The list of locations fed up with overtourism seems to grow every day.
Even distant Juneau, state capital of Alaska, will soon hold a vote on whether to introduce “ship-free Saturdays” to reduce the impact of cruise passengers.
Yet the vast majority of destinations are desperate for more tourists, not fewer.
Inbound tourism is the closest that any nation, resort, county or city, can get to free money. Visitors bring highly desirable social and economic benefits.
They foster enterprise and create jobs, as well as boosting local amenities to a level that could not be sustained by the resident population alone.
“Soft” benefits include instilling pride in the community and improving human-to-human understanding.
Most places would love to have the “problem” of overtourism. They share the same challenges. How to:
- Attract more tourists, preferably of the high-spending variety
- Lure people during off-peak times, stretching the season
- Persuade visitors to stay longer
Some are trying harder than others, and I have picked locations around the world that are likely to prove particularly welcoming.
Read more on travel:
Albania
“Our slogan is ‘Albania – all you need is here’,” says the tourism minister, Mirela Kumbaro.
Her aim is to make her nation “the champion of tourism in the region by 2030”. The aim is to reach an annual visitor figure five times higher than the 2.8 million population.
Albania has doubled the capacity of Tirana airport and is building a second airport in the south of the country that will be devoted to tourists.
Ms Kumbaro promises: “You can make a lot of friends. Friendship is part of our touristic offer. Hospitality is the main characteristic of Albania.”
I have been visiting this wild and wonderful Adriatic nation since the 1980s – when it was the most hardline of communist nations in Europe (and a partner of China rather than the Soviet Union). Since the collapse of Enver Hoxha’s dictatorship, the country has become far easier to reach and even more intriguing.
This summer Albania is more accessible at lower prices than ever from the UK. Tirana, the capital is good fun for a couple of days, with some interesting museums devoted to the dark days…
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