Protests against Holiday makers

I sympathise with people anywhere who have remarked "too many tourists makes life hell, take away housing for locals". Whichever country is expressing that, I've made a mental note not to go there. I do relate to it, I remember working in London when it was heaving with tourists, dare I say it those who blocked entrances when trying to exit the tube with huge, unwieldy backpacks,made life difficult for the commuting workers, but at the same time, we knew they were spending their money and benefiting the economy.

I hate the way some tourists disrespect locals and their culture and behave badly, having said that, the governments of countries such as Spain have allowed the proliferation of bars/clubs/drinking holes that encourage such behaviour, a bit like airlines who let sell drink to those who are already off their face. I think it is up to the people of the country/region to lobby their governments to implement some sort of levy, ceiling on how many tourists they feel they can cope with. Although that could prove to be a double edge sword in that they may see a massive downturn in revenue. It's a fine balance I'm sure.

I’ve lived, mainly, in London - a huge tourist trap. Unregulated holiday AirBnb’s everywhere.

I spent 9 years on the South coast - another tourist trap. More and more holiday homes being created,

Yes, tourists, without a doubt, can be a pest, but every tourist place needs the income that tourism provides.🤷‍♀️

The north coast of Scotland is now a hell for the people who live there as it has been over marketed and is choked with campervans. It is a fragile environment and there is not the infrastructure to support this level of use. Also many people tend to park by the roadside as it is free rather than use campsites and defecate and urinate, leave litter, build fires etc beside people's homes, even graveyards. The single track roads are completely blocked. People use passing places to park up, race round on motorbikes and in racing cars and there is no policing to stop them like everywhere else. The local council paid for some rangers last year which was a help but there is no money so they have been cut. It is not that most people there want no tourism. It is a help to the economy but not to this level and with no enforced regulations.
The centre of Edinburgh is also given up to tourism. It is becoming more or less unusable for local residents. A group I am a member of has given up meeting at the National Gallery because it is so crowded, noisy and unpleasant.. And more and more places become swamped as they are mentioned online as "hidden gems".
It is impoverishing our lives in this city and impoverishing the tourist experience. And is happening in so many places.
Many of us have a residents hat and at other times a tourist hat ourselves.

We often go to Greece, well the Greek Islands. We choose rentals; either individual rentals or those on a small, family run development, usually only about 6,7, or 8 apartments. We don’t like huge hotels or holiday complexes where you never have to leave the complex once you’ve arrived because we like to explore the islands. We always get a car. What I’m trying to say is that we don’t really come across Russians in the type of accommodation we choose although there are often visitors from different countries. Actually the year before last, when we were in Corfu, we stayed in a family run development of only six apartments, and only three apartments were occupied, two of them by British people, us and another couple, and the other by a young couple from Belarus, who told us how, in order to holiday in Greece, they had to go by train to Lithuania before they could get on a plane to fly to Greece due to sanctions on Belarus. They seemed a lovely couple, told us eye watering tales about Belarus, but the saddest thing was that they refused to start a family because they didn’t want to bring up a child in Belarus, but as their families are in Belarus, nor do they want to leave. Their best friend was in prison for speaking out against the government. Nonetheless we haven’t met any Russians recently, although we’ve heard them out and about in the past. There seem to be none around now.

Russians, since the invasion of Ukraine, are no longer welcome to holiday in Europe and getting a visa to visit is extremely difficult. Doesn't seem to have affected the resorts though. I noticed a few previously more or less exclusive to Russian tourist hotels in Greece advertising packages from UK.

LottieLouise

People are buying holiday homes everywhere, abroad and in the UK but this is turning little towns, villages and coastal areas into isolated places in the winter so shops and restaurants are having to close down due to lack of customers. Because people are buying second summer homes in these lovely towns the people who live there are being forced out because they cannot afford to pay the increase in price, also people who have rented for years are now being told to leave as the landlords want to sell to people who run Airb&b's and to people who can afford to pay the high prices for holiday homes.

I cannot understand how these towns and villages are allowed to have all these holiday homes closed for 6 months of the year when the people who were born and bred there cannot afford to buy their own property. They have become ghost towns in the winter months.

This has been going on since before the 70s. My Mum wrote to the local newspaper along with other people around 1976. I got married in 77 and there was no chance of us buying a house here as it was popular with holidaymakers so the prices were much higher even then. We had to move away and buy in another county and then move back some years later to get on the property ladder.

Same in Cornwall, Somerset, Devon, the Lake District etc. although I believe Cornwall and the Lakes now have restrictions in place.

What needs to be remembered is it is often local people who are selling these houses at eye watering prices. A person I grew up with has just sold his late Mother’s bungalow on a large plot in one of the most expensive villages here. It has been demolished and they are building 2 or 3 houses on the plot. I understand this has made him just about a millionaire! He told me he is already comfortably off and doesn’t need the money so he had the choice of who to sell it to but it wasn’t locals who bought it.

People are buying holiday homes everywhere, abroad and in the UK but this is turning little towns, villages and coastal areas into isolated places in the winter so shops and restaurants are having to close down due to lack of customers. Because people are buying second summer homes in these lovely towns the people who live there are being forced out because they cannot afford to pay the increase in price, also people who have rented for years are now being told to leave as the landlords want to sell to people who run Airb&b's and to people who can afford to pay the high prices for holiday homes.

I cannot understand how these towns and villages are allowed to have all these holiday homes closed for 6 months of the year when the people who were born and bred there cannot afford to buy their own property. They have become ghost towns in the winter months.

We avoided certain places in Bali which have a reputation for loud mouthed Australian oafs. We went to one of those beach resorts for a day and, no, not for us. How come it is certain races that cause trouble ? Hate to say it, but mostly Europeans, the Asians seem to be more well behaved and polite. You never see Chinese people shouting and carrying on like pork chops in our part of the world at least!

Ah, we didn’t get up North. Maybe next time.

It's a while since we've been but we were told the Russians were buying up land and property in Cyprus then, mostly in the North, I think.

Cyprus was very popular with the Russians

We’ve just come back from Paphos, Callistemon, we didn’t come across any Russians in that area. But we were upgraded to a better hotel on a tour of Turkey last year, because of the antics of a large Russian contingent in the previous one. Lots of drunken fighting and carryings on - we were the only ones housed in a quiet annex and missed out on all the excitement (thank goodness).

We are off to Ibiza soon and it seems there are some protests there. As I understand it they welcome tourists but they object to people buying properties out there. Will report back but we are going well away from the main touristy places with nightclubs etc so maybe we will miss such stuff.

I always tried to avoid mass tourist destinations. When I did travel to tourist destinations (been to Venice many times) it was in low season. Venice in December is magical. I was always made to feel welcome. The kinds of places which attract "clubbers" and families are a big turn off for me.

Holidaymakers are a blessing and a nuisance everywhere I think.

Relatively remote Welsh and Irish beaches of my childhood (and my children's childhood) are displayed all over the Internet now. Visitors inevitably block roads and access for those who live there. Cafés may be pleased of the extra trade but the farmers etc don't enjoy it.

In many places the problem has been caused by the Air B n B trend.
The regulations are being tightened but
Pandoras box has already opened

Urmstongran

Calli you’ve got my syndrome this afternoon!
We must learn to proof read. 🤣

It's autocorrect, Urmstongran!
😁

In many places

My favourite is Greece.
Having said that, we’ve just returned from Seville and it was lovely, especially the weather. The sun shone, woowoo 🌞🌞🌞

These stories are daft. We have a few drunken rowdy Brits who attract a lot of attention, most of us love Spain, Greece, Italy etc and are made very welcome

In our experience having spent many holidays in Majorca we have been made to feel very welcome including on our last trip a few weeks ago.
This story is a load of BS it was a peaceful protest and the issue regarding housing is as relevant in this country as it is in Spain/Majorca.

We certainly won’t be going elsewhere.

Calli you’ve got my syndrome this afternoon!
We must learn to proof read. 🤣

Yes I agree Spain in general has always been popular with the German tourist, we always remember the morning rush to get your towels by the pool that was often blamed on them, but usually seemed to be Brits🙄

Covert??

Very

Urmstongran

Doubt it.

When we went to Majorca it was very popular with the Germans.

Cyprus was covert popular with the Russians.

Australia is very popular with Chinese people.

I think unless I had a holiday home there I’d go elsewhere!