Should British tourists pay more to visit overcrowded tourist destinations? Some of the world’s top tourist attractions have become extremely overcrowded since the pandemic.
Tourists have described feeling like herded cattle at France’s famous Palace de Versailles, Athens’ famous Acropolis has been slammed as “vastly overcrowded” and Greek island Santorini’s famous sunsets have been spoilt by too many tourists crowding to watch the view.
The problem hasn’t just affected Europe either. A recent travel ranking warned tourists to avoid Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay and Japan’s Mount Fuji due to overcrowding.
Overtourism can have a damaging impact on holiday destinations. Crowds can be dangerous, while an influx of visitors can push house prices up, increase pollution and lead to traffic jams.
Venice recently hit the headlines over its plans to charge day visitors a tourist tax to enter the city. But should tourists pay more to visit an overcrowded destination or attraction?
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Tourist taxes can help to keep numbers down as some visitors are put off by paying the fee. The money raised can also be used to give essential services a boost.
Despite this, some tourists think taxes or fees are unfair as they feel like they’re already spending a lot of money to travel.
Dubrovnik is Europe’s most overcrowded tourist city with 30 times more tourists than local residents. However, Europe’s most overcrowded tourist attraction is actually in the UK.
