Tourist numbers in Europe this summer have returned to near pre-pandemic levels, with demand particularly high from North American travelers. But the summer season has been far from peaceful, with holidaymakers experiencing heatwaves and wildfires, and overcrowding returning to Europe’s most popular tourist spots. Some of the trouble has been caused by the tourists themselves, with several accused of vandalism and trespassing at the iconic sites they were visiting.
Ahead of the summer season, the data looked promising. European tourist numbers in the second quarter of 2023 were 95% of what they were in 2019, the year before widespread travel disruptions caused by the coronavirus.
Economists had predicted a “full recovery” in summer tourist numbers across Europe by June.
July showed that one group in particular returned in even higher numbers than before the pandemic. In Paris (which has not yet fully recovered to pre-COVID-19 numbers), visitor numbers from North Americans increased by nearly 3% compared to 2019.
“The tourism industry has put a lot of emphasis on holiday sales this year,” said Brian Garrod, a tourism marketing professor at Swansea University. “There’s also a lot of pent-up demand from people who couldn’t travel in 2021 and were a little unsure about 2022. 2023 is a big return.”
heat waves and wildfires
A thriving tourism industry relies heavily on summer tourism, providing economic relief to countries hit by three consecutive disappointing seasons.
However, the summer of 2023 was far from smooth sailing. In July, the Red Cross set up an emergency relief tent outside the Acropolis in Athens due to a heatwave that jeopardized the health of tourists. The UNESCO World Heritage site was closed on a mid-July afternoon “to protect workers and visitors” as temperatures reached 44C (111F), the culture minister said.
Visitors depart from the Acropolis ruins in Athens, Greece, during a heat wave on July 14, 2023. © Spyros Bakalis, AFP
In Italy, “red weather” warnings were issued for 20 of the country’s 27 major cities in July, with temperatures reaching a maximum of 47 degrees in Sicily. The success of the television series “The White” has made it a particularly popular tourist destination this summer. Lotus” was filmed on this island.
Emergency aid stations have been set up at 28 locations to help tourists brave the heat in the popular city of Rome.
“They are handing out water, but they also want to be able to respond quickly if anyone is feeling unwell,” said France 24’s Seema Gupta, reporting from the Italian capital on July 18. [an emergency measure to prioritise care] They have been installed in hospital emergency rooms across the city to help people deal with heat-related illnesses. ”
Worse will happen.
By the end of July, 30,000 people had been evacuated to safe locations on the Greek island of Rhodes, where wildfires continued for days.
Visitors fleeing the blaze at one of Greece’s top tourist destinations said they had been living a “nightmare”.
“We’ve been lying here for two days,” said one Austrian tourist coming from the airport. “There are no blankets or anything. There are children lying here who need milk.”
France, Spain, Italy and Croatia on the Mediterranean coast had to evacuate tourists affected by wildfires this summer.
overcrowding, fraud
But the message remained from Italy and Greece’s tourist boards that tourists should keep coming despite the heat and fires.
“At the end of the day, success in tourism comes down to numbers. It’s very competitive,” Garrod said. “[Post-Covid], the industry is trying to rebuild the old-fashioned way: big spending through big numbers.What I haven’t done [is] We inevitably think about what is good for the destination. ”
Overcrowding returned due to increased tourist numbers in summer 2023. According to a study by holiday home rental agency Holidu, Dubrovnik is listed as the most overcrowded city in Europe, with 36 tourists per resident. The Old Town has long grappled with how to accommodate large numbers of tourists within its 16th-century ramparts, which historically were meant to keep people out.
Venice, second on the list, was found by UNESCO in July to be at risk of “irreparable” damage, due in part to mass tourism. The United Nations agency recommended adding the city to the list of World Heritage Sites in Danger.
As tourists return to Europe en masse, stories of well-known cheating are also on the rise.
A tourist from the UK had no idea how old Rome’s Colosseum was when he was photographed carving his and his girlfriend’s names into the 2,000-year-old amphitheater in July. There wasn’t,” he said.
In August, Italy’s deputy prime minister slammed a group of German tourists as “stupid” for toppling a statue that was part of a 150-year-old fountain in Lombardy.
The opening of the Eiffel Tower was postponed one morning in August when two inebriated Americans decided to sleep overnight in the 300-meter-tall monument.
Regulation, new destinations
Some cities, and even entire countries, have had enough.
Amsterdam has banned cruise ships from entering its main ports. Rome has restricted access to the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. Spain’s famous pilgrimage site, Santiago de Compostela, is planning to introduce a tourist tax.
Garrod said the restrictions will likely create a different kind of holiday. “A lot of the fun is taken away from vacationers who can’t go with the flow and have to plan carefully.”
Visits to some landmarks with limited availability, such as the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam and Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper in Milan, are now booked weeks in advance.
But the alternative of exponentially growing tourism comes with its own risks.
Residents of popular tourist destinations may recognize the economic benefits of a thriving tourism industry, but they may also find it difficult for visitors to raise rents or treat the place as a consumer experience rather than a place where people live. The everyday experience of feeling angry can create resentment.
Tourists visiting Nice in the south of France this summer were greeted by an unusual art installation. A street artist known as Too Late has set up a series of “tourist traps” at the popular tourist destination. This is a human-sized mousetrap that lures tourists with the promise of ice. Cream Corn – Warns of the dangers of over-tourism in the city.
At the same time, the Paris Tourism Board is hoping for a “fantastic” September and October, with tourist numbers up 6% over 2019, thanks to the Rugby World Cup.
Continue mass tourism on the Cote d’Azur and install tourist tappets. J’espère pouvoir faire disparaître un minimum de nuisibles d’ici la fin de l’été. #Street art #Nice pic.twitter.com/UTR495M4Bz
— TOOLATE Street Artist (@newsfromtoolate) July 11, 2023
In June, France announced its own plan for a new strategy to control summer crowding that threatens “the environment, the quality of life of local people and the experience of tourists.”
The government’s efforts aim to identify places susceptible to overtourism and encourage people to visit them outside of peak season or to visit off-the-beaten-path destinations instead.
This is a strategy many European tourists are already considering. European travelers collectively planned more spring and early summer trips in 2023 to secure cheaper prices, avoid crowds and ensure comfortable weather conditions.
Italians, including Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, flocked to Albania this summer rather than to domestic resorts to avoid the heat, crowds and high prices.
According to a study by the EU Science Hub, tourists are increasingly likely to choose cooler climates in northern Europe over Mediterranean destinations during the peak summer season.
Still, the summer of 2024 is likely to bring many similar challenges to tourists and Europe’s most popular summer destinations.
“The transition to shoulder season requires a lot of adjustments and will be difficult in many places, especially in the summer as it coincides with school holidays,” Garrod noted.
“We may see a bit more travel to northern climates to escape the heat, but I don’t think that will happen anytime soon because the weather will be more changeable. It’s too late.
