge could be combined with the technical advantages of drones? After all, a guide has experience and skill, but it takes between six or seven hours in covering the distance between the base camp, located at 5,464 m of altitude, and camp one, 6,065 m. A drone travels 2.9 km away from aerial distance between them in muco less time: Six and seven minutes. Recent Milan Pandey, from Airlift, assured the CNN that your goal is that the company Help sherpas Already in the 2025 season. Its mission will consist of transporting equipment to the coordinates indicated by the guides and collecting garbage. Without counting that, in addition to stairs or strings, drones can also load with sanitary material (from oxygen bottles to medicines) or even help during geolocation work and rescue missions. The arrival of drones generates expectation for several reasons. The first, because (except during the stop of the pandemic or specific restrictions like the one that followed the Nepal earthquake of 2015) the influx of climbers at Everest has not stopped growing Since the 90s. Now hundreds and hundreds are the successful promotions that are computed every year. The second is that drones can make Sherpa’s job more attractive and recover professionals who have been abandoned to emigrate. Of course not everything is advantages and facilities in the future of Everest drones. The service has a key challenge: money. A single drone can cost More than $ 70,000to which the fuel bill is added to load the batteries, labor, accommodation and logistics challenges. Images | IEWEK GNOS (UNSPLASH), Guillaume Baviere (Flickr), Mário Simoes (Flickr) and Statista In Xataka | Everest grows faster than we thought because a river stole water to another 90,000 years ago

An unexpected buyer is turning houses, temples and abandoned factories from Japan into tourist accommodations: China

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Something is happening in Japan for a while to this part, a phenomenon that began with waves of Chinese tourists who came to the nation To stayand then extended through zones, where the proliferation of “new chinatowns” was giving rise to neighborhoods with Chinese than Japanese. The theme became something more serious when this “chinification” reached one of the national bastions: Pop culture. The latest: Beijing is buying its most traditional architecture and turning it into Resort tourist. Kyoto as shuttle. He told him Nikkei weekend In an extensive report. In a Japan where modernity threatens to eclipse centuries of tradition, the figure of Yuichi Ishikura embodies a phenomenon as unexpected as decisive: the Rescue of the architectural heritage traditional by Chinese citizens. Born in the province of Fujian and raised from adolescence in Kyoto, Ishikura found her vocation after a personal experience in a guest house during her university studies in the United States. Upon his return to Japan in 2015, with just 23 years, he acquired his first Machiya (Typical narrow and deep wood housing built since the EDO period) for just over 10 million yen. He transformed it into a tourist accommodation and, in just three years, he had recovered his investment. Since then he has renewed More than 60 properties Similar, including the Shichikutei house, near the Kyoto station, and has declared its intention to become the number one operator of Machiyas throughout Japan. The threat of the Machiya. It is not a trivial theme in Japan. The Kyo-Machiya are architectural jewelry of the old capital, and are disappearing to the alarming rhythm of about 800 a yearpressed for the high cost of its maintenance, inheritance taxes and the real estate voracity that replaces them with apartments and floors. And while the Japanese seem to resign themselves to that disappearance, foreign investors (especially of Chinese origin) They are turning that crisis into the opportunity. Here, like Nikkei explainedFigures like Lee Wendy, a native restorative of Shanghai who have rehabilitated 40 Machiya and perfectly reflect this trend. The phenomenon has grown so much that, according to a study by the city of Kyoto, a 30 % of the accommodations Under municipal license are in the hands of some 500 foreigners, many of them Chinese buyers who have converted these traditional houses in tourist accommodations without losing their aesthetic or historical value. Temples for sale. The phenomenon is not limited to houses. In rural areas such as Shiso, in Hyogo Prefecture, Buddhist temples They have also started Change hands in the absence of successors priests. One of these temples, acquired by a Chinese buyer after the death of the main priest in 2017, has generated local controversy for the informal use of the enclosure. Meanwhile, other temples have had to publicly go out to Define rumors Sales disseminated on platforms as Rednotea Chinese social network in which deceptive ads circulate that promise tax benefits for acquiring religious properties. One of the most popular cases was the Jisso-in Monzeki templewith 800 years of history, which He denied categorically Be for sale, after detecting false publications aimed at Chinese investors. The fiscal attractiveness. Behind this fever for acquiring temples, sanctuaries and Japanese traditional houses Nikkei had That there is a double attraction: on the one hand, the cultural and architectural value that represents for many Chinese citizens a difficult heritage in their native country. On the other, and equally important, the favorable fiscal conditions For religious institutions in Japan, which attract investors with commercial vision. Real estate sector executives in Osaka confirm that they have intermediate in the sale of religious properties to companies based in Hong Kong and are currently promoting other enclosures in Kyoto and Nara. And the sake. The phenomenon has gone much further. The conservation of the cultural legacy has also reached other spheres. In 2019, Zhou Chunbao, Shanghai businessman, Matsuoshuzojo acquireda historic Sake distillery in the saga prefecture that was on the verge of closing due to management problems. Motivated by their desire that the Chinese people know the Japanese culture through the Sake, Zhou revitalized the company and its production, which in 2022 reached regional recognition by winning the highest award in the Junmai Daiginjo category. Zhou’s intervention saved from oblivion a local institution whose history goes back at the end of the Edo period, at a time when the sake industry is It has drastically reducedwith a 40 % decrease in the number of distilleries and a 20 % drop of its historical volume of national sales. The “soul” of Japan. Thus, and while the tangible heritage of Japan (from traditional houses to centenary temples and ancestral distilleries) faces a slow but constant disappearance due to the lack of successors, it seems that it is a generation of Chinese investors who are willing to assume the challenge of keeping it. What for some represents a loss of cultural control, for others it becomes an unexpected form of continuity. Thus, in the face of the passivity or inability of certain local sectors, new heirs (Chinese) are arranged not only to invest capital, but also to revalue with sensitivity and pragmatism that for centuries has been the material essence of Japanese identity. Image | GIVE CRUSE In Xataka | Japan is living something unpublished in its most emblematic neighborhoods: the “chinification” of anime and video games In Xataka | A phenomenon that has already happened in New York is spreading throughout Japan: neighborhoods with younger than Japanese

The rains have left a splendid Spain and a tourist destination is benefiting from it: the reservoirs

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“While the world wobbles, nature seems to want to compensate us.” This phrase of Jose Luis Gallego summarizes very well what is happening in the Spanish countryside. With full swamps and aquifers recharging, Spain is living “its most splendid spring in decades.” And that has an unexpected beneficiary: tourism. The many droughts in each drought. Galician explained in El Confidencial That, in broad strokes, there are three types of droughts: the meteorological (linked to the shortage of rainfall), the hydrological (which has to do with the water in the system. – rivers, swamps and aquifers) and the edaphic (which is related to the soil and its ability to provide the vegetation of the water it needs). The good news is that we have overcome all three and the land knows. It is no longer that the fields of Extremadura, Castilla or Andalusia are a show; It is that even the ugliest and dirty surroundings of any Spanish city are pretty. It is true that the wetlands plagued by birds and overflowers of vegetation are the areas where this “March miracle” It shows morebut even the most arid places are full of surprises. The Sea of ​​Castile. The best example can be seen in that corner between the provinces of Cuenca and Guadalajara that is usually known as “Mar de Castilla“. There are five reservoirs (Almoguera, Bolarque, Entrepeñas, Estramera and Zorita) in the Middle Tagus and one more (good day) in the Low Alcarria with a capacity of 2,515 hm³ and a tourist capacity that has lived better times. In the 60s, as consequences of the hydrological and developmental policies of the Franco regime, the region was filled with urbanizations, restaurants and small embarrassing. It became a tourist claim that improves infrastructure, first, and The Tajo-Segura transfer, afterthey put in a slow decline. The drought of recent years did the rest. However, with the rains of March, the Sea of ​​Castile It is back. How to turn water into gold. Just read the chronicles of the local press to verify that the residents of the riverside municipalities are really excited. Entrepeñas has only transferred water to good times eight times since 1956, The last almost 30 years ago; But this weekend it has happened again. The swamp has such a amount of water that you have been able to see really unprecedented images (or that had been not seen decades). He Runrun of the situation He has made “every day more curious who arrive at the riverside region to witness in the first person and immortalize with their cameras or with their mobile phones such an exceptional moment and who knows if unrepeatable.” The question that is asked in the Sea of ​​Castile is how much the situation will endure and if the Lcoal Tourism of it can be used. Although, in reality, it is a question that many more people are asked. Our country has more than 1,200 swamps and “almost double the fresh water coast than Marina in the country.” The reservoirs have historically been much more than water reserves: they have been tourist attractions that contributed to stop the demographic bleeding of emptied Spain. The problem is that, in recent decades, that interest has been falling little by little. And rural tourism has failed to fill the hole fully. Therefore, the councils of Cáceres, Lugo, Badajoz and the 530 municipalities associated with the Federation of Municipalities with Hydroelectric Plant and Embalses of Spain (15 communities and 46 provinces) have decided Bring Pantanos Tourism back. Upon? Indeed and with A very simple value proposal: Adventure activities (“Barranquismo, the paragliding or balloon walks”, “Boat routes or kayak, candle courses, sport fishing or paddle-south”, but also “horseway or bicycle routes, enjoy the observation of birds or practicing hiking”), proximity gastronomy and cultural, monumental and historical heritage. A new solution for a worrying problem. As We counted a few days agowhile in 2024 the hotels in Spain registered 7.5% more of foreign travelers, the speakers of Spanish tourists stagnate with a minimum rise of 0.2%. The price increase and the massification of the most important tourist areas are the main reasons for that break of national tourism. Therefore, now it is the least exploited areas that seek their part of a cake that grows 4.9% per year. And, seeing the photos of the country’s reservoirs, it makes a lot of sense. Image | Riaño, León (Paulo Valdivieso) | Pelayo Arbués | Eduardo Kenji Amorim In Xataka | Mass tourism has the days counted in Spain thanks to a phenomenon outside its control: extreme heat

Valencia promised them happy with his new law to regulate tourist floors. Until “the 11 -day trap” arrived “

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Made the law, made the trap. In His attempt To tackle the proliferation of tourist floors, the Valencian Community has encountered an unexpected (not so) challenge: the picaresque of the homemade, who have found in The new law that regulates the sector a loophole that allows them to rent floors to tourists by receiving more lax standards. The key is in something in principle as innocent as the duration of the rooms. To be more precise in themselves last more or less than 10 days. There are those who already talk about “The 11 -day trap”. What happened? The news I advanced it A few weeks ago the newspaper Levante-EMV: Airbnb have begun to announce apart from Valencia with a common denominator, the minimum time of stay required to their tenants. It doesn’t matter in which street they are located, how they are decorated, their surface, whether or not they have seen the sea or if they are more or less expensive. In all the same is repeated and invariable condition: minimum stay of 11 nights. Not one less. Are they many homes? A few. At the end of February Levante-EMV He pointed out that only in Airbnb could be consulted “tens” of housing located in residential blocks of Valencia (sometimes located in thirds or fourth plants) that were offered under that condition: a minimum stay of 11 days. A quick search on the same platform shows that ads are still like this. Moreover, there are businesses that They have decided Start applying the same criteria. And why 11 days? To understand it you have to use Valencian legislation. To be more precise of Decree Law 9/2024a text approved in August and that updated the 2018 standard on vacation rentals. Your goal, like He moved in 2024 The Valencian government is “to improve the regulation” of tourist floors and “offer legal certainty” to users and homemade. The key is what is a ‘tourist floor’ for the new regulations. Where the temporary barrier comes into play. When modifying article 65, the document Clarify That the “housing for tourist use” are those that (among other conditions) “are given in conditions of immediate availability, for tourist purposes, for a time less than or equal to 10 days, computed continuously to the same tenant.” What does that mean? That vacation homes are associated with that temporal horizon: 10 days. Anyone who is rented for longer would remain out of that categorywhich requires also having a tourist license. In practice it is a legal route that allows homemade to announce their homes on platforms such as Airbnb as something else: Seasonal rentals. According to the urban lease law (Lau) The latter are the rentals that are not destined to cover “the permanent need for housing of the lessee.” The Moncloa already It has been proposed Work in their regulation to prevent them from being used to dodge the requirements that apply to conventional rentals and benefit people for whom they are really intended, such as students. Why is it important? Because one of the objectives of the regulatory change applied in August 2024 in the Valencian Community was precisely to stop the increase in tourist homes, a rental modality that has gone winning strength in Spain and Tense (even more) the market residential. It was recognized by the regional government itself by arguing what it was looking for with the new regulations, in addition to “stopping unfair competition” or giving greater “transparency” to the sector. “The proliferation of this modality (…) has meant its exponential and uncontrolled increase in certain areas, which determines the need to adopt urgent measures to stop a phenomenon that, if not acting immediately, can generate problems that are exponentially aggravated,” reasoned In 2024 the Generalitat Valenciana. There are experts who They already question that the new law has been right when specifying what a home for tourist use is. Have you had consequences? Yes. Or at least reactions. After The news of Levant The Federation of Neighborhood Associations of Valencia (FAAVV) has demanded that the Generalitat regulations be changed as soon as possible He has jumped Already to the Valencian political debate. “Instead of proposing clear limits to the activity and assuming the responsibility of inspecting and sanctioning create endless ambiguous and contradictory assumptions,” laments the FAAVV. “The norm must be changed because it does not help to contain the threat of tourist floors against residential rental and create legal confusion and insecurity.” And what does the government say? The Ministry of Tourism has already warned that the fact that a rent is not considered tourist does not mean that it should not comply with certain standards, such as the deposit of a bond, and that in those cases in which a fraud is appreciated those responsible are exposed to sanctions that can reach 10,000 or even 100,000 euros, depending on the characteristics of the case. However, they are open to make certain adjustments in the standard. “The law was approved in August. Now that it has been working for a while we will review everything, see if there is any type of dysfunction and act,” Recognize The regional government, which also ensures that the vision of this temporal framework (the 10 -day stays) varies from one locality to another. A few weeks ago, the Generalitat discharged 886 homes of the Tourism Registry for lacking NIF/NIE, And he warned: It is the first phase of a process that will end up affecting 34,000 homes. Images | Giuseppe Bucola (Unsplash) In Xataka | If the question is whether tourist floors take the price of rentals, we already have the answer: more than 30%

The Xiaomi Su7 factory in China has become a tourist attraction. And there are those who pay a money to see it

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He Xiaomi Su7 It appeared on December 28, 2023. It was not a joke, much less. Months later we saw an even more capable version, the Su7 ultraand almost for the anniversary, Xiaomi presented the SUV model: the Xiaomi Yu7. In less than three years, Xiaomi got his ambitious electric car will pass from the design table to the streetsand has achieved it thanks to a good strategy and a futuristic factory that is so successful that has become a tourist phenomenon. So much that in China they are reluctant in tickets at higher prices than those who would be paid to enter Disneyland. Success. The Xiaomi Su7 is to study it. It seemed crazy, but in less than a year, Xiaomi managed to sell 200,000 units and estimated to sell 300,000 this 2025. However, They had to update their forecasts because the new forecasts pointed more at 350,000 units. Its car division already represents 10% of the company’s income and hopes to start selling them outside China Facing 2027. The factory. There is a huge investment behind to start something like that in such a short time, and much of the ‘guilt’ is the factory. It is estimated that a car occurs every 76 seconds, or 40 cars per hour, within the Xiaomi EV Factory of Yizhuang, and that is thanks to a very high degree of automation: 91%, according to estimates. The plant has 700 robots performing processes of creating molds, assembly of parts, welding, paint and different quality verification processes that are responsible for guaranteeing the good condition of welding by points, of rivets and adhesives. Using tools with artificial intelligence and scanners, the correct installation of critical pieces and components such as batteries is controlled, as well as the structural integrity of the pieces. There are humans. Beyond the manufacturing plant, there is a circuit of 2.5 kilometers in which vehicles undergo tests, but also different stations to ensure the performance of parts such as brakes, address or damping. And yes, there is human supervision (about 100 people), but in the end it is a highly automated process, such as the one we see in brand factories like Tesla. Visits. Something very positive for the brand is that it has managed to generate a strong feeling of community among its users due to the huge product ecosystem (especially in China). And that visits to the plant are organized is an ideal opportunity for brand fans, to technology or automotive to take a look at the manufacturing process. It is a strategy to strengthen their relationship with consumers, also a promotion tool, so that visitors see all those automatisms in action. There are exclusive products, visitors can take something in the plant’s dining room and the visit is divided into two parts: 40 minutes where the plant is presented, technology, SU7 design and talk about that automated production. 20 minutes Finals in which the production line is explored to see all the robots in action. In addition, as they point out from Ithomethere is only one session on working days and five on weekends and holidays, so the opportunity is further limited. Apart from the robotic arms, there is an army of “electric corabos” robots Resale. Now, it is a factory, not a museum, so the visits are very controlled. It is done in groups of 20 people and thousands of people have signed up. It has become a highly demanded destination that is not only managing to compete against traditional options, but has promoted a resale market of tickets with madness prices. As they point from Motorpasionthis resale leads to a black market in which prices reach 2,000 yuan, which would become about 280 euros. That per person and for an experience of, as we say, one hour. You can always wait for an entrance to touch you, but it is already a process that compare With that you touch the lottery because there are tens of thousands of applications and, as we see, the visits are very small. And second hand. It is clear that there are those who see commercial opportunities anywhere, but the tickets for the Xiaomi EV Factory is not with the only thing that is played in the market. Although SU7 production is high, it seems that it is not enough to meet demand, so there is a generous waiting list. And there are those who are selling them as soon as they receive them. Units with just 10 or 20 kilometers are sold by about 15,000 euros above of the sale price. It is something that we have already seen other times (As in 2022 with Tesla) And it is a way of who has many, eager to skip your waiting tail (and have the money), can do it. The truth is that the Xiaomi EV Factory looks impressive, but we can only see it in videos like the one we leave on these lines. At least until Xiaomi is encouraged to remove their cars outside the Chinese borders and open plants through Europe, something that Other Chinese manufacturers are doing. Images | Xiaomi In Xataka | Family and friends keep asking me if “it is worth buying a Chinese car.” This is my answer

Segovia promised them happy as a tourist destination for balloon flights. Until he ran into the farmers

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The most famous are those of Capadociabut Spain is also an interesting destination for lovers of hot air balloon walks. They offer them in Andalusia, Majorca, Galicia wave Valencian Communityamong other regions, although there is a province in which they have become popular is In Segovia. There they even celebrated in September A festival that brought together about twenty of pilots The walks with a view to the aqueduct and the Alcazar have found themselves with a problem: the discomfort of the farmers. And that has generated a curious pulse. Globe walks through Segovia? Yes. Segovia is a province rich in landscapes and heritage, so … why not enjoy them in bird’s view, from the air, aboard a hot air balloon? A Fast search shows that there are different options to live the experience and from the Segovia balloons festival They claim In fact, it is “one of the best destinations in the world” for activity. “That is why about 13,000 travelers choose our city every year to enjoy this experience,” they say. Is there more data? Yes. A year ago The North of Castile investigated What supposes and how much money moves aerostatic tourism in Segovia. And their results are surprising. Apart from presenting the region as “one of the ten most demanded destinations in the world” for this type of walks, the newspaper ensures that only in 2023 1,334 flights were recorded with 14,568 travelers. At an average of 190 euros per session, that translates into about 2.6 million euros. It is estimated that there is almost a dozen of companies offering their services. Why are they news? For A few weeks Segovia’s hot air balloons are monopolizing headlines in the press regional and state And curiously it is not for its success among tourists, or their turnover, or The festival planned for this summer. No. The reason is another: The fight Among the companies and professionals of the sector and another of the key guilds for the Segovian province, the farmer. As the former gained popularity, the latter claim to have encountered a problem: low -rise flights cause them “Grave damages” In the field. Why’s that? The collective denounces that when flying near the balloons they bother the cattle and it is not strange that the pilots end up posing in their plots. “They cause stamps and stress in animals. They also land without permission in private farms, fences and occupied by cows and calves, as well as in sown lands,” He denounced A few days ago Union of Peasants of Segovia-UCCL after transferring his complaints to the subdelegation of the Government. “The balloons make low -term flights through the grass areas, operating the burner when they estimate convenient. The noise caused by this device causes serious stress to the animals, giving rise to stampeds,” The entity insists. “The scared animals jump fences, wired and break into the races with obvious risks to safety and unease for the farmer. In case they were not enough, they land unpunishedly in private farms.” Are they the only ones who complain? No. The Health Defense Group (ADS) Sierra de Segovia, which brings together just over a hundred extended cattlemen of the surroundings of the Sierra de Guadarrama and the Capital Segoviana, He complained recently to North Seville of the “legal vacuum” that entrepreneurs use to land on the plots. “They would have to be much clearer things,” Add your spokesman: “It is sinvivir, this cannot be a safari, you cannot fly over the cows to enjoy passengers.” What do businessmen say? For them the situation is quite different. In An interview with The Spanish newspaper Cristian Biosca, manager of one of the companies in the sector, acknowledged “not understanding” the controversy. “There is no novelty”, argues. The only incident that consists, says, happened “a few months ago” and Biosca clarifies that it had “nothing to do” with the companies that usually operate in Segovia. Moreover, the manager argues that the complaints that receive only three “particularly problematic” farmers. “We have tried to reach agreements with them, to come to fly and see it, but nothing.” “His complaint is that we fly low and frightened cattle, but ever none of those who fly have seen that the cattle run when we pass or break fences,” guarantees bioscawho points out that the cows have already become accustomed to the balloons. “Like the right over,” he concludes. Proof that his activity is “safe” and there is no evidence of the damages denouncing the farmers is that, he states, the complaints that have been filed to date have not prospered. What is the solution? Segovia-UCL peasants union It is clear: That the flights of the balloons stop “interfering” with the cattle breeding areas. It wouldn’t even be a new exit. The group recalls that years ago, in 2018, operators and livestock already agreed thanks to the mediation of the government’s subdelegation a “flight exclusion zone” that affected certain municipalities characterized precisely by the presence of pastures. That agreement worked for a while, but UCCL denounces that the companies that manage the balloons “are returning to Campar to their width through the grass areas.” “We understand that the tourist travel activity in globe is perfectly feasible in Segovia without invading cattle breeding spaces,” insists The collective: “It is enough to resume the pact reached in its day.” And that is feasible? UCCL Defend that yes And in fact he recognizes that for several years the agreement signed in 2018 was fulfilled “to a large extent.” “It is perfectly possible, since there is more than enough airspace so that both activities can be developed without mutual interference,” concludes. Biosca remember Also that in 2018 there were areas through which the pilots “try” not to pass, but clarifies: “The balloons cannot be directed (…) is not a matter of whim where we land, the wind takes us.” Images | Victor Iniesta (Flickr) and Segovia-UCL peasants union In Xataka | A town in León wanted to force … Read more

Madrid libra a new existential battle in its tourist process: the invasion of the tuk tuk

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Until not so long ago tuk tuk They were associated mainly with Thailand or India, populations of Asia where they circulated through crowded streets, often with foreigners on board. Not anymore. As Spain Win weight in the International Capital Tourist Circuit as Madrid, Barcelona, Seville either Alicante They have begun to see how These vehicles Light and three -wheeled, they reached their neighborhoods, becoming passing through A headache For the authorities. In Madrid They know well. So much that the City Council has launched to the complicated task of regular Your activity. Fever Tuktukera. In the most busy destinations the Tourist It is felt in different ways and on different fronts: in the real estate marketin The commercial fabric And in the streets. In February we told you how in the center of Madrid there are already bass that They have passed to host banks to become private and payment WC. The tuk tuk They are another test. A few years ago they associated with cities like Bangkok. Now they are common in Spanish destinations (Valencia, Alicante either A Coruñato mention three) where they offer tours for tourists who want to save walks. Click on the image to go to Tweet. THE CASE OF MADRID. Another clear example is Madrid. At least in the summer of 2023 the sector calculated that they operated there about 50 tuk tuk managed by a dozen companies and freelancers. It is not bad if you consider that fever Tuktukera It started in Spain makes less than a decadetowards 2016. That is a quick search for that year and a half In networks either Google It shows that in Madrid there are still people who offer tours aboard these light vehicles. In fact their number is high enough (or visible) so that they can be found in X complaints from neighbors who denounce their presence in THE ENVIRONMENT OF THE REAL PALACE either San Migueltwo Hot Spots of Madrid tourism. They also have been under time The media focus and of the municipal authorities, which They have put themselves To analyze your situation. But … why? Because although its number can be much lower than that of taxis (Madrid has 15,700 licenses) either VTC vehiclesthe tuk tuk They present certain peculiarities that have generated debate. Both in Madrid and other cities, including Seville, Barcelona either Alicante. The controversy usually revolves around several points: its presence in the streets (with the consequent Effect on traffic), its regulatory framework and the competition they pose for traditional mobility alternatives, such as taxis. The Tourism Area of ​​the City of Madrid I explained recently to The Spanish that belong to the category l of motor vehicles with less than four wheels and, therefore, have a circulation permission. Its normative lace seems, however, less clear. The city mayor itself, José Luis Martínez Almeida, I recognized A few months ago being “worried” about “the phenomenon of tuk tuk“ Click on the image to go to Tweet. Ordering the sector. In addition to recognizing your concern, in September Almeida revealed that had ordered the Councilor for Tourism to specify “the regulatory framework” that protects the tuk tuk. The objective: “to be able to make decisions about it.” The opposition itself He has shown In fact, their “doubts about the legal margins” in which these vehicles provide their tourist services, in addition to the competition they exert on licensed taxis. At the beginning of the year the City Council assured that he is studying “everything” related to the service, but warned that it is not the only administration that must act. “All this is being studied, but first it is necessary tuk tuk“, They remembered from the municipal area of ​​Finance. “They hinder traffic”. The debate around the regulatory framework has not prevented the tuk tuk Be well visible, especially in the points with the greatest flow of tourists in the city. “Apart from the Royal Palace, Bailén and Major the San Miguel market is horrible,” They recognized Recently from the sector. “Legally in these areas you can stop for a moment if it is to collect or leave the client; but many companies and self -employment stop, park, and offer their services to capture tourists, hindering traffic.” {“Videoid”: “X80ZM7F”, “Autoplay”: False, “Title”: “How your town or city has changed in 40 years: This is the new function of Google Earth”, “Tag”: “”, “Duration”: “135”} In Atocha as in Bangladesh. The taxi drivers are also very critical and in 2023 they warned of the competition they suffered. “We begin to see that they take tourists in the hotels with suitcases and take them to the stations. We have detected them around Atocha, as if this were Bangladesh,” regretted At that time the professional federation of the Taxi of Madrid. Among the professionals who are in charge of driving these vehicles, they would “love to” have stops for tuk tuk regulated. Images | César (Flickr) In Xataka | Spanish tourism faces the real risk of dying of success. There are already guides that advise three of its great destinations (Function () {Window._js_modules = Window._js_modules || {}; var headelement = document.getelegsbytagname (‘head’) (0); if (_js_modules.instagram) {var instagramscript = Document.Createlement (‘script’); }}) (); – The news Madrid libra a new existential battle in its tourist process: the invasion of the tuk tuk It was originally posted in Xataka by Carlos Prego .

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