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ltbewr wrote:In Paris, the Louve (European painting section especially) and Musee D'Orsey were, despite it being the 'off season' for tourism, totally mobbed with long lines and overcrowding. Where 20-30 years ago one could get within 2 meters or so to the Mona Lisa, now it is behind a sealed case and people kept 4+ meters away, and of course with every one using their camera phones, including despite rules, their flash function.
Dieuwer wrote:ltbewr wrote:In Paris, the Louve (European painting section especially) and Musee D'Orsey were, despite it being the 'off season' for tourism, totally mobbed with long lines and overcrowding. Where 20-30 years ago one could get within 2 meters or so to the Mona Lisa, now it is behind a sealed case and people kept 4+ meters away, and of course with every one using their camera phones, including despite rules, their flash function.
In major European cities, there really is no longer an "off season". Sure, Paris might be slightly less mobbed in say February, but most months are busy as can be.
American tourists are also to blame. I never understood why every American MUST GO to London, Paris, Amsterdam and Rome. In many cases, "secondary cities" (e.g. Budapest, Avignon, Utrecht, Seville) have lots of culture and entertainment to offer as well. And are not as busy as the perennial favorites.
Dieuwer wrote:American tourists are also to blame. I never understood why every American MUST GO to London, Paris, Amsterdam and Rome. In many cases, "secondary cities" (e.g. Budapest, Avignon, Utrecht, Seville) have lots of culture and entertainment to offer as well.
scbriml wrote:It's a hard balance to strike.
Consider World Heritage Sites like Machu Picchu and Angkor Wat. Both these sites are slowly suffering and decaying from the massively inflated tourist numbers in the last few years. Both sites have spoken about restricting visitor numbers, but I'm not aware that this has happened. Why not? Clearly, western tourists bring huge amounts of money to both sites/regions/countries. It's very difficult to talk about reducing that inflow of money, but at some point, they may well kill the goose that lays the golden egg.
L410Turbolet wrote:Dieuwer wrote:American tourists are also to blame. I never understood why every American MUST GO to London, Paris, Amsterdam and Rome. In many cases, "secondary cities" (e.g. Budapest, Avignon, Utrecht, Seville) have lots of culture and entertainment to offer as well.
It's the same the other way around. Why Europeans pick NYC, Orlando and LA as their "must see" US destination, instead of going to, say, Savannah or Asheville.
L410Turbolet wrote:Dieuwer wrote:American tourists are also to blame. I never understood why every American MUST GO to London, Paris, Amsterdam and Rome. In many cases, "secondary cities" (e.g. Budapest, Avignon, Utrecht, Seville) have lots of culture and entertainment to offer as well.
It's the same the other way around. Why Europeans pick NYC, Orlando and LA as their "must see" US destination, instead of going to, say, Savannah or Asheville.
dfwjim1 wrote:L410Turbolet wrote:Dieuwer wrote:American tourists are also to blame. I never understood why every American MUST GO to London, Paris, Amsterdam and Rome. In many cases, "secondary cities" (e.g. Budapest, Avignon, Utrecht, Seville) have lots of culture and entertainment to offer as well.
It's the same the other way around. Why Europeans pick NYC, Orlando and LA as their "must see" US destination, instead of going to, say, Savannah or Asheville.
Because NYC, Orlando, LA...etc have so many more attractions.
dfwjim1 wrote:".And access. How many people are willing to do a connection on a foreign airline to a smaller destination to get to a destination they know little about? Or rent a car and feel comfortable driving it in said country (especially if they drive on the opposite side of the road from your own)? Takes quite a bit of research, gumption, and motivation to travel outside of the big markets with limited transportation options.
dfwjim1 wrote:Because NYC, Orlando, LA...etc have so many more attractions.
ltbewr wrote:The question then what can be done to deal with overtourism ? My recent trip to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam showed the problems of overtourism and how to deal with it.
seb146 wrote:A lot of tourist areas are hyped. Every American who goes to France tries really hard to see the Eiffel Tower. It is an iconic landmark. When I finally get the chance to go to Estonia, I will make sure to spend a few days in Paris to see it. I would also want to visit London to see the Tower Bridge and Big Ben. I would also want a Stoli Bolli in Holland Park.
I think a lot of people go to say "we did that" and have some kind of connection with others. We went to Oahu a few years ago. Yes, we saw Waikiki and Bonzai Pipeline and Pearl Harbor. Everyone knows those places. We also took a turn off the main road and drove around and walked around some of the villages and some of the neighborhoods and around the University of Hawaii campus. We did not see many tourists. Just people hanging out. One of my favorite memories was sitting in a park near Diamond Head under the moon listening to a concert nearby.
Dieuwer wrote:I never understood why every American MUST GO to London, Paris, Amsterdam and Rome. In many cases, "secondary cities" (e.g. Budapest, Avignon, Utrecht, Seville) have lots of culture and entertainment to offer as well. And are not as busy as the perennial favorites.
af773atmsp wrote:American tourist here. I did visit London in the fall 7 years ago and it was very overcrowded. Still worth it, and I do want to go back someday but it’s not a high priority. Everywhere else I’ve gone in Europe has been secondary cities and business-oriented cities that don’t have a lot of tourist sites. I was in France but had no interest in going to Paris. I do want to go someday, but like London it’s not a high priority.
Secondary American cities can be enjoyable if you’re willing to figure out the public transit and accept that it’s probably not convenient like European cities.
Is the access to the beach restricted?
The access to the beach is free and, in principle, the restriction will be carried out between 1 July and 30 September and during Easter. The sandy area can be visited by a maximum of 4812 people per day.
How can you get the authorization?
Today, there are several ways of getting the authorizations to visit As Catedrais beach:
apodino wrote:I went to Rome last December and it does have a lot of Tourist appeal and certainly its geared toward that crowd, but it was manageable as it was during an off peak season. That being said, Rome is a very dirty city with a lot of graffiti on subway cars, and litter everywhere, and honestly I am not sure I would want to live there. Not to mention the subway is so crowded you almost need the Japanese style workers on the platforms to push more people in..
Dieuwer wrote:ltbewr wrote:In Paris, the Louve (European painting section especially) and Musee D'Orsey were, despite it being the 'off season' for tourism, totally mobbed with long lines and overcrowding. Where 20-30 years ago one could get within 2 meters or so to the Mona Lisa, now it is behind a sealed case and people kept 4+ meters away, and of course with every one using their camera phones, including despite rules, their flash function.
In major European cities, there really is no longer an "off season". Sure, Paris might be slightly less mobbed in say February, but most months are busy as can be.
American tourists are also to blame. I never understood why every American MUST GO to London, Paris, Amsterdam and Rome. In many cases, "secondary cities" (e.g. Budapest, Avignon, Utrecht, Seville) have lots of culture and entertainment to offer as well. And are not as busy as the perennial favorites.
frmrCapCadet wrote:Skagway, population c 715, tourists - to say a million a year is only a little exaggeration. Not unheard of to have 3 cruise ships in at the same time. Still, if you haven't an Alaska Cruise is affordable and really worth doing - ONCE. For a lower key experience, and more expensive do it via the Alaska or BC ferry system.
Dieuwer wrote:In major European cities, there really is no longer an "off season". Sure, Paris might be slightly less mobbed in say February, but most months are busy as can be.
American tourists are also to blame. I never understood why every American MUST GO to London, Paris, Amsterdam and Rome. In many cases, "secondary cities" (e.g. Budapest, Avignon, Utrecht, Seville) have lots of culture and entertainment to offer as well. And are not as busy as the perennial favorites.