Europe’s war on tourism has now spread to Portugal and Switzerland.
In a Portuguese town that was once described by Lord Byron as a ‘glorious Eden’, locals are calling for ‘guerrilla action’ to be taken to combat the numbers of visitors.
Meanwhile, the Swiss have complained that rare flowers – such as the edelweiss – are being trampled by tourists trying to get the perfect Instagram photo of the Matterhorn peak, and have been forced to fence off pastures.
Tensions have continued to boil in Spain, too, where several protests have been held against holidaymakers in recent months.
In the latest demonstration, a group of young Majorcans have taken to social media to complain of restaurants only offering menus in English.
In Sintra – a Portuguese town that was once described by Lord Byron as a ‘glorious Eden’ – locals are calling for ‘guerrilla action’ to be taken to combat the numbers of visitors.
Residents in Sintra complaining that the town has become clogged by ‘mass tourism’ and turned into ‘a mere congested amusement park,’ according to The Times
Pena Palace – the world heritage site’s main attraction – alone sees millions of visitors every year, causing traffic chaos in the surrounding, winding neighbourhoods
Signs are seen in Sintra calling attention to the issues of mass tourism in the region
They have organised their own form of protest by buying food from local pastry shops and eating it on benches next to the offending establishments.
Anger is bubbling in the municipality of Sintra, found in southern Portugal’s Sintra Mountains, which is home to less than 400,000 people.
Residents are complaining that the town has become clogged by ‘mass tourism’ and turned into ‘a mere congested amusement park,’ according to The Times.
Pena Palace – the world heritage site’s main attraction – alone sees millions of visitors every year, causing traffic chaos in the surrounding, winding neighbourhoods – with taxis backed up for hours.
Tourists park incorrectly, drive the wrong way down one-way streets, and even crash into the walls of properties – turning the area into a ‘tourist hell’.
Now, after years of calling on authorities to address the issue – members of a local action group have said ”Enough is Enough!’ and are calling for measures to be taken to combat mass tourism to the region, with one saying ‘guerrilla action is needed’.
In Switzerland, meanwhile, locals have complained of tourists trampling rare alpine plants – such as the edelweiss – in their rush to take selfies in front of the iconic Matterhorn peak.
Another flower – the rare, pink Thlaspi rotundifolium, which thrives in very few places – has also been trampled by tourists arriving in Riffelsee via the Rotenboden train station for the famous view.
Speaking to The Telegraph, botanist Adrian Möhl said: ‘People don’t do it maliciously. They simply don’t realise that they’re standing on plants.’
But officials in Zermatt – the mountain resort in southern Switzerland’s Valais canton home to the Matterhorn – have been forced to fence off pastures to ensure tourists stick to the paths.
Jakob Graven, a gardener who tends the plants, told The Telegraph that the situation had ‘improved a lot’ but said the edelweiss had disappeared’ from the region ‘because they were trampled on.’
Work is underway to bring the plants back, he told the newspaper.
In Switzerland, locals have complained of tourists trampling rare alpine plants – such as the edelweiss – in their rush to take selfies in front of the iconic Matterhorn peak
Officials in Zermatt – the mountain resort in southern Switzerland’s Valais canton home to the Matterhorn – have been forced to fence off pastures to ensure tourists stick to the paths to protect the local plants, some of which have disappeared
In Sintra, residents – both locals and foreigners – are less understanding than Mr Möhl, and have grown increasingly angry over the challenges presented by mass tourism to the region.
Even running every-day errands has become a challenge, with one resident telling Portugal’s SIC news channel that she wakes up at 5am just to walk her dog and tend to her garden in order to avoid the hordes of people who descend on the town.
Meanwhile, one British expat living in the region told The Times that it is ‘very frightening’ to think what would happen if there was a fire or an emergency’ that required an ambulance.
‘It takes me two to three hours to do a 20-minute round trip to the nearest shop,’ she said.
A local protest group is calling for official to take action against the issue.
It told The Times: ‘Leaving Sintra without inhabitants and turning it into a mere amusement park is not the path to quality tourism not serving the environment, culture, landscape and authenticity of this unique place.’
In a statement, the group said it was calling for ‘a systematic survey of all major projects’ – such as hotels and property developments.
‘Sintra belongs to everyone and needs everyone’, its manifesto says.
Were officials to bow to the group’s demand, Sintra would not be the first place in Portugal to introduce measures to crack down on tourism.
Porto has recently announced a pilot scheme to limit tuk-tuks and tourist buses in the city centre, and it will scrap a tourist train next year.
Lisbon’s council, meanwhile, has approved a measure that will increase tourist tax on overnight stays from two euros (£1.70) to four euros (£3.40).
Italy’s iconic city of Venice this year introduced an entry fee, with tourists now required to pay five euros (£4.20) to visit.
However, the scheme has been labelled a ‘total failure’ by some in Italy after it brought in more cash than expected – showing that it has not worked to combat over-tourism.
People take part in a demonstration to protest against overtourism and housing prices on the island of Mallorca in Palma de Mallorca on July 21, 2024
People hold a placard which reads as ‘Tourism yes, but not like this’ during a demonstration to protest against overtourism and housing prices on the island of Mallorca on July 21, 2024
The growing anti-tourism sentiment is shared by many locals living in European tourism hotspots, with protests this year taking place on Spanish islands such as Majorca and Tenerife.
Cities, such as Barcelona, are taking measures to reduce the number of holiday rentals as residents complain about rising costs of living.
In Majorca’s Soller, protesters have said they will continue to boycott restaurants which have only English menus, and eat their own food in view of the establishments instead.
‘We will do this until menus are not just in English,’ the group said in a social media post, according to the Majorca Daily Bulletin.
