touristification

We believed that tons of feces were the big problem with the touristification of Everest. Until the scam rescue arrived

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Everest may be the roof of the world, but it has long ceased to be the remote and isolated place they found themselves seven decades ago. Edmund Hollary and Tenzing Norgaythe first to summit its icy summit. The best proof was left to us just before the pandemic by Nirmal Purja, the author of one of the most famous (and striking) snapshots of the mountain: in it we see a very long row with dozens and dozens of tourists climbing in single file towards the summit, just as if they were queuing to enter the Louvre or board a cruise ship. That Everest has become a monster touristified It’s no surprise. What is curious is that there are people (presumably) breaking the laws to take advantage of that demand and defraud the insurers. A huge theme park. One would expect the highest place on the planet to be an inhospitable place, reserved for the most intrepid locals and adventurers. Perhaps it was like this in the 1950s, when Hollary and Norgay ascended to more than 8,800 meters of altitude to reach its summit. Not today. The photography that Purja took in 2019 is just the graphic verification of a phenomenon that can be measured in figures… and even in feces: Everest is a tourist icon that they visit every year hundreds and hundreds of climbers, leaving behind millions of dollars and a trail of tons of waste. You will find more infographics at Statista Where there is tourism… There is business, of course. That universal truth is applicable both in Amsterdam, Florence either Barcelona such as in the remote Himalayas, which over the last few decades has seen a thriving industry take shape dedicated to serving those who visit Everest. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTC), in 2023 alone Nepal’s tourism sector generated revenue worth about 2.5 billion of dollars and boosted hundreds of thousands of jobs, both direct and indirect. Even Nepal has considered shoot 40% the fees he charges mountaineers, a source of income that among other things helps him clean the region. Where is the problem? Beyond the environmental impact that this overcrowding has in the mountain range, there is actually no problem in travel agencies, Sherpas, transportation companies, hotels and other businesses oriented to Nepalese tourism trying to make money. Climbing Everest doesn’t come cheap, but at the end of the day, whoever wants to pay for it. The problem is that not all of these professionals respect the law when looking for ways to make money. What’s more, there are those who have no qualms about cheatfalsify and commit millionaire frauds. Mountaineering and picaresque. The news I advanced it a few days ago The Kathmandu Postone of the largest English-language newspapers in Nepal. The Central Investigation Bureau of the Nepalese Police (CIB) has revealed a network dedicated to deceiving insurers who cover mountaineers in the Himalayas. Their modus operandi may vary, but the idea is always the same: alleged scammers make fraudulent ransoms to claim compensation. It may sound rudimentary, but the scam takes advantage of two circumstances that work in its favor. First, in rescue operations speed prevails, so there is no room to wait for the approval of the experts. Second, deceived insurers are often based thousands of kilometers away (in London or Paris), making it difficult for them to confirm what is happening on the ground. One goal, two methods. How do you prepare the scam? The CIB has identified two methods. The first is quite simple and requires the tourist to participate in the deception. If a climber is exhausted after days (or even weeks) of hiking and wants to save the trip back to camp, his guide can offer him a way out that is as comfortable as it is ethically questionable: faking an illness so that the insurance company can mobilize a rescue operation. The second method is a little more complicated, but the end result is the same. The guides or accommodations take advantage of the client’s ignorance to make them believe that the symptoms of altitude sickness (which are usually resolved with rest, hydration and a gradual descent) are actually signs that they are at serious risk, even of death. The key is to suggest the hiker enough so that he ends up asking to be evacuated by a charter helicopter. And where is the business? In the cost of the operation. It is not just that the company that provides that service charges the insurer for a helicopter that was not really necessary, it is that, precise The Kathmandu Postoften manages to expand its profit margin. As? It carries several passengers on the same flight and then sends separate invoices to their insurance companies. In practice that means that a single $4,000 charter flight can end up giving rise to three separate claims worth $12,000. Added to this are alleged treatments in the hospital, even when the client in question did not need assistance. For example, the Nepalese newspaper talks about cases in which treatment is claimed for hikers who were actually in the cafeteria. Not all people who are involved in this mess have to participate in the deception. He post speaks of falsifications of flight manifests or reports with digital signatures of completely unrelated doctors. One figure: 20 million dollars. At the end of March the CIB accused 32 people for this type of crimes, which according to the AFP agency amounted to a total scam 19.69 million of dollars. It may seem like a lot, but the figures revealed by the CIB investigation are eloquent: between 2022 and 2025, it identified 4,782 foreign patients treated in the investigated hospitals. Of these, inspectors believe that 171 corresponded to simulated evacuations. During that period some health centers received deposits worth millions of dollars related to those services. The older ones are the helicopters. Poisoning? The CIB investigation has attracted the attention of the media everyonealthough their headlines often focus on another … Read more

Touristification has made Mercadona find itself with a rival in Barcelona: 24-hour supermarkets

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Mercadona maybe is taking over of the retail at a national level, but in Barcelona there is another phenomenon that seems to advance even faster than it grows the business fee of the Valencian chain: 24-hour supermarkets. They grow. A lot. Lot. So much so that according to the latest data of the County Council during the second half of 2025, almost a hundred were put into operation, which translates more or less into one opening every two days. There are so many that even they have sneaked in in public debate. Super 24 hour drip. The data has disclosed them The Vanguard and they are to say the least surprising. During the first half of 2025, 92 24-hour supermarkets opened in Barcelona. If we go back further, to the period between October 2020 and the end of last year, the number of activated businesses is even more significant: the total amounts to 643. The Catalan newspaper speaks of “openings” or “start-ups”, not of net growth in supply (it is likely that there are also stores that close), but even so the data is striking. It shows that on average they are activated 3.5 business every week. Is it that striking? Yes. And not only because of the figure itself. Data from the City Council confirm that, far from showing signs of saturation, the sector continues to expand with the sixth production. In autumn 2025 it was already spoken that between 2020 and 2024, 686 licenses had been granted for these premises, which translated into three openings a week. Now the rhythm has increased. The records The City Council also reflects that this expansion has not been uniform nor is it affecting the entire city equally: although openings have been noted in Sant Andreu or Nou Barris, the majority are concentrated in El Eixample and Sant Martí. Between them they have close to 140 openings in just a few years. Two suspects: tourists and expats. At this point, the question is obvious… What is the reason for this super 24-hour boom? Why does the phenomenon seem to be affecting the Catalan capital above all? To answer these questions, you just have to visit one of these places. In most of them there are two characteristics that attract attention, as mentioned recently Luis Benvenuty, reporter for The Vanguard. The first is the prices. The second, the assortment they offer. Customers find drinks, sausages, sweets, pasta… but also items that are more difficult to buy in traditional supermarkets, such as souvenirs clearly focused on tourists. As for rates, the prices are also significantly higher than those found in conventional stores. For example, a can of Coca Cola can cost €1.5, the same as a bottle of water. It is not strange that the prices in this type of business are above those applied by the rest of the sector, but also there are those who see in these rates an offer aimed primarily at tourists and expats with high purchasing power. And the controversy broke out. The problem is not the proliferation of this type of establishments itself, but how it is developing. In September The Catalan Newspaper revealed that in just two years the inspection of 209 premises had revealed 2,700 violations. The majority (more than 1,400) were by activity, although many were motivated by the impact on the landscape (600), public health issues (243), waste (157) or non-compliance with the Treasury (113) or in the workplace (118). In total they resulted in more than 500 files. Commercial fabric earrings. Although there are dozens of stores in which inspectors found no anomalies, the violations pose a problem for the group. The SER specifies that on average each of these supermarkets commits around 13which explains why there are professional groups in Barcelona that already warn of the risk of degradation of the commercial fabric. “Betting on public-private collaboration and promotion to attract certain demand would bring us much closer to a solution. In this way we would transform our commercial hubs,” advocate Barcelona Open. From the streets to local politics. Proof of the extent to which 24-hour supers are expanding in Barcelona is that they have already entered the political debate, covering the entire ideological spectrum. The PP for example has claimed greater control and the application of “exemplary” sanctions to those who break the law. Meanwhile, ERC warns of “the substitution” of native businesses. The Consistory already has been proposed improve the regulation and control of this type of business. In fact they claim that since mid-2024 its inspectors have opened almost 300 sanctioning files and more than 450 restitution files, but the doubt remains as to what extent it will affect the expansion of a business model that (as suggested by the municipal records) generates more and more interest. Images | Sandor SAmkuti (Flickr) and Google Earth In Xataka | After decades committed to being a tourist power, Barcelona already surpasses Paris or New York in something: overcrowding

Sinai is one of the most iconic places in all Christianity. Now faces the threat of touristification

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Few places in the world can boast of having the load of history and symbolism of Mount Sinaithe place where (according to the Judeo -Christian tradition) God delivered his ten commandments to Moses and where he stands The monastery that more time has managed to preserve its original function, an architectural jewel of the seventh century. Now both one and the other face radical changes while the Egypt government is committed to a new Tourist megaproject In the region. The debate is served. What happened? That tourism development and heritage conservation, two realities not always easy to combine, have unleashed a controversy in Egypt. And he has also done so in an especially sensitive area for its symbolic, cultural, historical, religious and even geopolitical value: Jabal museMount Sinai. There, where according to the Judeo -Christian tradition God delivered the tables of the commandments to Moses, a tourist megaproject called ‘Great transfiguration project’ and that the Egyptian authorities They present as “a gift” from the country “to the entire world and all religions.” Not all They see it that way. What do you want to do? The project is not new. He presented it In 2020 The President Abdelfatha el-Sisi And his name gives an idea of ​​what is his purpose. The ‘great transfiguration’ aspirates, In words of the Egyptian executive, to “develop” the city of Santa Catalinaa small population located in the Peninsula of the Sinai, “placing it in the place that corresponds to it, taking full advantage of its tourist attractions, as well as its rich archaeological and religious heritage.” The initiative includes 14 projects different in the area capable of arouseing the interest of Tourist operators and the development of the local airport. The Egyptian government It usually cite it in fact as one of his great tourist bets. Is more known? The idea is to turn Santa Catalina into A Tourism Pole Religious and environmental, with places, commercial spaces, luxury hotels, villas and infrastructure. The BBC Point out which even includes a cable car. “The project will provide all tourist and recreational services to the visitor, will promote the development of the city and its surroundings, at the same time preserving the environmental, landscape and patrimonial character. It will also contribute accommodation to those who work in their development,” celebrated In 2024 Minister Sherif el-Sherbiny. Is it just a project? No. It is already a reality underway. Over the last years the Egyptian authorities have visited the place to follow the advance of the works in situ and the transformation It is already visible In the plain of El-Raha. Moreover, at the beginning of the year the government came to affirm that the level of execution 90%. Shortly before, at the end of 2024, World Heritage Watch (WHW), very critical of development, he published A statement in which it included an image of how the environment was before and how it is now, with the buildings already advanced. Why is it controversial? For several reasons. One of the main ones is how it will affect the area, both at the environmental level and in what affects the locals. “Natural landscapes have suffered serious damage and the rights of the natives have been violated. The Bedouinos Jebelya of Santa Catalina have lost important parts of their old tribal territory. Houses have demolished. Places of special cultural sensitivity have been destroyed, such as a cemetery,” Whw complaint. “An urban world is being built around a town of nomadic roots.” The organization regrets that the Egyptian authorities “have ignored” recommendations from the United Nations and “act in a clear challenge to environmental laws” that protect the environment and the communities that populate it. Everything insists, while development captures the interest of private corporations as a popular hotel chain based in Germany. Meanwhile, whw and Other voices They warn of the negative impact for native populations, the government insists in which the megaproject will be “a gift to the world and religions.” Why is it so media? The megaproject of Mount Sinai has been on the table for some time. If in recent days he has starred in media such as The country, The BBC either The Art Newspaper It is because there is not only the population of Santa Catalina. Very close an icon of Christianity stands: the Santa Catalina Monasteryfounded in the seventh century and that has the honor of being the oldest Christian monastery inhabited by monks uninterruptedly. “Its walls and buildings are of great value for the study of Byzantine architecture and hosts a highlight collection of manuscripts and primitive icons,” Remember Unescothat in 2002 he declared him a World Heritage. It is not just that the monastery of Santa Catalina is in the same environment of the tourist megaproject. It is that over the last years he has lived his own judicial soap opera with the Egyptian State, which has raised suspicion. After years of disputes and lawsuits for the ownership of the land that occupies, in May a court He ruled that the religious enclosure is located in state land. He is recognized the right to use his soils and archaeological enclaves with religious value of his surroundings, but still the decision that has generated a remarkable dust. What does the sentence say? As you need The countrythe verdict granted to the monastery the rights of usufruct (not property) over 57 plots, but ordered to evict another 14 that were also in dispute. The problem is that part of the plots claimed by Egypt have a role in the day to day of the religious enclosure, linked to the Greek orthodox church and where monks live. “Many of the expropriated monastic properties are very old and were built and have been maintained by the monastery,” Ben Hoffler warnsfamiliar with the area. The monks will be stripped of orchards and fountains. What does one thing have to do with the other? Is it a coincidence that the sentence has arrived just when the new tourist … Read more

Nepal has decided to get serious about the touristification of the Himalayas

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Everest is an extreme place, dangerousdifficult to access, roof of the world and one of its most unknown points. But of course It is not an inhospitable place.. Its magnetism is so powerful that every year hundreds and hundreds of mountaineers, plus their Sherpas, put their backpacks on their backs to climb its 8,849 meters. It is estimated that in 2018, before the pandemic, they reached the summit more than 800 climbers. And the forecasts for this year’s spring season are generous, with about 700 summits from Nepal and Tibet. With these data, the Nepalese authorities have made a decision: increase the rates They charge almost 40%. A demanding goal… and expensive. Summiting Everest is not easy. Not cheap either. Especially from September onwards, when Nepal expects skyrocket rates which charges climbers in exchange for the permits necessary to climb the highest mountain on the planet. Prices had not been touched for almost a decade, so in Kathmandu they have decided to go all out, increasing their rates about 36%. In hard cash that translates into thousands of extra dollars for those hoping to summit Everest. How much will they cost now? Starting in September, those who want a Nepalese permit to climb the mountain will have to pay $15,0004,000 more than now. This is during the most popular climbing season, April to May, and on the standard route of the southeast ridge, the South Col. From September to November and from December to February, less crowded months, rates will also increase by 36% to reach, respectively, 7,500 and 3,750 dollars. An expected rise. The update of rates (the first “in a long time”, defend from the Nepal Tourism Department), will make the climb to Everest even more expensive; but it will probably have caught few climbers by surprise. “We expected this increase in rates,” recognizes Guardian Lukas Furtenbach, from the Austrian expedition company Furtenbach Adventures. In his opinion, this is an “understandable” decision by the Nepalese Government and he trusts that the extra dollars that enter its coffers starting in September will be used on the mountain itself, protecting its ecosystem and reinforcing security. Key to the region. If we talk about mountains, Nepal is not just any country: it is home to eight of the 14 famous ‘peaks 8,000’ on the planet, making it a coveted destination for mountaineers. And that in turn generates an interesting source of income for its population. The BBC estimates that mountaineering and hiking more than 4% of the country’s economy and throughout recent years there have been several experts who have tried to quantify exactly how much mountain tourism contributes to the region. “Mountain tourism is an important source of income for the inhabitants of the Himalayas, since agriculture is limited in these places due to harsh climatic conditions and poor crops,” points out Sayas D. Joshi at Nepal Economic Forum. According to the data it managed in 2022, the activity leaves the villagers between 150 and 250 million Nepalese rupees each year in salaries and services, in addition to the activity it generates for agencies and operators. A valuable source of income. “According to data from the Nepal Mountaineering Association, seasonal employment in all categories of supporting labor ranges between 40,000 and 50,000 people. Climbing is a crucial business that brings much-needed income to the rural economy,” duck. “The 2021 spring season saw the highest number of Everest expedition teams since COVID-19, with more than 400 climbing permits issued. Mountaineering licenses have generated about 470 million Nepalese rupees in revenue for the Government”. For reference, that sum is equivalent to $3.4 million. The other bill. The influx of mountaineers aiming for the summit does not only translate into rupees, employment and fees. For Everest it means something equally or even more palpable: garbage and excrement, tons of waste which have even led the authorities to demand that mountaineers collect their own feces in biodegradable bags. The saturation of the mountain, with groups in which hundreds of people gather, also generates debate for years. Hundreds of permits. Reuters points out that each year some 300 permits to climb Everest, but the truth is that the total influx of mountaineers comfortably exceeds that figure. In 2019 it is estimated that they reached the summit 807 mountaineers and there are estimates that suggest that this spring season could be close to a similar number of summits, including those on both the Tibet and Nepal sides. Proof that the limits and sustainability of the mountain generate debate in Nepal is that not even a year ago, in April 2024, its Supreme Court demanded that the Government set limits on the issuance of permits to ascend Everest. The BBC remembers However, the order did not detail a maximum number. When money doesn’t matter. Nepalese fees are only a part (and not a very high one) of what it costs a mountaineer to climb Everest if all his expenses are taken into account. There are estimates that speak of $45,000others place the normal fork between 40,000 and 60,000they bring it closer to 70,000or even extend the total to the 200,000dollars. The truth is that money is not a problem for everyone. Financial Times spoke recently of a special seven-day package to ascend Everest. Its cost: 150,000. Why so few days and such a large sum? Partly due to a special pre-acclimatization treatment. Images | Mário Simoes (Flickr) and Munu Nepal (Flickr) In Xataka | Everest is growing faster than we thought because one river stole water from another 90,000 years ago

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