Roman Baths
Village of Baiae, Gulf of Naples Italy
Photographer Unknown
In the northeastern corner of Essex, England is an island that became desirable among Roman authorities in the first century CE, when sea levels were low enough that Mersea Island was accessible by land. The island served decorated Roman officials as a vacation retreat and retirement centre at a time when commoners could barely dream of having a day off. In Italy, the seaside village of Baiae in the Gulf of Naples had significant thermal waters sufficient for Roman Baths, and thus became one of the worlds oldest resorts. Julius Cesar built a villa there and Pompey the Great, among others, frequented the party town. Famed for its self-indulgent, hedonistic reputation, the resorts of this village capitalized on the pomp and circumstance of wealthy celebrity patrons of their time.
Monarchs have historically been trend-setters for those among the general public who yearn to share the same benefits as the elite. The nursery is an excellent example of a Royal practice that would eventually change child rearing in western society forever. Then began the Grand Tour of the mid-1600's, when British Monarchs planned extravagant trips across the English Channel with classic destinations such as Paris and Rome. These trips were educational and networking pursuits that gave fortunate participants bragging rights and led the public to envy and crave enough wealth to follow in the footsteps of their extravagant rulers.
Tourism has morphed over the years, and the audience has greatly expanded to include the upper middle class, digital nomads, influencers and university students. With an increase of people on the road, the crowds that gather around famous landmarks has become burdensome for the locals who live in said destinations, resulting in resentments and conflict.
Sunrise
Mt. Fuji, Japan
Photo Courtesey of Wix Images
Local authorities in the Japanese town of Fuji Kawaguchiko have installed a large screen to block the sensational view of Mt Fuji after swarms of tourists and influencers became a constant annoyance to local villagers. In Barcelona, Spain, the local response to overtourism has escalated from signs posted around the city telling tourists to go home, to a 2017 attack on a tour bus that resulted in slashed tires and angry slogans written across the vehicle exterior. Tourists have found themselves being sprayed with water and anti-tourism rallies have been gaining strength for nearly 2 decades. Locals list many reasons for their contempt, including eviction notices by landlords who wish to rent short term, rents that have doubled, pressure on resources and overcrowded parks, landmarks and museums.
Alongside these large crowds is an increase of tourist vandalism. In July (2024), a tourist in Florence accosted the Roman God of Wine and Excess when inappropriately mounting the replica statue of Bacchus for a staged kiss, much to the disgust of locals and history enthusiasts around the world. This disturbing incident was precluded by a teenager who visited Egypt in 2013 and vandalized a 3500 year old artwork at the Temple of Luxor. Another assault happened in 2022 when a young woman illegally ascended the Temple of Kukulcan at Chichen-Itza in Mexico. Tourists have also inscribed and purposefully damaged ancient petrogyphs and stolen artefacts from archaeological sites. Let’s not forget the possible ancient Viking vandalism of Stonehenge in England, or museum exploits all over the world that have involved many academics and institutions.
Overtourism is an extension of our historic entitlements to conquer, control and exploit others. This begs the question - how have tourist agencies, guides and independent travellers contributed to this fractious climate and what can be done?
No more climbing allowed
Temple of Nohuchmul, Coba, Quintana Roo Mexico
Photo by Leanne Hatch, May 2007
One way visitors can help mitigate the damages of overtourism is by refraining from the "shoestring" travel models of the past, which encouraged spending the least amount possible. Locals complain that tourists are taking without giving back, so we have compiled a few suggestions that can assist a different outcome. It may be impossible for us to check all of these boxes every time we travel, but these are suggestions for implementing when possible:
Book local accommodations: Boycott large corporate off-shore hotels and Air B&B's for a local boutique hotel or traditional bed and breakfast. Why? Off-shore hotels do employ locals to work in their establishments, but the wages are low and the shareholders are generally not local, meaning the bigger profits are invested and spent elsewhere. Air B&B's are resulting in the eviction of long-term tenants in favour of short term visitors, which is contributing to mass gentrification of popular destinations. If you stay in a local boutique hotel or traditional bed & breakfast, you aren't harming the local long-term rental market and your money will stay in the community you are visiting.
Hire a local tour guide: Yes, you can travel on your own, but investing in a tour guide creates employment for someone who wouldn't otherwise have a career. Tourism can only benefit local economies if tourists invest in them. Of course, another benefit to having a local guide is gaining local knowledge from them, including hidden gems that may not be mentioned in the books, and treasured artists, historians and cooks who may not be on your radar.
Eat locally: Frequent small restaurants and sip on home-grown coffee, even if it doesn't taste like Starbucks! Our choices dictate how resources are shared, and it is so sad to see countless families losing their small restaurants and coffee shops in favour of large American franchises. Franchisers are less concerned with quality, as their passion is for guaranteed profit over being an experimental business owner intent on creating their own menu from scratch. Franchise owners purchase branded products directly through the parent company, which means their branded packages of food are sent on a truck from a distant warehouse. A local chef can source fresh ingredients and special meats locally and in-season, or offer farm-to-table menus. Even if a chef shops at Costco for their small restaurant, the profit derived from their business stays in their community.
Sip on local spirits: We all have our favourite brands, but travel is an opportunity to try new products and flavours. Artisan beer and mezcal, or small batch wine made from locally grown vineyards are only available in small markets because their volume isn't large enough for worldwide distribution enjoyed by industrial companies. This is also a greener approach to consumption, as local companies are not increasing their carbon footprint by way of global shipping containers.
Support artisans! If you need a gift, consider a shawl from a local weaver, a mug from a local potter or a piece of jewelry that is handmade.
Participate! We love organizing art workshops and cooking classes for our guests, so please request these when you book your next tour! These activities help the local artists and chefs, and put you in touch with locals. Being able to befriend and work with the people where you travel is a goal for our travel company.
Book your tour with us! Our itineraries are carefully curated to make the most of sites between destinations and airports. We rent travel vans through a local company and hire professional drivers and certified National Guides. We introduce guests to local artists, restaurants, food stands and workshops. Some of our tours include lectures by educated experts, while others involve fun parties that employ local musicians, chefs and more. When our tours include a small gift, it is always locally made. We do not offer plastic or branded merchandise from China for tour mementos. We work extremely hard to curate creative trips that bring economy to a plethora of local people.
Backstrap weaver Dona Santa (right) makes exquisite rebozos
Angahuan, Michoacan Mexico
Photo by Jennifer Bjarnason April 2022
Traditional tourism is so often portrayed as 40 unhappy complainers crowded into an oversized bus so they can stop and blink at major attractions, while seeing little and doing nothing. Our tours have a maximum of 16 guests (with the exception of Dia de Muertos), with most groups ranging from 10-14. This allows us to stay in smaller, boutique-style hotels, reserve tables in elegant restaurants instead of eating buffet-style, as well as organizing authentic meals with local families who would have a difficult time managing a larger busload of visitors. A smaller group is also easier for busy landmarks to absorb, as it is for our team leaders to offer personalized service and conversation. We are also very passionate about bringing guests to sites they have not heard of, which has landed us in fantastic, remote archaeological sites, completely alone, on more than one occassion.
With regards to our Dia de Muertos tours, we offer a week-long experience and a two night tour, both of which are combined into one group for the Vigils. Dia de Muertos is a busy time for the Lake Patzcuaro region, driving up rental prices for the vans and boats. As we offer an exceptional tour that is far from where the big tour companies deliver thousands of tourists, we combine two tours into a large group of 35 people for the 2 busiest nights without coming close to burdening the areas we visit. We are fortunate to visit families by invitation, making us the only guests at select vigils where we are expected. Unlike large companies that bring over 400 people in large buses, we travel with 35 guests, but our stops are private and quiet. As we travel with two or more team leaders during Dia de Muertos, we also break everyone up between 2 groups when we can, so we can trade places between 2 families during our visit.
Regional cuisine is a must!
Zinacantan, Chiapas Mexico
Photo by Jennifer Bjarnason December 2023
Other ways to mitigate local disdain for tourists includes showing respect for the communities we visit. You may not speak the local language, but learning how to say hello is quite simple. Here are a few suggestions:
If you are approached by someone peddling merchandise, or a homeless person asking for money, please be polite and at least acknowledge them with a smile.
Never take close-up photos without permission. The locals are not props for photographs and may not want to be photographed closely. Some will ask for money, and if that is the case, please pay them. For them, photographs are a percieved business that earn professionals a mansion of money, compared to how poorly they live. Please consider their reality.
If you are given food by a local cook or family, please do not use it to feed the street dogs. If you don't wish to eat what you've been given, please save it and discard of it later.
Never litter anywhere - not even organic material should be thrown into the street. A foreigner casting waste into the street sends a disparaging message to the locals - that we have zero respect for their home.
Please bring a reusable water bottle, coffee mug/personal thermos and reusable straw (if you use one). Bring a parachute bag in lieu of asking for disposable plastic bags in stores. The less trash we leave, the smaller our carbon footprint.
Donate to local organizations. If you're coming on tour with us, drop us a message and we can offer some suggestions.
We hope this article has given you some ideas about approaching tourism from an ethical standpoint, and being conscious about where your financial resources are invested.
Thanks to those of you who have supported my writing and research through your donations. A little adds up to a lot, and helps cover my time so I can keep publishing these articles. If there's a subject you'd like to see covered, please email me! If you would like to make a small donation of $20 Pesos (Approximately $1.20 US), please click here: DONATE
Mariachi Musicians Arriving to Entertain our guests
5th Annual Fiesta de las Catrinas, Patzcuaro Michoacan
Photo by Jennifer Bjarnason October 28, 2023
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