Colombia's Caño Cristales River could suffer from an influx of tourists
The popular island, due to the large flow of tourists, according to the country's President Duterte, has turned into a "garbage pit." But that's not all. A number of European cities, including Venice and Dubrovnik, as well as the Isle of Skye in Scotland, have complained that they can barely survive under the onslaught of tourists.
In 2017, the authorities of Barcelona took a number of steps to limit the growth of hotels and apartments rented out for short-term stays to tourists through AirBnB and similar resources. Barcelona authorities noted that the growing demand for hotels and rental apartments for tourists is driving up rental prices for local residents.
Some tourist regions are trying to control the flow of tourists by raising prices. In Rwanda, for example, you now have to pay $1,500 for a day of mountain gorilla watching.
BBC compiled a list of five popular tourist destinations whose well-being is under threat due to the growing number of visitors.
Thailand: Maya Bay finally gets a break from tourists
In March, Thai authorities announced they would close the famous beach for four months "for maintenance." Maya Bay is a secluded cove with clear water, white sand, and white cliffs. This picturesque spot became popular after the release of the 2000 film "The Beach" starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Currently, 4,000-5,000 tourists visit this beach every day.
Experts say that 77% of the coral reefs in this bay are under threat of destruction – mainly corals are damaged by anchors of boats plying here. Clearly, a four-month break "for rest" – from June to September – will not fully solve this problem. Does this mean that Maya Bay cannot be saved?
Expert from Bangkok Thon Thamrongnawasawat does not think so. "If we thought it was too late to do anything, we wouldn't have done anything. We closed one island – Koh Yoong – three years ago, and now the coral restoration process is going very actively. We are using the same experience in the case of Maya Bay and will try to transplant corals," the scientist said.
Thailand closed a number of beaches popular with divers in 2011. Since mid-2016, the islands of Koh Yoong (one of the islands of the Phi Phi archipelago) and Tachai (in the Similan island group) have also been closed.
Elizabeth Becker, author of the book about the problems of the tourism industry "Overbooked: The Exploding Business of Travel and Tourism," says: "I think the decision to close the islands is quite justified. But tourism is one of the driving forces of the country's economic development. Both businesses and officials fear that any restriction on tourism will jeopardize the entire economy of the country."
According to Thamrongnawasawat, this is precisely why the authorities hesitated so long to close Maya Bay. "If you live in a country where 22% of GDP comes from tourism, you will understand how difficult such decisions are. Many did not even think that such a decision could be made at all," the expert says.
When Maya Bay reopens, Thai authorities will impose a limit: no more than 2,000 tourists per day will be allowed to visit the beach. Boats will also be banned from crossing the shallow area with coral reefs. Next year, the beach will be closed again for four months.
National park chief Worapoj Limlim says he does not yet know how park staff will be able to control the number of tourists and the ban on boats in the coral reef area. According to him, it will probably be necessary to strengthen the patrol working in this area.
Italy: Cinque Terre hopes for technology
Tourists will never get enough of Cinque Terre – five small, colorful settlements located on man-made terraces on the coast of the Gulf of Genoa. This area, home to 5,000 people, became a national park in 1999. Currently, Cinque Terre is visited by more than 2 million tourists a year.
Tourists come here to walk along the picturesque trails that connect the five settlements and the terraced vineyards. But over the years, these trails have fallen into disrepair – due to erosion processes and crowds of tourists.
The popular route between the settlements of Riomaggiore and Manarola has been closed since September 2012, and is not expected to reopen until at least 2021. The main part of the trail was closed after a landslide – then members of an Australian tourist group were injured.
Over the past few years, there has been much talk about the need to impose restrictions on visiting Cinque Terre, but so far it has all remained just talk.
Park management some time ago tested a mobile app for tourists that displays in real time the number of people on certain routes. When the app shows a red warning signal, it means there are too many people on the trail, then tourists can decide whether to go on the crowded route. In the future, as park management hopes, the app could be used to create waiting lists after the permissible number of people on routes is exceeded.
Tourists are also recommended to purchase "Cinque Terre cards," which can be used to pay for transport, access paid trails, and use Wi-Fi. The card is not mandatory, but purchasing it proves beneficial for many tourists. It is also noted that money from card sales goes towards restoring trails and preserving the unique ecosystem.
Peru: Machu Picchu – morning and afternoon sessions
Machu Picchu, an ancient Inca city located in Peru, has firmly taken one of the main places in the travel programs of many tourists. The famous Inca Trail with views of the Andes and misty forests, along which tourists ascend to the ancient city, leaves an indelible impression.
However, the large flow of tourists negatively affects the ecological situation: the trail is gradually deteriorating, piles of garbage remain along it, and tourists pitch tents where it is not allowed.
In 2005, the Peruvian authorities introduced a limit on the number of people who can hike the trail to Machu Picchu per season. In February, the route is regularly closed for maintenance. Tourists must now book a permit in advance to ascend to the city via the Inca Trail, and tour companies – under threat of having their operating license revoked in the region – must comply with all established rules. The number of permits issued is limited.
However, because Machu Picchu can also be reached by road, the number of visitors to the ancient city has not decreased due to these restrictions. It is the road that the majority of Machu Picchu visitors use.
Last year, authorities, trying to control the flow of tourists, began selling timed tickets for visiting Machu Picchu: you can buy a ticket for a morning or afternoon session. But a number of environmentalists believe this will not solve the problem. So far, despite all the authorities' efforts to control the flow of tourists, the number of visitors to Machu Picchu exceeds the UNESCO-recommended 2,500 people per day.
South Korea: Jeju Island
What do you think is the busiest airline route in the world? Last year, that route was Seoul – Jeju Island, which is located 90 km from the mainland. Tourists come here to see volcanoes, picturesque waterfalls, and also to visit the Love Land park, which is especially popular with honeymooners.
In 2017, 65,000 flights were made between the island and Seoul – that is, almost 180 flights per day. About 15 million tourists visit the island annually, reports the South Korean newspaper South China Morning Post. This is too much for an island with an area of 2,000 square kilometers.
"After the island became popular with foreign tourists, Jeju's ecology suffered serious damage. Now there is a lot of garbage here, and the roads are congested," said the head of a local activist group, Kang Won-bo, in an interview with the Korea Times.
"Many tourists also arrive on cruise ships, stay only a few hours, and actually bring no income to the local economy," laments Catherine Germier-Hamel, a tourism consultant in Seoul. According to her, people are accustomed to evaluating the success of a tourist destination solely by the number of visitors, and this approach needs to be reconsidered.
Jeju Island is especially popular among Chinese tourists. Last year, there was an unexpected turn: Chinese authorities banned travel agencies from selling package tours to South Korea in protest of Seoul's decision to deploy an American missile defense system on its territory, which Beijing sees as a major threat to its security. However, the ban on selling tours to South Korea was later lifted.
Colombia: a set of rules for tourists at Caño Cristales
Colombia's Caño Cristales is a fantastic sight. It is a river that shimmers with all the colors of the rainbow. Due to different types of aquatic plants growing in the river and the play of light, the river constantly changes colors: it becomes red, pink, lime green, yellow. Locals call it the "liquid rainbow."
The territory through which the river flows was previously under the control of FARC rebels, meaning that tourists – both local and foreign – virtually never appeared here. But in recent years – after the Colombian government signed an agreement with FARC in 2016 – travelers have begun to come here to see this natural wonder with their own eyes, captured in many photographs. Tourists usually stay in the small town of La Macarena, from which it is easiest to reach the river.
Of course, Caño Cristales cannot boast the same number of visitors as other attractions on our list (in 2016, 16,000 tourists came to see the river), but it is already very difficult to find a balance between the growing number of tourists and preserving the extremely fragile ecosystem. There are concerns that further growth in tourist numbers could lead to pollution and the death of unique aquatic plants.
Caño Cristales is a new tourist destination that is just beginning to gain popularity. At this stage, the authorities have made the right decisions and introduced a number of strict rules: for example, tourists coming to this region are prohibited from using plastic bottles, smoking in the park and leaving cigarette butts, and using sunscreen and various insect repellents in the water. In some places, swimming is completely prohibited. Tourists are also not allowed to feed the fish. Immediately upon arrival, tourists are explained all the rules in effect in the area.
Henry Quevedo, president of the Caño Cristales tourism service, says that promoting this region as a tourist route was a community development project: hundreds of local families are involved in serving tourists – locals work as guides and open guesthouses and hotels. Many of them undergo training in working with tourists and study languages.
However, there are concerns about the ecological well-being of the region due to a possible increase in the number of flights (currently most tourists come from Bogotá, which is located 270 km north of Caño Cristales), as well as by car from the town of La Macarena.
In December, tourist visits to this region were temporarily restricted. "The presence of people can harm the plant reproduction process. So we decided to introduce a number of restrictions," says Faber Ramos, coordinator of the ecotourism program.