tourists

Japan has found the three most serious problems of the massive arrival of tourists. And none has to do with tourists

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Summer has confirmed two things around Japan’s tourist success: avalanche has been bigger than expected, and the nation I wasn’t so prepared As I believed. In fact, they have even had the idea of give away flights to foreigners to encourage them beyond the congested Tokyo. In contrast to tourist hordes, Japanese They barely travel To other countries. And that explains many of the evils that the country is finding quite well. The shadow of discomfort. Japan has passed in just two decades of being considered a expensive destination and reserved for a few to become one of the main tourist poles World Cups The number of foreign visitors has grown from 6.7 million in 2005 to almost 37 million in 2024with 2025 on the way to beat a new record. The government aspires to reach 60 million in 2030supported by the global manga popularity, anime and Japanese culture, as well as events such as Tokyo Olympic Games and Osaka’s Expo. The problem? That what I know promoted how A “Inbound Tourism Boom” has become qualified by many as “tourist”, with agglomeration scenes at famous crosses such as Kamakurakomoe’s or in Kyoto’s temples. The initial enthusiasm has given way To growing complaints On noise, strange manners, garbage and pressure on housing and hospitality prices. The weight of the economy and demography. However, when the nation has counted the evils of such discomfort, it has been found that the main problems He has them at homeit was not. Behind that discomfort underlies a psychological element linked to the relative decline of Japan. The strong devaluation of Yen It has made the country cheap for foreigners, but at the same time it has reduced the ability of Japanese young people to travel abroad. For a population that ages quickly (With 16% of over 75 years old) see tourists who marvel at how cheap it is everything A humiliating contrast With the eighties, when Japan was the most expensive country in the world and its own boomers they toured the planet with the latest generation cameras. He Hotel increase (more than double since 2021) and the pressure On rentals In cities such as Kyoto generate the feeling that the economic benefits of tourism do not translate into real improvements in the life of residents. Kyoto redefinition. If there is a place that embodies the debate, it is Kyoto. The old capital, famous for its temples and their geishas, ​​is so congested that many Japanese today consider it an awkward destination and even avoid traveling there. School excursions, once a passage rite, They deviate to cities such as Kanazawa or Nagasaki due to delays, agglomerations and increasing costs. For the inhabitants, the avalanche has raised rentals and Modified social fabricto the point that some experts ensure that the city already meets the definition of Overtourism: When the normal life of its residents is compromised. Historical memory and new tensions. It is not the first time that Japan faces a tourist saturation problem. In the sixties and seventies, internal prosperity generated OLADAS OF DOMESTIC TRAVELS that transformed cities such as Kyoto or Nara, with complaints similar to the current ones. Remembered the Financial Times that then There was talk of “Tourist pollution”, and some anthropologists warned that residents ran the risk of becoming “strangers of strangers” in their own land. Today that Speech resurfacesamplified by social networks with viral tourist videos chasing geishashanging of toriis or violating rules of coexistence. A new term has even coined, “Touristphobia”to describe the mixture of tiredness, irritation and rejection that generates the massification, sometimes dyed of a xenophobic background. Tourism as a political weapon. The issue has entered fully into Japanese politics. In full leadership election of the Democratic Liberal Party, figures as healthy takaichi They have turned the issue into a flag, linking the discomfort of tourists with the Immigration debates and the arrival of foreign workers, increasingly necessary for the shortage of labor. The rhetoric against the “tourist abuse” intermingles with warnings about an alleged threat to national identity. Thus, the debate on tourism ceases to be just a matter of urban management to become a symbol of deeper anxieties about the future of the country. The forgotten of the map. Meanwhile, they remembered In the Financial Times What regions like Fukui show the other face of the currency. With a recently extended bullet train from Tokyo, a world -class dinosaurs museum and outstanding cultural enclaves remains one of the prefectures less visited For foreigners. Their hotels and transport fail to attract enough travelers and their problem is not excess, but The lack of tourists. There, the mayor admits that they have not yet seen or a trace of the hordes. This contrast reflects a central dilemma: Japan needs to better distribute the benefits of tourism, encourage repeated visits and direct the flow to still non -saturated areas, but lacks the infrastructure and political vision necessary to achieve it. A nation mirror. The debate on tourism is ultimately a mirror of Japanese society. Talk about a country agingwho feels the pressure of A weak currencywhich recalls with nostalgia the times of its economic preeminence and that faces the Challenge of managing The massive arrival of foreigners in cities that are exceeded. The challenge is not only to limit agglomerations, but in redefining the relationship between residents and visitors, between their own economy and coexistence, between opening and identity protection. Thus, Japan, which in the past exported millions of tourists, is now seen in the difficult position of learning to manage their own attraction. Image | Pexels, Pexels In Xataka | While Japan is crowded with tourists, the Japanese barely travel to other countries. The reason: only 17% have a passport In Xataka | In Japan tourism has become a problem. So have an idea: give away flights to foreigners

On his way to become the great resort of Europe, Spain is at the gates of a milestone: 100 million tourists

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There are figures that are more than figures. For some time, the Spanish tourism sector fantasizes with one that says a lot for example about its obsessions, objectives or drift that the industry has followed over the last years: exceed the brand of 100 million foreign visitors annually. In 2024 Spain stayed close, with almost 94 million of foreign travelers, and if things do not twist There are those who believe that this year will grow until the milestone of the three digits will crown. The big question is … What tells us about Spanish tourism? A figure: 100 million. The figures are just that. Figures Sometimes, however, they are loaded with symbolism, as the Spanish tourism sector is checking, it has long immersed in the race for exceed the barrier of the 100 million annual visitors. Last year he stayed close to that round figure, with a balance of 93.8 million of foreign tourists (10.1% more than in 2023), and since then there are many The voices that They have theorized (for and against) on whether the coveted milestone of the three digits will be reached throughout 2025. Is it possible? The million dollar question. At the beginning of summer June observatur I saw it feasible As long as they clarified, the bullish trend is maintained and the market is not shaken by unforeseen events. Others believe that Spain will keep honey on the lips and will not pass from 98 million of tourists or even They slidebased on the INE, which in 2024 was already pulverized by the 100 million mark. A percentage: 4.7%. Vaticinios and elucubrations apart, for now the most reliable track we have to know if Spain will or may not crown the 100 million summit is the statistic of border movements of the INE, which it already brings A ‘photo’ of the first semester of 2025. What does it show us? That there are reasons for optimism. And caution. Between January and June the flow of tourists that visited Spain grew 4.7% to touching 44.5 million, which approximates the country to the annual milestone. Well, right? Yes. And no. That balance hides another less flattering reading. In recent months, the flow of international tourists has clearly slowed down, which shows doubts in turn about the growth rate in the remaining of 2025. Between January and April the influx of international visitors grew between a 3.8% and 10.1%but in May marches until staying in the 1.5% And in June marked 1.9%. Taking into account that in 2024 Spain received 93.8 million tourists, to reach 100 million this year should rise together 6.6%. “The power of banality”. In A column published recently in The country Óscar Perelli of the Master, vice president of Execeltur, took importance to whether the three digits will be crowned this year, the one that comes or the next. “The possibility of reaching in 2025 the 100 million arrivals of international tourists to Spain (not tourists, some visit us several times a year) has raised an exaggerated interest,” warns. “It is the power of round figures and banality.” In his opinion there are other equal or even more relevant parameters, such as domestic demandthe duration of the average stay or the visitor spending. “The important thing is that in 2025 tourism will generate 220,000 million euros in Spain, it will exceed three million jobs, with a daily volume of tourists (Spanish and foreigners) somewhat higher than 7.4 for every hundred residents,” Point out. For now, the Ministry of Industry Calculate that during the first semester the expense of foreign tourists has exceeded 59.6 billion euros. Click on the image to go to Tweet. Beyond the figures. Although it is true that the milestone of 100 million is only that, a milestone, a symbolic brand, actually helps to understand some keys to the tourism sector. The main, saturation. As he is headed towards 100 million visitors or fools with the idea of overcome France and become the busiest destination on the planet (something feasible in 2040, According to Google and Deloitte calculations), Spain dealt with the effects of hypermasification tourist, which has already derived in protests in The streets. Throughout the last months there have been marches in Catalonia, Balearics, Canary Islands either Cantabriabetween Other parts of the countrywhich warn about the effects of massification and cry for a more sustainable economic model. Among other reasons for The impact that has had on the housing market the proliferation of tourist floors, which has even led to local, autonomic and state administrations has moved token for brake to your offer. Going down to detail. The career of the 100 million annual visitors also hides another reality that has marked the tourist drift of the country. As The flights And the accommodation was increasing until reaching record levelsSpain has become more a destination For foreigners than for premises. The reason is very simple: often the latter are already equal or even more profitable travel abroad than to the Canary Islands or Balearic Islands. Prices They have climbed so much that there are even British changing The Spanish coast for Morocco. What do the data say? The INE provides some data that help to better understand that reality. His Frontur statisticson tourist movements at the borders, it shows that in 2024 Spain received 93.8 international tourists10.1% more than the previous year. The growth was led by the British, French and Germans and the most demanded destinations were Catalonia and the Balearic Islands. If we talk about the flow of Spanish tourists the photo is quite different. The Family Statistics that measures the trips made by the population resident in the country reflects that in 2024 the Spaniards we made 184.4 million trips, 0.8% less than the previous year. This setback hides however an even more interesting reading: when we plan our vacations, the Spaniards look more at a time with more interest the destinations located outside our borders. “Internal destination (trips) decreased 2.3% while those … Read more

Japan is saturating from the hordes of foreign tourists. So in the country they have begun to give them free flights

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Japan is filling with tourists. Only during the first half of the year added 21.5 million of foreign visitors, 21% more than during the same period of 2024. There are many. Many. Enough to he overwhelming It has become a Debate theme priority and be giving wings to the formation of extreme right Sanseitō, who managed to stand out in the July elections with the motto “Japan first”. The problem is that, far from being distributed in the country, that tide of visitors is concentrated in certain mass points. There are those who want to solve it giving flights To tourists. What happened? That Japan Airlines (JAL), one of Japan’s main airlines, has had An idea peculiar so that foreign tourism becomes more bearable to the country’s mass destinations: give tickets. Literally. The idea is that foreigners visiting Japan have free flights that encourage them to go beyond Tokyo or Osaka and explore less known corners, such as Sapporo, Naha either Hakuba. The goal is double: relieve pressure at the busiest points in the country and, incidentally, give a small push to foreigners to visit places that would never include in their itineraries. What do they propose? The first thing to clarify is that it is not a new campaign. Aviation Wire I already talked about her in October 2024but with mass tourism in the center of the debate and Japan turned into one of the most demanded destinations in the world, the campaign has gained popularity again. In recent weeks, media have talked about it as Soranews24, Time out or the specialized website Travel and Tour Worldconfirming that the initiative was launched in autumn without completion date. The idea too He has echoed in Spain. What are your details? The campaign consists of giving national flights to foreign tourists so that they can move through Japan, although (as usually happens) it has a small print. It is not available for all visitors and even those who can opt for it must meet before A series of requirements. From the entry the offer is available to users of certain countries, such as the United States, Canada, China, India, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Vietnam or the Philippines, inter alia. In addition, the beneficiary travelers must reserve on their own the international round trip from their country of origin. Once in Japan it is when they can opt for one of the national tickets of JAL promotion, which must include in the same reserve. TTW precise An extra detail that demonstrates how the campaign aspires to relieve pressure in the most busy cities in the country: those visitors flying from the US, Canada, Mexico or China and decide to remain more than 24 hours in the city where they land (usually tokyo) must pay a rate of $ 100. Why is it important? Beyond the details of the campaign or if it really goes on account or not foreign tourists, Jal’s idea is interesting for another reason: it shows Japan’s attempts to make tourists’ avalanche more assumed and do not saturate its most popular destinations. That the initiative has had so much impact is also explained by who spears it: Japan Airlines is one of the main country airlines and on its website presume that your group has a total of 133 national routes and 66 international connections. This wide network of domestic connections is what intends to take advantage of foreigners explore places in the country less popular than Tokyo or the Las Geishas neighborhood of Kyoto, like ski slopes of Nisekothe reefs of Okinawathe mountains of Hakuba either Tomamu or the natural landscapes of Hearbetween a long (very long) and so on. In his favor he has the Encrying From Japan Rail Pass (JRP), which makes the plane win attractive in determining routes. So much tourism in Japan? Yes. The latest official statistics show that during the first half of the year he received 21.5 million of foreign tourists, a surprising fact for two reasons. The first, because it is a record for the country. The second, because it represents an increase of 21% with respect to the same semester of 2024, which gives an idea of the accelerated rhythm to which the sector is growing. Only in June the flow of foreign visitors grew by 7.6%. That boom has come accompanied by the arrival of Millions of dollarsbut has also submitted to the country (especially the most massive destinations) to A pressure that has electorally fed the formation of the extreme right Sanseito, which relies on A speech antituristic and antimigratory. The clearest example of that overwhelming It is located in three busy places: the Fuji, where They have started to charge a rate; The neighborhood of the Geishas de Kyoto, where They have prohibited to “paparazzi tourists”; And Fujikawaguchiko, who has had to cover his views to avoid the hordes of tourists to hunt the best Selfie. Does it work to give flights? It does not seem. As the statistics demonstrate, Japan continues to win tourists and Tokyo remains in The lists of the busiest places. The director of JapaneseLaura Tomàs, acknowledges in An interview with The confidential that the campaign also has some clear weak points. “The routes do not always fit the schedules, the information is not clearly communicated and in many cases the tourist ends up opting for the known.” Images | Matt Cramblett (UNSPLASH), Nomadic Julien (UNSPLASH) In Xataka | Japan will copy Venice to stop mass tourism. Two levels of transport price: the tourist pays more

New Zealand is full of natural treasures. Now he has decided to charge foreign tourists who want to see them

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Mount cook (Aroaki) is one of the most emblematic places in Oceania, a mountain of something More than 3,700 m full -up New Zealand Alps and famous for its snowy peaks. The enclave is fascinating, as is the beach of Cathedral Cove, Milford Track or the Tongariro National Parkall natural treasures of New Zealand. If your government’s plans are ahead in not long foreigners must scratch their pocket to enjoy them. The reason? New Zealand wants to charge them a rate. Surprised friends. The announcement The country’s prime minister, Christopher Luxon, and the Minister of Conservation, Tama Potaka: The Government wants to collect an extra rate to foreigners who visit some of the most popular protected spaces in New Zealand to help conserve them. “Tourists contribute to our economy and nobody wants that to change,” Recognize Luxon. “But many times I have heard from foreign friends his surprise to be able to visit some of the most beautiful places in the world for free.” The great icons. “The places that are special for New Zealand should be protected, so we will give more support to the DOC (Conservation Department) by introducing a position for foreign visitors to access the most crowded spaces “, Confirm The Prime Minister. At least the executive has in mind four of the most iconic spaces in the country: Cathedral Cove/te wahanganui-a-hei, Tongarino crossing, Milford Sound and Aoraki Mount Cookspaces where foreigners usually represent 80% of visits. A figure: € 20. The government not only handles a list of enclaves, it has also thought about a possible rate. In A statement Published this Saturday, the government slides that the “fair” is that foreigners who come to those “special places” pay an extra payment of between 20 and 40 Neozelands dollars per person, which translated into euros is equivalent to a fork of between 10 and 20 euros, more or less. “For the natural heritage that will involve revenues of up to 62 million dollars a year (almost 32 million euros) that will be reimited directly in those same areas, so that we can continue to invest in the places that support much of our tourism sector,” I claim Potaka. The idea is that the fee is paid only by foreigners, not the locals, who can continue to access without costs. “It is our collective heritage and the Kiwis They shouldn’t have to pay. “ Is anything else known? Yes. The newspaper The Guardian Slide That the rates are probably imposed from next year. Another of the keys to which the government is already spinning is how to differentiate foreign visitors from Neozylalands, although it does not seem that this will be a great challenge. “When you go to the Auckland Domain Museum, you have to show that you are from Auckland if you want a different price,” Remember Potaka. The same goes for the differentiated price of the routes. Foreigners pay a little more than the premises and there are different ways to demonstrate it, through passports, certificates, etc. “ Tourism slopes. The government’s decision comes after the Zealander economy Enter technical recession Last year, which has led the government to Search for formulas To stimulate growth. With that backdrop, tourism has revealed a valuable income route. During the last months the government has intensified your promotion, flexible The rules for the arrival of digital nomads and has made it easier for Chinese visitors. As of November, the country will test a visa exemption program for travelers with Chinese passport traveling from Australia with a valid Australian visa. “This will make it easier, cheaper and fast for them to cross the Sea of Tasmania and visit our coasts,” reason Immigration Minister Erica Stanford. The country closed 2024 with 3.3 million of foreign visitors. Are there more changes? Yes. New Zealand not only plans to charge an extra tax foreigners. In it release in which they announce that measure Luxon and Potaka advance their plans to modify the conservation law to facilitate “a new wave of concessions” in sectors such as tourism or agriculture. The reason? The Executive remember That a large part of the territory is protected by its historical, cultural and biodiversity value, and although there are already businesses in that space (shepherds or ski slopes, for example) it is not easy to assemble them. “To do so, a concession is needed, and the concession regime is totally broken. It often has been renewing it for years and leaves companies in a bureaucratic limbo.” The Executive speaks of “obsolete standards” and advances its intention to promote “more employment, growth and higher salaries.” The announcement has already earned you criticism of the environmental organization Forest & Bird. Images | Christian Michel (Flickr) and Bernard Spragg. NZ (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 Italy, farmers are so fed up with tourists who are installing lathes in the mountains. Literally

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There are many places where one would expect to find a lathe. In museums, airports, subway stations, libraries, gyms, bathrooms, stadiums … the list is long and wide. But where nobody would probably expect to see an access tourniquet is in The dolomitesthe steep mountains of the Italian Eastern Alps. After all, what does a metallic closure paint in the field? If that question is asked the farmers of Seda The answer is to remove tourists. That is why they have installed a lathe on a busy route in the area An unexpected landscape. Alps have accustomed us to postal landscapes, but not to what can be seen for weeks on one of its most popular paths, the SECEDA ODLE PANORAMIC ROUTEa mountain of the dolomitas located in Val Gardena. In addition to green slopes, steep summits and film sunset, from early July In the area there is a new element that alters the landscape: a metallic lathe, with its bars, its coin slot and A poster in which you can read “Input for the famous Ruta de las Rocas € 5”. And who put it there? A group of local farmers tired of seeing the continuous transfer of tourists in search of photos for Instagram or the best Selfie. The Telegraph Precise that the initiative started from four land owners that crosses the path. It is not just that the area receives thousands of visitors in high season (recently There was talk of 8,000 in a single day), which already exerts remarkable pressure in the environment, is that this influx, They denounce The owners of the plots, arrives accompanied by “damage” to their lands and garbage. “The authorities must understand that while the cable car operators receive large amounts of money due complaint Georg Rabanser, owner of one of the land that crosses the path. Hence the decision to install a lathe with a toll of five euros (children and locals are exempt) and a person who is responsible for controlling access and demanding the payment of the rate. A QUITA AND PUT TORN. The initiative of Italian farmers could stay there if it were not because the lathe unleashed a considerable controversy in the country. A few days after jumping the news, the device I was already canceledwith which the hikers rose again without problem (or tolls) to the Mirador de Odle. Was that the end of the story? No. Yesterday the newspaper Il post He informed that the lathe is again operation with its controversial rate. OBJECTIVE: launch a SOS. Its promoters decided to recover it to achieve what, They assureThey have always sought: to agit consciences between public administrations to seek solutions to the intense flow of tourists, “the abandoned paths and the meadows full of garbage.” “Ours has been a call for help. We expected a call from the provinces authorities. But nothing. We only read communicated in the press, rumors, nothing concrete.” “We have not even received warning letters, so we move on. The province must understand that, while the facilities (tourist) earn a lot concludes Rabanser. The debate, served. The debate of course is served. The owners of the plots through which the path passes allege that their lands suffer the avalanche of tourists, but the situation is much more complex. Italian law allows free access to environments such as Dolomitas, although in the country there are certain placeslike the popular Via dell´amorein Cinque Terre, which charge access rate. In the background there is an even broader debate and with implications that go beyond Seeda: if farmers are allowed to install lathes, the same will be allowed to the owners of other plots crossed by tourist paths? A lathe field? “I do not want the southern tyrol to become a territory of tourniquetes,” insists Carlo Alberto Zanella, from the Italian Alpine Club. “It is unthinkable that every owner of land crossed by routes begin to collect tolls for access.” Torns are not the only way to prevent tourists from damaging the environment. Moreover, the authorities have already hired more forestry to prevent visitors from leaving the trails or using drones. Images | Robert J. Heath (Flickr), Karen (Flickr) and The Zmora (Flickr) In Xataka | Everest has become a feces. Solution: That all mountaineers carry their own in bags

tourists no longer want to pay them

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“There are tourists who now ask for an orange juice and take it among five people.” The phrase He is from a hotelier of the center of Soller, in Mallorca, one of the great tourist enclaves of the island, and reflects well the situation with which the bars and restaurants of the region are being found: tourists arrive, but they do it with less bulky and less arranged portfolios and less willing to leave four euros for a coffee. Other restorers in the area regret that they are increasingly with more visitors who pull super and prepare their own food. The sector It does not hide Your concern. What happened? That Spanish tourism, a sector that has been (at least from the pandemic) getting used to news about growth, record data And upward invoices, he is giving worrying signs in one of his bastions: Mallorca. In May the employer of the hospitality industry He already warned that the first quarter of the year had been closed with a widespread revenue drop that moved between 10 and 20%. And since then the situation It does not seem to have improved. Why’s that? A quick search arrives on Google to meet news in which the hoteliers of one of the most emblematic destinations in the region, Port of Sóllerthey lament the panorama with which they are being found in the middle of summer, just when their businesses should go stern. “We have gone from not having workers to be over,” confesses to Diario de Mallorca The owner of two restaurants that has had to do without five employees. “The queues of other years are not seen anymore. The last ones I remember were in Holy Week. It does not look good and those who will be harmed will be the workers, especially since next season,” The hotelier insists. “This is a rebound effect after the madness after Covid. We will return to the situation we had before the pandemic, but with much narrower margins.” Is it the only one who thinks like that? No. eldiario.es has published A similar chroniclewith similar complaints from other businesses of the Serra de Tramuntana. One of them, for example, ensures that more than a matter of quantity, of the number of tourists who come to Sóller to enjoy their vacations, it is a problem of habits. People arrive with the most tight portfolio. And less willing to exceed expenses. “More than in the number of tourists, (there is) a change in the type of customer you consume and in the amount you consume,” says the person in charge of a bar. “The volume of people who come to Sóller continues to be the same, with more or less fluctuations every 15 days. But what has dropped is the consumption in bars. People are spending less and that shows,” Explain to the newspaper another hospitality hostess. “Now they ask you for an orange juice (6.5 euros) and take it between five.” The trend collides with a tourist profile that until not so ago was willing to pay four euros for a coffee or more than 25 for the menu of the day. But … What do the data say? Those of CAEB They draw a little flattering panorama. According to Your calculationsthe sector suffers a ‘puncture’ in its turnover between 6 and 8%, a fork that in some restaurants would rise from 15-20% or even reaches 30% in specific cases. Its president, Juan Miguel Ferrer, is blunt and esteem that in eight out of ten stores sales will fall this year. Interestingly and although the sensation can be that the city is crowded, one of the most affected areas is the center of Palma, where the fall reaches 8%. What is the problem? The hoteliers summarize it with a single word: profitability. “The situation is very difficult. We are concerned about business profitability. Many cannot survive. We had not had such a bad summer since before the pandemic,” Ferrer insists In Tourinews. The president of CAEB ensures that last year closed 370 establishments and It is cautious on what the impact can be in the coming months. “We will have to see this year.” Ferrer remember That May was marked by the bad weather, June Mo was plethoric and now the businesses are with a decrease in the influx of customers, especially in Port Soller, Sant Elme and Port D´Alcúdia. “We have gone from being full to have occupations that do not exceed 60%.” The situation is not ideal on the Paseo de Palma. Again the issue is not that there are no visitors, but that they seem less given to consume in the restaurants. “They are known as sandwich tourists”, duck. What tells us the INE? Give other brushstrokes that help compose the painting. His latest data is May, but show that during the first five months of 2025 the annual variation rate among foreign tourists It has been positive In Balearic Islands. As for the flow of travelers and overnight, in June the INE record Increases with respect to 2024. For example, 1.86 million visitors in June 2024 went to about 1.89 million this year. Another interesting fact is the prices. In June the INE registered a year -on -year variation rate of 9.9 in the hotel price index of the Balearic Islands. If we consult the IPC table the annual variation between the set of restaurants and hotels of the archipelago is 5%percentage that rises 30% If compared to 2019. In general, the summer of 2025 usually occurs as the one in The most expensive hotel priceswith 50% increases from the beginning of the pandemic. What is that fall? The apparent ‘prick’ in the billing of the Mallorcan hoteliers is not understood without handling some keys. Both internal and external. Among the last ones is The economic situation from Germany, a crucial market that does not go through its best moment, and the growing competition of other cheaper destinations. One of those who … Read more

Brihuega can no longer with tourists who come to their lavender fields

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“The municipality collapsed, I had a bad time.” The one who speaks is Luis Viejomayor of Br. 3,000 inhabitantsthe overwhelming success of his lavender fields. When plants bloom, in summer, Brihuega is filled with hectares and hectares of violet petals that in turn drag tens of thousands of visitors anxious to achieve the Selfie perfect. That is a blessing that leaves money in the town; But also a curse when, as the mayor acknowledges, the influx of tourists leaves the mother. What happened? That the mayor of Brihuega has recognized that the success of his lavender fields has a difficult face to manage. A few days ago, during An interview With the newspaper ABCOld boast of the attractiveness of his town, but also begged visitors who try not to collapse their streets. “We have a wide tourist, cultural and artistic offer for lavender”, He stressed The councilor. “Of course, I advise you to come to visit us from Monday to Friday, please. On weekends it is more complicated by the large number of people coming.” “I had a bad time”. The mayor does not stay there and recognizes that he has come to see saturation with concern. “Last Saturday, without going any further, the municipality collapsed. I had a bad time,” remember In reference to the 12th. To prevent episodes like this again, in addition to asking tourists to distribute throughout the week, old plans to speed up local transport. “We have to make a deterrent parking on the outskirts of the historic center and connect it with shuttle buses.” The data: 1,000 ha. The tourist success of Brihuega has little mystery: what this small town in Guadalajara has turned into a tourist phenomenon are its lavender fields. The area presumes to have 1,000 hectares of plantations full of flowers that distils to extract essences that are dedicated, for example, to the elaboration of perfumes. “With a lot of meticulousness, we collect millions of purple flowers that will then be distilled in the barrage,” he clarifies. Before the fields offer a unique stamp: a vast horizon of violet petals. FACE A, FACE B. Brihuega’s case is interesting because it reflects the “face A and B” of tourist success. The B, the least friendly, is the one that lamented old: the collapse. A is the return it supposes for the town. In his reportage ABC Slide that lavender flowering leaves eight million euros in just a few weeks. Old Precise that the petals are visible several weeks, which (added to His closeness to Madrid) Explain that last year Brihuega received some 140,000 people. “Managing such public influx in a short time is difficult. We work hard, we have security commission, but it is still a great influx.” Flowers with festival. The truth is that the success of the Brihuega lavender fields are not explained only by networks. The town itself has played a key role by promoting the Lavender festivalwhich has already several years underway and combine the landscape with performances of recognized musicians in Spain. This year, for example, concerts were organized on July 11, 12, 18 and 19 and the secrets, Iván Ferreiro, El Arbato and Beret acted. In past editions they have made it damn Nerea, Víctor Manuel or Luz Casal, to name a few. To their shows are added Other activitiesas lavender -based artisanal workshops. Beyond Brihuega. There is another key and it is the growing interest that awakens “flowering tourism” between a tourist profile that seeks alternative destinations. I recently told Efe in An article In which he points out that, so far this year, this type of tourism has already caught 20% more travelers. In the specific case of Carmona, famous for his Sunflower fieldsthe influx of visitors grew 6% last year and in Moratalla, also known for Your lavenderThe mayor estimates that flowering will attract 15,000 people in just a few months. Images | Lavender festival, Emiliano García-Page Sánchez (Flickr) and MMV (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 León there are small villages that are finding a peculiar phenomenon: thousands of “ghost tourists”

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In the world there is good and bad touristsrespectful tourists and disrespectfulclean and others capable of converting places such as Everest either The Fuji In authentic stercolera, but much less common is what some peoples of the province of León are living. His municipalities are finding a kind of “Ghost Tourism”a drip of thousands and thousands of travelers that nobody has seen or heard or housed, but that in theory they have visited the town. Or at least he assures it A study of the INE. Multiplying the census by 24. Carbajal sources It is a town of León located about 50 minutes by car from the provincial capital and surrounded by hectares and hectares of cultivation. It doesn’t usually sneak into the news, but Monday León News He dedicated him A broad article which explains a peculiarity of the people: in summer there are few municipalities in which the population shoots more for tourism. According to A study INE experimental that measures the flow of tourists from the position of mobile phones, between July and August 2024 the town received 1,826 tourists. Many do not seem like many, but it is that INE himself acknowledges that in the Leonese town there are barely registered 76 people. That is, when the heat arrives, the summers multiply by 24 the municipal census. Next to nothing. “It’s a mockery”. Such data would be compressible if Carbajal sources had a natural park, an old fortress, parties known throughout the community or some other claim that explains that avalanche of visitors, but the City Council itself itself Recognize that this figure of 1,826 tourists (464 in July and 1,180 in August) is difficult to explain … and even more difficult to assume. “It is a burial,” nods The mayor of the town, Carlos de León Saluds, in León News. Similar opinion, Ana María Ortega, former mayor and councilor, Explain That one thing is that the influx of visitors increases in July and August for the people who returns to the village or visit to their relatives and a very different one that the data is triggered in an exorbitant way. “In summer you can triple the population, but multiply by 24 the number of inhabitants with veraners and tourists cannot be.” So … what happens? To understand that mysterious “Ghost Tourism” the first thing is to go to the prine sources. The data of the 1,826 tourists leaves a new “Experimental Statistics” of the INE that resorts to the signals of the mobiles to calculate different metrics related to tourism: the place of origin of foreigners arriving in Spain, the destinations that visit the Spaniards when they leave the country and the movement between communities, provinces and municipalities. The study has been prepared for a few years and always talks about the same: “Tourists.” If we consult the “internal tourism” data and more specifically the flows of “Interprovincial tourists” Residents in Spain, classifying the results by municipalities, the surprise arrives: in July of last year Fuentes de Carbajal received 646 and in August 1,180. In total 1,826. The question is therefore … how are those figures calculated that collide the mayor and the former mayor of the people? Mobile and antennas matter? The response is given by INE in The technical file From the survey: the data is related to the position of mobile phones and are obtained thanks to the collaboration of the country’s large operators. The approach is interesting and promising, but implies certain challenges. “The location of mobile phones is estimated from mobile phone antennas”, collects the institute itself: “This implies that the location of a mobile is not established with total precision, and the error depends on the concentration of antennas.” In summary, the more mobile antennas, the greater precision. Unraveling the mystery. The INE’s ability to analyze the data is also limited. The records on mobile location are anonymous and processed each operator, so the institute receives only aggregate data and in tables, without option to examine loose values. In rural areas it is also found that the low density of the network conditions the type of ‘cells’ with which it operates. By statistical secret, the institute also hides certain data. With that information about the Ortega table Slide that the balance of carbajal sources (which is so adjusted to what is perceived in the people itself) may be due to technical issues, such as coverage or that for some reason the data of other municipalities are added to those of the Leonesa Villa, thus blurring the real photo. Near Fuentes de Carbajal there are other villas with a balance of zero visitors. In Xataka we have already addressed the INE to ask him about that apparent mismatch. Is it the only case? No. León News Informs other equally striking, although none reaches the level of carbajal sources. In San Millán de los Caballeros, for example, the INE registered 1,648 tourists in July and in August 1,602, which adds 3,250. Again they may not seem like many, but it is that the town has 191 inhabitants registered. The same occurs in Izagre, of 137 residents and who according to the statistical institute receives almost 2,000 Veranians. “We don’t have great parties, just four performances during the summer,” remember the mayor of San Millán. “There are two campsites close to the people, but they are in the municipal terms of Valencia de D Juan and Villamañán.” Nor does the Izagre councilor achieve to understand everything that happens: “On central summer days, with the holidays, between 150 and 200 people can be reached in each of the villages, but reaching the 1,987 veraneantes in those two months cannot be.” Images | Zed Mendez (UNSPLASH)Google Maps and Wikipedia Via | León News In Xataka | It is increasingly easy to see from the road a crop that had never been dominant in Spain: the pistachio

In Madrid there were no economic hotels left, but there was a “virgin” space for tourists: polygons

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Like most of the large cities on the planet, prices for stay in Madrideither for a long time like a short stay, they have shot themselves. If we focus on tourist accommodations, already We tell it Recently: it’s not a sensation, hotels are more expensive than ever In Spain, and in cities such as the capital They are prohibitive. In fact, tourists are beginning to look for other destinations Like Morocco. The solution for hoteliers is in the surroundings: the polygons. The new face. Three years ago it was already coming. Then, he counted in a Report the ABC That on the outskirts of the M-30, where many still believe that Madrid is blurred in gray ships and empty streets at the afternoon, the polygon Julián Camarillo It offered a radically different image. This almost 200 hectares enclave, located between the linear city and Suanzes stations, had begun to transform into a vibrant, accelerated and multifaceted area, a reflection of a city in constant mutation. Its streets combine industrial vestiges from the 50s to 80s with new constructions, hotels, artisan breweries, gastronomic spaces, technological centers and an incipient cultural vocation. As happened before in Barrios Like Shoreditch in London or the District 22@ from Barcelonathe polygon seemed to position itself as an urban laboratory where the post -industrial laboratory gives way to the allegedly modern. Tourist destination Three years later, The country counted That in Julián Camarillo, which once was territory marked by half -empty offices, aged industrial buildings and unused solar, a phenomenon as unexpected as unstoppable is brewing: its transformation into an incipient hotel district. Yes, what at first glance seemed a little hospitable environment has become A tourist reef Thanks to its proximity to the center of Madrid and at the low cost of accommodation. Here is a proper name: the Catalan businessman Óscar Sánchez, founder of the Bestprice chainhas been one of the pioneers to bet on the enclave, describing it as an “oil well” for the potential it offers to those who risk. Its hotels, located only eight subway stops from Puerta del Sol, attract young visitors who prioritize the price aesthetics. The figures endorse it: since 2020 they have Opened eight hotels in the area and there are at least seven others in project. From illegal loft to functional hotels. Apparently, the previous attempts For redefining the area they did not prosper with equal success. At the beginning of the century, the New York Soho model with the loft fashion was attempted, and then promoted the term Madbit to attract to Technology companies. Both initiatives collided with the lack of regulation and a weak corporate demand. Instead, hotels have grown without institutional campaigns or brand names for the neighborhood. The specialized real estate agency in the area confirmed the country that many office promoters are transforming their projects into tourist establishments due to the evidence that the demand for accommodation exceeds that of work space. This boom coincides with something we have gone counting: he normative hardening Towards Airbnb and Tourist Housing The historical record of visitors in Madrid, where 10.4 million tourists were reached in 2024. The Carabanchel node Urban Fever. In the background, international consultants have confirmed the effervescence of the sector. Colliers has identified more than 60,000 square meters available for new hotel projects in Julián Camarillo, although warns that urban limits slow down the rhythm, so many of the New establishments They are small and functional, with less than one hundred rooms. Most are classified as a star hotels, and together they add more than 1,500 active rooms. Meanwhile, chains Like Ibis or Spark by Hilton They add to the model initiated by Bestprice, consolidating the area as the one that wakes up most between investors. Other consultants, Like Engel & VölkersThey observe a similar trend in industrial polygons from other cities such as Valencia, Bilbao or Barcelona, ​​where land prices and the lack of alternatives in the center push the hotel sector to colonize spaces traditionally relegated to the manufacturing activity. Asequible accommodation. The triumph of this model is Understand alone. The logic behind this transformation is because there are every time Less active factoriesoffices do not absorb enough demand and tourism needs affordable spacewell communicated and functional. With rates of between 60 and 70 euros per night, 20 minutes from the center of Madrid, hotels in polygons such as Julián Camarillo fill that hole. Carabanchel adds. Something similar is also happening to the south of the capital, although here with the aim of giving a housing alternative to creative young people at a step in the city. It The world told. In the heart of Carabanchel, a neighborhood more and more associated with urban artHE Inaugurated Node Carabanchela half stay hotel that redefines the concept of flexible accommodation with a thousand rooms designed for creative young people, students, digital nomads “and people in vital transition.” With one investment of 100 million In euros, the gigantic complex includes fully equipped studies and apartments, and offers a community experience focused on art, music and coworking, with spaces such as rehearsal rooms, podcast, theater, gym, swimming pool, sporting tracks and a scourge on the roof for concerts and cultural events. Replicating other models. Node aspires not only to accommodate, but to actively integrate into the local fabric through collaborations With schools, galleries and neighborhood artists, promoting a living and shared community. Driven by the Node Living company With the support of Bain Capital, this is its third project in Madrid and is part of an international expansion that replicates a model born in Brooklyn and already present in cities such as New York, Los Angeles, London and Barcelona. Mutant neighborhoods. Be that as it may, all these proposals have a common denominator: Madrid is made big And it reinvents itself because its nerve center has become A theme park of Closed Coto. Of course, the spontaneity with which they have Grown polygons like Julián Camarillo To tourist district modes, they … Read more

North Korea has just opened its own “Benidorm” for 20,000 tourists. The mystery is now who will go there

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To Kim Jong-un we usually see him dispatching with uniformed subordinates or supervising missile throws, always cooling in his everlasting MAO neck suit. Much less common is to see it as This Tuesdaywhen it was recorded sitting in a folding chair with a soda and a package of cigarettes while contemplating how people slid down a huge water slide. Nothing strange if we consider that what Kim was doing was neither more nor less than inaugurate The “New Benidorm” North Korea. The Great question Now, after the fanfare and pomp of the inauguration is: How the hell is intended to fill it a hermetic and suspicious country of foreign tourism? Welcome to Wonsan Kalma. North Korea already has His particular Benidorm. Officially, with opening tape cut and fireworks included. Tuesday The leader of the nation, Kim Jong-un, went to the new Megacomplex Kangwon tourist to preside over the start -up of one of its biggest projects: a Marina D´or to the Korean, with aquatic parks, hotels, beach kilometers and ability to accommodate 20,000 guests. MAO NECK WITHOUT. Kim Jong-un is more or less common to see him dispatched with subordinates, meeting with other leaders and supervising missile launches or warships (not always). And in all these cases its aesthetic is usually identical: gray or black suit, usually of the mao neck, and sober expression. Wonsan Kalma is a place of recreation, so there he offered a more informal picture and enjoyed a mass bath which K-pop star. Kim also appeared accompanied by his wife, Ri Sol-Juwho had had a year and a half away from the spotlights, and his daughter Ju-Aeof 12 years already the one that usually signs up as the future heiress of the family saga. Next to them Kim walked along Wonsan beach, inspected the hotels and even sat on a folding chair (refreshment and pitillo by hand) to see how a comrade slid down a water slide. Neither easy nor fast. Wonsan-Kalma is news because North Korea He has just given it By inaugurated, but in reality the project is not new, much less unknown. Moreover, he has been talking about him since 2013, when Kim Jong-un, then just enthroned in the Korea Workers Party advertisement His desire to turn Wonsan into a “tourist city.” Curious bet if one takes into account that the authorities had used the region to Try your missiles. That Kim opts precisely in that area of ​​North Korea is no coincidence: he grew up there, surrounded by luxury, and his coast is bathed by the sea of ​​Japan. The idea was that the new tourist complex was Ready in 2022but on the way several inconveniences crossed: the covid and a serious shortage of materials aggravated by international sanctions, so that his calendar was expanding until he went into the second half of the decade. Last summer the state agency KCNA slid that Wonsan Kalma could be ready in May. It will take something else: you will start receiving visitors July 1. And who will visit it? We know that Wonsan Kalma has hotels, aquatic parks, pools with slides, four kilometers of beachrestaurants and commercial areas, but what is not so clear is how North Korea will manage to fill it. Especially since the government itself remembers that it has the capacity for tens of thousands of visitors: their accommodations can host 20,000 people And in his day he slid that the capacity of the complex would be even greater. The KCNA agency only states that Wonsan-Kalma will begin offering services to “National Clients” As of July 1, without mention of plans to promote the complex or capture visitors outside the country. To the inauguration of Wonsan Kalma, yes, a delegation of Russian authorities including the ambassador, one more sample of the approach between Pyongyang and Moscow. Gesture question. It is not easy to know what plans Kim has in tourism, one of the few legal channels available to the nation to capture foreign currencies; But over the last months the North Korean regime has given forward steps (and Also some other behind) to open timidly to foreign tourism, knocked out after pandemic. By mid -2023 the restrictions They relaxedmonths later the country began to receive Russian visitors already early this year He surprised the world when opening its doors to a reduced handful of Western tourists. That did not last long. Weeks later He turned back. In April the capital celebrated a marathon in which allowed Run to foreigners, especially Russians and Ethiopians. Looking at Russia. The CNN Precise that at the moment the Russians seem to be the only ones who will have it more or less easy to step on the new tourist complex. One of his agencies, Vostok Intur, is in fact promoting several packages for the coming months with Pyongyang scale. Your price? Around 1,800 dollars. In 2019 North Korea received some 300,000 visitors foreigners, especially Chinese, who generated a flow of between 90 and 150 million dollars. Images | KCNA In Xataka | North Korea has revealed a small manhattan of 10,000 apartments. The problem is what is behind the facade

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