Montmartre, once a charming Parisian village, is losing its soul to overtourism, according to long-time resident Olivier Baroin, who is now selling his home in protest. When Baroin moved into his Montmartre apartment some 15 years ago, he cherished its village-like feel in the heart of Paris. Today, that sentiment has vanished.
He laments the disappearance of local shops and the friendly atmosphere, replaced by “hordes of people shooting selfies, shops selling tourist trinkets and cafés whose seating spills into the narrow cobbled streets” as overtourism takes its toll. The final straw came as local streets were designated pedestrian-only to accommodate the ever-increasing visitor numbers, prompting Baroin to put his apartment up for sale.
“I told myself that I had no other choice but to leave since, as I have a disability, it’s even more complicated when you can no longer take your car, when you have to call a taxi from morning to night,” he told The Associated Press.
From Venice to Barcelona to Amsterdam, European cities are struggling to absorb surging numbers of tourists.
Some residents in one of Paris‘ most popular neighborhoods for tourists are now pushing back. A black banner strung between two balconies in Montmartre reads, in English: “Behind the postcard: locals mistreated by the Mayor.” Another, in French, says: “Montmartre residents resisting.”
Atop the hill where the Basilica of Sacré-Cœur crowns the city’s skyline, residents lament what they call the “Disneyfication” of the once-bohemian slice of Paris. The basilica says it now attracts up to 11 million people a year — even more than the Eiffel Tower — while daily life in the neighborhood has been overtaken by tuk-tuks, tour groups, photo queues and short-term rentals.
“Now, there are no more shops at all, there are no more food shops, so everything must be delivered,” said 56-year-old Baroin, a member of a residents’ protest group called Vivre a Montmartre, or Living in Montmartre.
The unrest echoes tensions across town at the Louvre Museum, where staff in June staged a brief wildcat strike over chronic overcrowding, understaffing…
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