Are Amazing Cities Being Overrun By Tourism? Porto As Cautionary Tale
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 เม.ย. 2023
- City tourism is great, but it's not so great when we all try to go the same place at the same time. Join me as I explore the horrors of what excessive numbers of folks on holiday (not to mention expats) have done to Porto, Portugal, including stops at Sao Bento train station and the ground zero of overtourism, Livraria Lello.
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Previous CityNerd Videos Referenced:
- Spanish High Speed Rail: • Passenger Rail in the ...
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Resources:
- www.porto.pt/en/news/its-offi...
- portoairport.com/statistics/
- Gusman, Pinto, and Chamusca, "Culture and Tourism in Porto City Centre: Conflicts and (Im)Possible Solutions," Sustainability, October 2019. www.researchgate.net/publicat...
- www.airbnb.com/
- www.livrarialello.pt/en/store...
- www.forbes.com/sites/elizabet...
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Images
- Prince By Yves Lorson from Kapellen, Belgium - Prince, CC BY 2.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
- Star Wars Galaxys Edge By Univaded Fox - www.flickr.com/photos/1314368..., CC0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
- EasyJet By Myself (Adrian Pingstone). - My own photograph, taken with a Nikon D5300 DSLR and Nikon 18-200 mm lens., Public Domain, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
- Spirit Airlines By Adam Moreira (AEMoreira042281) - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
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It is a bit ironic that we flock to places with beautiful architecture and good urbanism, but rarely build them anymore.
We aren’t allowed to.
I so much agree with you! Sadly the beautiful buildings are being kept by rich people , investors and RBNB... I don't like how things are turning in Europe right now
@@kimc4832 It's a bit of that. But other parts of the problem are that it would be too costly now to build using historic methods (see, for example, how hard and expensive it is to rebuild Notre Dame). Also the charm of many of these places derives from them having history (and streets and architecture) dating back hundreds or even thousands of years. And then the ideal locations for cities on rivers and coasts is generally already occupied. What's the most recently founded city that we'd put on our ideal cities list?
yeah, too bad there aren't a bunch of colonies to ransack for the resources to build all those beautiful buildings. portugal got rich on running the slave trade, and you can look into the all the other countries, when they were making these buildings, they were evil empires.
I've always thought that it's ironic how we've progressed in technology and learn so much yet we don't build anything as marvelous as we did hundreds of years ago
It's fascinating to see how UNESCO, the supposed guardian of culture and heritage, has inadvertently turned historic cities like Porto into tourist traps, devoid of authenticity and drowning in a sea of selfie sticks. Who knew that a prestigious designation could so effectively reduce centuries of rich history to a mere backdrop for Instagram posts? Ah, the unintended consequences of globalization and mass tourism.
I live in Portugal (close to Lisboa). I can't talk much about Porto as I haven't been there in years, but tourism has completely ruined Lisbon for me to the point where I just avoid going there. I guess what gets to me the most is how historic centres have completely lost their charm due to pandering to tourists, which the government plays a huge part in. All the locals get pushed out of the centres because most Portuguese people can't even afford it anymore, and landlords profit more from Airbnbs. I can't even blame the tourists and I'm happy so many people get to see my wonderful country, but tourists have really been put above us who live here every day and can barely afford it anymore. It's what happens when tourism is made to be a main "export".
I live in Nashville and locals complain about the same thing. The the city turned to mass tourism about a decade ago for revenue and locals on reddit complain endlessly about all the tourists that have taken over the center of town along with all the drunken debauchery that comes with it. We feel like the city government cares more about accommodating tourists than the residents. Locals even avoid going downtown because there's nothing there for them. It's all basically a country western Disneyland.
I think AirBnb is the worst turn of that. Weird tourism trains are just inconvenient, and they usually disappear in the low season. AirBnb genuinely denies people a living.
@Rexx Howdy from Knoxville. Your stadium situation is banana pants. For some reason Knoxville is giving Randy Boyd a bazillion dollars to move his own baseball team to a stadium we will build for him on his own property.
I was born in this town, and I'm too stubborn to leave. But hell's bells, are our state and local governments wearing me out.
@@HarryLovesRuth I hear ya!
A few points to add to this. I used to visit Lisbon a lot asbout a decade ago and while the city has a lot more tourists today than it did in 2014, the income from the influx of tourists has done wonders for the city, albeit at the expense of the locals. Previously historic yet run down and abadoned buildings are getting face lifts and entire areas have quite literally been restored to their former glory.
On the point of AirBNB, the irony is that the current government has ruled it illegal for foreign investors to rent out "city centre" apartments on a short term basis, effectively ruling out tourists from using a decent amount of housing for AirBNB, and yet the locals still can't afford to rent. Money from tourism and foreign investment has no doubt done wonders for the city, but if keeping the locals would've meant not welcoming tourists, the city quite literally would've continued to crumble, especially with how dire everything was looking circa 2008.
Overtourism is a real problem in Europe these days, but as you say the great irony is that if you're someone complaining about it then chances are you're part of the problem. For Rome at least it can be tolerable if you visit in the off-season. It was totally manageable when I was there in early March.
I've also not yet heard a reasonable solution to the problem, except legally limiting the amount of air BNB's in the city.
I'm also a fan of off-season travel. It's also a good way to save money since prices are usually less.
Croatia was totally empty in the off season too.
I was going to say the exact same thing. When I went to Rome, the level of tourists there was very manageable and not overtaking the city. But I also went in early March. I'm sure in the summers it would look like that Porto book store.
that's happening in downtown Lisbon @@Frahamen , a bit late in my opinion, but it remains to be seen if that just means only people with money can actually visit the city in any comfort, or if it just means AirBNB gets pushed out of the center, raising prices further there as well...
I lived in Porto city center and watched all this changes.
This begin in 2014 when started to have tourists off the Summer season because of low cost flights.
Gentrification happened and there are streets where prices of the houses multiplied 5 times.
Also the rent of house more than double and now are higher than the minimum wage.
All the family, friends and people that I knew that lived on the city center were expelled, including myself.
Most of the old stores that sold a little of everything are now a sovineer shop, coffee shop or restaurant that pretend to have history but only exist for a couple of years.
Unfortunately we are victim of being hospitable and receiving so well.
Souvenirs ought to be banned. It's useless tat.
Why did you and the people you knew that lived in the center chose to not invest in the city center while it was cheap? Now its too little too late. And investors are in no obligation of keeping abusive contracts with decades old tennants. Most buildings were literally falling apart.
@@filiperocha4025 idk dude maybe they are working class people with no capacity to invest 🤡
Ditto. I lived in Porto and Lisbon for several years while this was all beginning and it ruined the day to day experience of two wonderful cities that I considered home. People come for the charm but that very charm gets gutted when the cities become hyped. Yet people still come, almost as if on auto-pilot, just for that rare glimpse of leftover charm or, in some cases, pure simulacra.
The same thing has happened in Lisbon. It's awful...people's greed is destroying everything. The government only talks and does nothing for the locals because they want the tourists money, so they sell out their own country and people. They continue to approve tons of overpriced "luxury homes" being built for wealthy buyers and foreign investors (aka parasites) while residents can't afford housing in the city they live and work in. It's pathetic and disgusting.
Taking pictures of other people taking pictures is what I always needed
I like taking pics of my wife taking pics 🤣
As a person from Porto, I feel this video :(
edit: One thing that is important to note, right now the downtown is very pretty, but go back 10 years and most buildings were decrepit and in ruins, and it was thanks to tourism money that we fixed it.
edit 2: duolingo portuguese is actually brasilian portuguese, no matter how good your portuguese pronunciation is, you'll fail cause the accents are vastly different
edit 3: I love your rebuttal agaisnt those dumb trains, not only are they dumb slow and cause traffic, they have special speed limits that we have to memorize to get a driving license, it's stupid
edit 4: the tourists and expats being way too comfortable is quite real, but I am quite proud of the fact that the portuguese are nice in general
I tried the Duolingo course on Portuguese for Brazilian Portuguese and it still didn’t help haha! You need a course like Pimsleur to get the pronunciations down, and even then you’ll only know one region
Edit 2 is so true haha. I learned some Brazilian Portuguese just for the fun of it. Got curious one day about how different it was to regular Portugal Portuguese and man...I feel like in a lot of ways, it could not BE any more different. I couldn't follow along with the Portugal Portuguese videos I watched at all lmao.
I visited Porto two times: once in 2015 and once past November. I was amazed how much the city have changed during this period. When I was there in 2015, many buildings in the older districts were abandoned and falling in ruins.
Yes, mass tourism is a double edge sword but, at the same time, tourists brought an influx of money that allowed the city to rebuild itself. In an already crowded city like Barcelona, it’s an entire other story. But, in the case of Porto, it’s not like the tourists have displaced the local population. They weren’t living there in the first place. Now, the next step is to prevent the overflow of tourists and to keep an healthy balance.
EDIT: Love Portugal and Portugueses. I met nice and lovely people when I was there.
English speakers often pass as jaded. They are used to be served in their language. But I’m still glad I was able to communicate with the Portugueses because my Portuguese is terrible. 😅
Portuguese people are just too nice by french standards lol.
@@cookiesenpai1641 ce ne serait pas l’inverse…que les Français pourraient être plus gentils (surtout dans le service à la clientèle) ? Comme Québécoise, je trouve les Portugais juste assez gentils. 😉
One thing that was pointed out to me regarding overtourism: The issue is more than just the number of tourists, but also the fact that they are staying in these cities for a very short period of time before leaving for another touristy spot. Think of the tourists that spend 7-10 days in Europe and bounce between Amsterdam, Paris, Barcelona, and Porto, or those that take cruises in the Mediterranean. When tourists only stay for 1-3 days, they are likely going to the popular spots, heading out, and being replaced by more short-term visitors going to the same places. And when it comes to cruise ships, you'll have people flood the city during the day, but then it turns into a ghost town at night.
Meanwhile, if someone were to stay in the city for a week, they would still see some of the popular spots, but they are more likely to see more of the city and visit some of the less popular spots. There's no need to immediately see the big ticket items because they have many days to do it so they can take advantage of slow days or early/late entrance times. Additionally, they are more likely to visit different restaurants each night, spreading out their tourist dollars to more businesses, or even better just buying groceries and prepping a meal at their hotel or apartment, supporting the local grocer.
Perhaps that's the solution to tourism: Spend more time in the actual cities themselves instead of just 1-2 nights (or worse only seeing it from a cruise ship). Take the time to enjoy the city, visit some of the places that aren't as popular, go to different restaurants that don't have an English menu, etc.
Congratulations, you have reinvented "slow tourism" ;)
This is a good argument. I was in Amsterdam recently and only did a couple of the popular things. A fair amount of my time was spent at less "important" sites or just walking around, exploring the city.
I think cruise ships should just be banned. They're absolutely terrible for the environment and for most cities. It's so easy, especially for English-speaking people, to travel via any other method.
@@_SpamMe Damn, I was hoping to create a Gadgetbahn 😅
That's a great take, as a way to both "harm reduce" as a visitor, and get a richer experience yourself. I realize I try my best to do some of these things in my travel already, and it always results in a better understanding and experience of people and places.
While I agree it's a better way to travel on a personal level, it's even WORSE at scale. Consider how much chaos is caused by tourists staying 2 days in each city. Then consider how much MORE chaos would be caused if each of those tourists stayed, say, 2 WEEKS in each city. There would be basically no housing left for locals, transit would be overloaded, and rather than the jams being limited to the most touristy spots, even your hole in the wall restaurants, your parks, and your "third places" would be overrun.
Yes, it's more enjoyable travel for the individual, but it's horrible societally.
The self-loathing when you visit an overrun tourist city as a tourist is so real! I felt this 100% when I visited Venice in 2017. It is not lost on me that Venice is also another UNESCO world heritage site…sometimes I question if the designation actually does more harm than good even though it’s supposed intention is to protect and preserve cultural heritage.
As if people wouldn't know about Venice without Unesco logo?
@@holygooff Right, the unesco heritage site designation does nothing for cities, most cities are relevant with or without that sticker...
Venice is not so bad in winter and if you get away from St. Mark's Square and the Rialto.
I heard york city center might soon become one.
Currently the city center in york is marvalous and thats ontop of the TRAINS
@@truthfacts5438 It does sometimes make it easier to receive funds to preserve the actual historic buildings.
Went to Amsterdam and Utrecht recently, and realized something--Utrecht had just as much sightseeing and history as Amsterdam, but around a quarter of the tourists. From now when I travel I will try and quickly knock out the major attractions of the big city, and then relax in the next city over for a few days.
I know Utrecht has a railway museum.
And that is always worth a look.
Yes, Utrecht is amazing 🤩 Recently went there as well!
Next step is amersfoort, which is also just as pretty and probably has a quarter as many tourists as utrecht
There’s a book I was thumbing through in a travel section that gave ‘alternative’ cities NOT on people’s bucket list. Italy in particular has some gems if you want to avoid the jam packed cities of Rome, Florence and Venice. Prague is bursting at the seams with visitors but the Czech town of Cesky Krumlov is arguably just as beautiful but with a fraction of the tourists.
Same for me. I was in The Netherlands for the first time in march and was quite disappointed by Amsterdam while Utrecht really charmed me. Had a great time
Regarding the open-top sightseeing buses: they are favored by the older tourists, as it allows them to see the famous sights without needing to figure out public transportation, although those tourist buses are ridiculously expensive--and if you get off at one of the stops to look around a little, you'll end up waiting a very long time for the next one. Also, the tour guides on those buses pass along a bunch of urban legends as historical fact which drives me up the wall.
My parents almost invariably take one of those buses when they go to a new city, but they are elderly so I guess they're the target demographic.
I like the hop on hop off bus is because I feel like I can ride it in a big circle and get orientated to the city and then after that, I’ll either walk or take public transport.
@@enjoyslearningandtravel7957 Just so. I had been to London several times, strictly using the Tube, but I once took an open top tour and it helped me really get a better sense of how the neighborhoods connect.
@@enjoyslearningandtravel7957 next time try renting a bike, that's even better, and you'll actually be interacting with the city 😄
@@ridefree4076 I really enjoy bicycling however, it depends on the city, if they have protected bicycle lanes or if it’s dangerous to ride a bicycle there.
I’ve ridden a bicycle to get around in Germany and France, and had no problem. In fact, it was enjoyable when I used to work there.
They should at least add Carreta Furacão-style dancers, this way it will be a cultural event :)
And people wonder why we're so restrictive with tourists....this, this is why. So this doesn't happen to us. Our showcase capital Pyongyang is a paradise, and we want it to remain as a city for the citizens and not for tourists. A city that its citizens can be proud of. And I love how you briefly mentioned Disney. I think it says a lot about Florida that the state's best city transportation system...is at a theme park resort that acts like a city. Over 300 buses in their fleet, monorail between MK and its resorts and Epcot, water taxis, ferries between TTC and MK, Skyliner (cable car) between DHS and Epcot and resorts in between, and not to mention all of this is FREE, they've gone above and beyond with providing for people staying on property.
Tuk-tuks are very popular ways of getting around in Asia like Bangladesh, India, Philippines, and Indonesia, in fact Disney chose this name for one of the characters in the Southeast Asia-inspired Raya and the Last Dragon. They're found in these places because they're inexpensive to own and operate so there's lots of them on the streets. But in a place like Portugal, it's definitely more of a touristy thing.
Thanks Kim Jong-un
Tuk-tuk are also a touristy thing in Bangkok (Thailand).
Locals ride buses, MRT, Skytrain and motorcycle taxis.
Well explained Majesty Kim 😂
Mr. Un, thank you for the commitment to your city, but truth be told, I don't really think overtourism is a problem you have to worry about. Just a hunch
As a proud member of the PyongGang, it is our Supreme Leader's responsible stewardship of our great city that's why I consider Pyongyang one of the true cultural gems of the world, and why I would never leave, even if I could. Thank you, Número Kimjonguno, for your steadfast leadership. Long may your ample mandible gorge on the finest cheddars.
We went to Porto in November 2010 while on our honeymoon. It was quiet, not too cold and all of the sights were pretty quiet. Absolutely loved it.
I thought at the time that it’d suck if everyone realized that it existed. Sadly, it looks like my worst nightmare has come true.
Yes it has. Though I imagine that you can still enjoy the city if you get off the beaten trails
@@sophocles1198 true for any city. Even in places like Paris. But in Porto its increasingly hard. I'm a native, and even I have trouble coming up with places "off the beaten trails" these days.
@@Maravone north of faria guimarães fellow portuense. There are "expats" in the zone but no turists
I moved to Porto in 2010 to study architecture. My weekends were spent photographing the city. It was my hobby, photographing the architecture and the people, I loved it. I had to move to the suburbs and when started a job I had less time to do it. Around 2018 I went to the city to photograph and hated it, you couldn't find the local people, the traditional shops were gone, all was full of tourists. The Livraria Lello is the epitome of what happened to the city. I used to go there before the entry tickets, it never had more than 5 people at a time it was amazing, good books beautiful architecture, now it's a tourist trap. Now a days locals can't buy houses in the city, and don't even want to visit the center cause it is always so crowded.
O nosso centro arruinado e no futuro quando esta moda do turismo passar vamos ficar sem nada.
Pessoas são poucas e cada vez menos, as casas “”restauradas”” são grande parte fachadismo com T0s de materiais baratos e fraca qualidade, quem é que vai voltar para criar família aqui?
Quebec City (Also UNESCO World Heritage Site) has been wrestling with this problem as the touristic areas have pushed the population away from the old town. It's hard to find a good equilibrium
At the same time, who really wants to live in Le Petit Champlain? There are no schools, no groceries, no parking, and have to climb the stairs up and down every day. I’m not sure if you close all the AirBnBs and hotels than locals will come back living there. Young families are way more interested in living in Ste-Foy, Charlesbourg, St-Sauveur or Lebourgneuf than inside the city walls. Before le Petit Champlain became a popular touristic destination, the neighbourhood wasn’t a well recommended sector of Quebec City. With the money brought by the tourists, the city was able to renovate these old buildings and preserve them. Unfortunately, this had the consequence of pushing out the locals living there, mostly poor.
EDIT: Even, I, a 30-something single professional, wouldn’t live in Le Petit Champlain. I would live in St-Roch, Montcalm or Haute-Ville anytime. I would even consider living in Haute-Ville within the walls if there was less tourists. Living in Basse-Ville seems fun when you’re in QC City for a weekend or a week but I wouldn’t live there year long.
I had this conversation about Porto’s historical district. Before tourism and AirBnBs, most houses were vacant. The ageing local population wasn’t interested in living there. Tourists didn’t pushed the locals out, they filled an empty market.
@@anne12876 that’s understandable
It's important to keep the local population living in the historic areas.
Tourists or immigrants? Lol
The bookstore is the saddest thing about Porto. I had the same experience. There was a girl posing on the landing getting all the typical shots. An older guy came and stood next to her to enjoy the architecture. She said “do you mind?” That spot exists for Instagram shots and the old guy didn’t realize.
Overturism is an important problem in many cities in the Iberian Peninsula, it makes it imposible for locals to find places to live, as more and more landlords are transforming their properties into airbnb. As a local who has those renting issues, every single time I travel I avoid all airbnb and just stay at hotels so that I don't contribute to the housing crisis in other countries as I'm a victim of it in my home country
I hope you can make it to Asia sometime to see the urbanization here. I am an American living in Seoul, South Korea. I describe it as like living in one of those movies set in the future where the world is overpopulated, except instead of being an apocalypse, things actually work out really well.
I've heard amazing things about Seoul.
I agree. That is why I love living in Madrid right now. It has a good amount of tourists but still feels very local and very Spanish. The transport system is also one of the best I’ve seen in Europe.
I totally agree with this! I’m living in Madrid and compared to Barcelona it feels more Spanish to me
@@curbsidetreasur of course. Because Barcelona isn't Spanish at all 🙂
@@curbsidetreasur lol no shit! i bet it feels more spanish than bilbao too, right?
@@evasterenberg Er, it is. Guess what's the main language used? Has one heard of Tabarnia?
Madrid has a bunch of tourists but doesn't feel like an overrun tourist trap nightmare like Barcelona.
I'm from Porto (Gaia's side actually), and I would like to thank you for calling awereness for the problem of the city. It reached a point that I don´t feel totally at home in Porto, it's bizarre. The actual Porto life and style has distanced itself 3 to 5 Km away in a radious around the city center.
I think this happened, because Porto "won the lottery" it used to be a very poor city - people used and still are poor, even if there is a good amount of public transportantion. But, for example, the south side of the river - Gaia's side - has far less public transportation than the north. Porto has expanded its city status / metro area, out to neigbour municipalities, yet the transportation only works very well in the north side. I'm in the south side, and it's very tricky to move around in the south and also to the center - together with the lack of good amounts of transportation during the night, makes Gaia municipality much more car centric, as well as with other municipalities in the south side. Ironically much less touristy, and more charming, even if with a strange obscure charm... like eastern european cities - if you know what I mean.
I’m a Pennsylvania native living in DC now. The time I’ve lived here has totally changed how I travel. I love that people can travel here and do a lot of stuff for free or very little money, but I lose my mind every time a group of six people are standing on both sides of a metro escalator. During cherry blossom season I usually plan an extra 15 minutes to my commute
This is why Pennsylvania is based and D.C is cringe. The tourists here actually want to understand America and learn about our ways, as well as take in the beautiful scenery. Whereas most people in the world know about DC. So there is less respect amongst the tourists
Oh god, tourists standing on the left side of the escalator is so infuriating
As a D(M)V native there is nothing wrong with politely (but firmly) saying "Stand Right Walk Left please". Usually people are very understanding. Can't blame visitors for something they really don't ever hear or get corrected on except online.
Also, next time you're in DC: DO NOT DRIVE. If you're on a road trip, park your car at your hotel or the metro and leave it there while you take the metro, walk, or use the Cabi bikeshare to get around. Seriously, it's the easier option for everywhere a tourist might want to go in DC, except for maybe the Arboretum.
Second tip: The Mall, museums, and national sites are great. That being said, check out a neighborhood. Navy Yard and the Wharf for something upscale. Adams Morgan or Dupont for nightlife. Takoma and Brentwood for breweries and local restaurants. Eastern Market for shopping and food. People see the grandiose yet sterile Mall and monuments and forget that this is a vibrant city of 700k.
@@sebastianjoseph2828 I’ve gotten pretty good at the polite shout lol. Most people are cool about it but some people act like I’m asking them to jump onto the tracks or something. And I agree 100% with all the stuff you said, I never drive downtown and I’m a fierce advocate of the non-mall spots. I work up on U street and I can’t say enough nice things about the area despite the gentrification.
The east coast taught me the value of loudly yelling "excuse me" and then just pushing past.
In Switzerland we solve this problem with super high prices for everything
Haha, right... On the other (bipolar) side you offer free excellent public transportation with the hotel stay.
"If you're someone who is willing to be seen riding one of these things, you've basically given up on the concept of self respect." Love the smoothly delivered shade.
The snark is strong with this one!
He seems very sad
Fewer people mobbing a place is one reason I like to go in the off season. Cooler weather and rain don't bother me nearly as much as crowds do.
I experienced this in Dubrovnik, picturesque quiet streets suddenly flooded, a literal flood of tourists from the offloading of a couple Chinese Cruise ships. Changed my perception of tourism forever. I lost any affection for cruise ships, I realised tourism will continue to grow, tourist sites will be increasingly crowded. Your 'carrying capacity' point is well taken.
That place :a couple of nice streets. I can understand it if you're on one of those hideous cruises.
It'd be great to change our cities, but in America at least, only a handful of extremely wealthy people and groups are allowed to do so.
Case in point: I go regularly to my little town meetings. Myself and others give feedback. The town proposed building a huge tax free complex for a rich person. In our town of 8,000 we filed a petition with Every Single Adult Resident's signature (6,170 or so) opposing this plan. The town, whis mayor moved out 3 months ago, approved the complex anyway.
Totally get it. In my upstate NY town of 9000 people, the highway dept and fire dept get almost all the money, apart from the school district. There is never enough money for anything else. The good old boys run everything. We are outta here. I feel your frustration.
Yeah I feel like the answer to his question is pretty obvious.. we're not gonna have much luck turning suburban us cities into Porto..
People move to new cities all the time for work. To say they're "part of the problem" for just moving somewhere that makes them happy is weird.. he said himself that Spain was fine, the problem is the porto governments priorities
yeah the idea of improving american cities is laughable. improving life for working people is antithetical to the ideals of this country
To be fair, communities often gain more than they lose with developments like that. If your town doesn’t approve it, they will move on to the town next to yours - and they will. The developer makes more by not paying tax, the city gains a large amount of new revenue (because the people buying pay it), and it’s a win win for them. If they didn’t approve it the next city would get that money. Not saying it’s right, but it’s hard to see a way to change that
@@lukegraham9603 What revenue does the city get exactly? The payment for the land goes to a private owner
The funny thing is that there are plenty of marvelous places to visit in Europe that are basically unknown, I'd assume as society evolves more people will choose less mainstream destinations but in the same time billions more people will be added to the travel industry so... I don't know
Lonely Planet + Ryan Air + beautiful place = tourist hell .
You can throw a dart at a map of Europe and the nearest city with a cathedral and a university will be nice. And there are over 600 cathedrals in Europe (and that would be the catholic part. add to that the orthodox and protestant regions ...). And there are over 10k uni's in Europe... Yet everybody goes to same places ...
Underrated gems are definitely a thing. I studied abroad in Europe for 3 months and would travel on weekends; as the summer went on and I got more confident travelling alone I tried more and more to find non-touristy areas and was not disappointed.
I've always tried to pick 2 bigger cities + 1-2 lesser known cities for my trips to Europe, and I always enjoy the smaller cities a lot more. I know it's a bit counter to the point, but do you have any personal recommendations?
This reminds me of seeing Versailles in France and remembering feeling like being herded through like cattle. Could barely even see the walls in the rooms we toured. Then we went to Fontainebleau, very similar vibes, but smaller and less than 1/10 as crowded.
@@michaelhuang4641 Well Tuscany countryside as a whole with little towns, villages, villas, Agriturismi and castles. Especially the ancient Villa are criminally underrated.
Also Switzerland countryside and villages, mountains and valleys offers a huge choice of fairly isolated beautiful places
Edit: Also inland Sardinia It's a gorgeous quite deserted and unknown place
Edit2: "Marche" in Italy is a quite unknown region but extremely beautiful
I fought to make my hometown better for 5 years and saw only decline. I left for a still car infested city that is also doubling down on cars, but has slightly better transit. Is it even possible for North America to change before I kick the bucket? Won't it take 80 years to undo the past 80 years of damage?
I’d like to know the answer to that also !!
I'm not sure about Canada. Transit use there is often 2-3 times higher than in the US already, but still pretty low by international standards. And most of the country is really sprawly. As far as the US goes, I think most of it is a lost cause ("most" here as in total developed land area). I think that the Northeast and Rust Belt/Great Lakes region and the West Coast could be made much less car-centric, denser, walkable/bikeable, and transit-oriented. Politically, it may also be possible to do this in the next few decades. The sunbelt sprawl developments of Arizona and Texas, Tennessee, the Atlanta suburbs, and all the new development in Central Florida...I can't see that ever getting any better. The sprawl there is too extreme and the local politics is totally unamenable to doing anything to make these places less car-centric. On a national scale, I think the US has gone too far down the car-centric path to ever have a Dutch-style anti-car-centric transportation revolution. Canada might be the same way, just too far gone to fix on a national scale.
Yes, it’s quite possible. The East Coast is generally pretty good, and also getting even better.
No need to wait or gnash your teeth. Move to a walkable neighborhood in Chicago near a transit line and start living the life now.
I think it’ll come crashing down once there’s nowhere left to expand to, though that would be the worst case scenario.
The big issue I’ve noticed with places in the US is that public transportation and housing development is so slow that even if we do succeed it will we will be ancient and unable to really enjoy the cities we’ve worked hard to build. I don’t blame people trying to get into Chicago, SF, or NYC
I lived in Barcelona for over 10 years and finally I decided to leave 12 years ago because overtourism was (and still is) agonizing and out of proportion. I experienced such a burn-out from that experience that nowadays I can't do it anymore, so I skip all places/cities which are overloaded with tourists. Thank you for your video, it helped me realize I should avoid Porto and Lisboa.
a friend of mine said recently: 'I miss the old Lisbon' - and so do I, having lived there for years, but just going into the city these days is too exhausting and there's virtually nothing left of what made it so special.
Where do you live now?
As a Portuguese who has witnessed the transfiguration of our cities since the financial crises I have something to say. Tourism is not the problem. It has in fact been one of the single biggest sources of growing wealth for our country. The problem is the government did absolutely nothing to make tourism a sustainable industry for our country or for our population. It is absolutely predation both on Portuguese people and our cultural heritage.
This is crazy! We were in Porto in 2001 and we barely saw any other tourists or English speakers downtown. It was sleepy and even felt a little unsafe on some of the emptier streets. Complete 180 in the last 20 years.
Adam Something also covered an aspect of this in how BnBs are crowding out locals from affording housing in European cities.
I have walked the Portuguese Camino twice, so I have spent a lot of time in many small Portuguese towns. None were ever crowded and they still have a nice feeling. I became emotionally depressed for the few hours that I was in the center Porto on my last walk. I just wanted to get away.
Everytime I see videos or comments about how people really loved visiting Porto or Lisbon, I always think, or sometimes even comment/respond "Wait until you see the rest..." I am very well travelled in Portugal, and the country is absolutely packed with amazing views, food, wine and people!
Portugal is "road trip" dream, not a "visit this two cities" experience...
Yeah...I hear ya...😢 I live in Bali so I know exactly what you are talking about. I see the phenomenon here as in Porto as actually manifestations of underdevelopment, a situation where the city and its residents need the income because they have few other options.
Think about us Bahamians all redevelopment goes to the expats and tourists.
I think, in reference to your last question, it comes down to a matter of priorities. I'm very hesitant to try to fix the place I currently live in because the politics of convincing people to do it is so difficult to deal with and it seems hopeless, and I'd like to spend at least part of my life living in a place that I feel is actually a nice city. My focus is more on myself living in a nice city than trying to make more cities nice. People may call that selfish, and they may be right, but at the end of the day I can't make myself suffer through stroads and unpleasant environments forever.
It takes about 30 years to get an Amsterdam, apparently. That's once you start trying. That's a lot of a human life...
@Tristan Ridley it can't just be the effort of one or a few urbanists though. Advocacy feels pointless because, by the time I'm dead and gone, there's a realistic chance the public won't support any significant change. Sure, it's good to help future generations, but I also care about my own quality of life to some extent and based on that, leaving and going somewhere better is what I want to do.
@@thespanishinquisiton8306 My comment on that is we could move to cities nearby that are on the edge, where our votes and voices tip the balance and create change.
But even then, it's still 30 years. Your point is still valid.
@Tristan Ridley yeah I generally agree. There are cities worth trying to save because they're relatively close to being good cities. A lot of North America is pretty much forever a wasteland though, especially in the South.
@@thespanishinquisiton8306 It seems like this is the way. Get the word out on the best cities with the most potential and perhaps slowly we can transform those and create steam for a larger movement. Right now transit seems niche but I think it's growing quickly. I currently live in Columbus, Ohio which is about as car dependent and sprawling as you can get in the midwest, but I've been thinking about moving to Pittsburgh because while not a bastion of transit, it is close enough for me to still come home to see family, and seems like it has some good pedestrian roots to expand on.
Please do that video on Disney carrying capacity! I find Disney World in particular fascinating to analyze with an urbanist lens since it is essentially its own country inside of Florida.
Your last point made me think of something that happened last year:
Our neighborhood had a big block party, where they closed the street to thru-traffic. (Residents could still drive in, but they were kinda forced to be super careful). A bunch of people brought out their grills, everyone was talking, kids were playing in the street and riding their bikes around. There was so much "life".
At one point I was talking to another neighbor and they looked around and then said, "Man, I wish it could be like this all the time."
Me, internally sighing: "it, COULD be like this :("
These are the kinda places that make me dread planning a vacation I don’t wanna travel somewhere and be drowning in tourist
When I was a kid living in the Tarrytown area (which is one of the more urbanized suburbs on the NYC metro), although the area is famous for the Legend of Sleepy Hollow (which is fully embraced there with a cool Headless Horseman statue, high school mascot, and Headless Horseman souvenirs), we didn't really see that many tourists. Tourists do show up for Halloween which is of course a big deal there with a Jack O'Lantern blaze, but it was still a local celebration. We were thankful the place only attracts seasonal tourism because it's quite a chill place to be if you're looking for a walkable place close to the city with transit access and nice scenery. We were only a few-minute walk down a hill to the Metro-North station and the Hudson Line journey is worth it alone.
Usually I'm against urban cable cars/gondolas because unless the city is hilly enough to justify it, then it just becomes a tourist attraction. However an urban cable car system that actually works so well is Mi Teleférico in La Paz, Bolivia. Mi Teleférico has a total of currently 26 stations (36 if each transfer station is counted separately), ten lines, and a length of 19 miles, with more being planned with the goal of having 11 lines.
Unfortunately, I think the sole thing that can be done swiftly and effectively is to first, dramatically restrict the number of AirBnB and VRBO in these tourist destinations. Second, is increase the overall costs and reservation/time expense to access them. The only thing that will push people to spread out their tourism is cost, because everyone wants the same picture for the gram.
I love that you see and call out your own flaws. Helps us all see and call things out in ourselves.
That question „should you move somewhere better or instead make your home town a better place“ is a fascinating question that has been on my mind the past days. I‘d love a full video exploring it
I totally get your reluctance to go to Venice and Dubrovnik (also add Hallstatt to that list) but Rome imo doesn’t belong in the same category. Large cities like Rome and Paris have a much higher carrying capacity than, say, Porto. Sure, it’s going to be crowded and obnoxious in tourist hotspots like St. Peter’s Square and the Forum, but Rome is so large and has so many attractions that you won’t spend the majority of your time in those places. Most of the city is a living capital, not a tourist resort. And since it’s Rome, there are beautiful churches and ancient ruins all over the place, not only in the instagram spots.
I’ve been twice in recent years, in September 2016 and October 2021 (which was during Covid, so crowds were extra low). Both times there were crowded places and tourist traps, but it wasn’t hard to get away from that and find churches, streets and ruins to explore in peace. The baths at Caracalla especially stood out - for some reason I had basically to myself both times despite them being absolutely incredible ruins.
Yes, never been to Rome, but most larger cities seem to be able to accommodate both the crush of tourists and locals quite comfortably. It seemed that Barcelona and San Francisco (where I used to live near) both have lots of tourists, but they feel like living functional cities, at least outside of the central tourist centers. Even the tourist centers in those cities are mostly not completely overrun in my opinion. And there are lots of more local neighborhoods and attractions that are totally amazing experiences outside of those districts as well. I liked Porto well enough and didn't find it as crushing as he did, but it might have gotten worse in the four years since I went. Amsterdam I thought was waaayyy too overrun with tourists. Small, scenic cities seem to be the most prone to this overtourism problem.
As a foreigner living in Lisbon, even myself feel the pressure that the tourism and wealthy foreigners are putting in the city. Prices are skyrocketing and locals can't afford to live here. In my case I'm a more traditional immigrant, here doing a particular job, so I can just leave. But many people grew up in this city and now have no choice but to leave...
Porto sounds quite similar to the inner city of Amsterdam, which you also mentioned in this video. As a Dutch person who travels around the country frequently by train, I try to avoid the inner city of Amsterdam (and also the Central Station) as much as possible, I don't like it there.
I totally agree. The city centre of Amsterdam isn’t Dutch at all anymore. Many tourists think they get the dutch experience when visiting the city centre, but it couldn’t be further from the truth. All the shops, cafes, bars and restaurant there are less dutch than a loempia lol. Not even gonna talk about the fact that communicating in Dutch in those places is impossible because nobody seems to know Dutch in stores and restaurants anymore.
@@tempestosfugi9846 same with centre of London.
Really appreciate your questions about whether we improve our existing urban cities in the US or if leaving is right for someone who already wants that urban life. I don’t know the answer either but I’m glad you’re bringing this up.
It can be so hard to improve our existing cities, especially with so much defeatism and also a large populace that is pretty much indifferent to transit-oriented ideas because car dependence has been status quo for so long. This populace will quickly turn against you if you divert even a penny away from road expansion. The worst part is some arguments have valid points, like if we really wanted true urbanism we would have to completely restructure cities at a seemingly monumental scale. At the end of the day transit solutions in the US are generally half measures, even the best light rail seems like a half measure to a bona fide metro system. My point being that even with decades of pure focus, most American cities will still not be like those in the rest of the world, which is an argument for leaving the US.
I am in Switzerland right now, I have been traveling in Europe almost 3 months. The transportation system everywhere is better than the United States. We spend too much money on the war machine, and not enough on infrastructure in transportation.
That picture of the summit of Everest a few years ago said it all to me. Way too many people wanting to do the very same things. I try to keep off the beaten track if traveling. The site of people standing in line at famous sites to get photos for Instagram is off putting for me!
100% with you on this. So glad there are smart people like us still around.
I blame a lot of this on instagram. As someone who lives in NY I see people who go to places in the city just to get that perfect shot rather than appreciate the place. It makes me sad that tourism is about checking a box rather than the experience. I think there will be increasing desire to go to unexpected places as all the tourist hot spots become like Porto.
100% agree. Here on YT there are so many videos of "our day in Paris" or things to do in Rome, etc. Drinking their coffee, visiting the same major tourist sites, boat rides, they used to be fun to watch, but now I'm over them. It really is about checking a box now. So glad I visited years before IG!
@@Maya-vs7mv best travel youtube vids when they go with the locals and show the ugly too
I'm from Canary Islands and had to migrate because of the gentrification caused by the tourism industry and the new residents who are buying properties and rising the prices for the locals. The situation is worriesome. There are not enough resources and infraestructures to cover the current demand. And it won't be because islands are reduced spaces with reduced resources. As an example, locals in Fuerteventura and Lanzarote have suffered cuts in their water supply while the tourism industry keeps wasting it. Also there are not enough rooms for everybody at Gran Canaria's public hospitals so people have been placed in corridors and waiting areas. Twenty years ago there was an entire section in the hospital that was empty.
I worked in Lisbon and in Dublin and I encountered the same problem in both cities. I hated it there becuse of that.
I'm currently living in a village in northern Spain. I only have 12 neighbours and I pray each day so tourists and the so called digital nomads from richer countries don't "discover" this region.
Just for clarification. Tourism it's okay but it should be more regulated somehow to not to fuck up locals.
I agree with you 100%. I spent 4 months in Lanzarote and I witnessed the negative effects of extreme overtourism and gentrification. This problematic needs regulation and intervention from local and national authorities.
The last lines of the Eagles song The Last Resort:
They called it paradise, I don't know why
You call some place paradise, kiss it goodbye
"Too much of a good thing..." I used to live in Porto, from 1990 until few years ago, and how the city transformed! Maybe tourists of today are too focused on making pictures and social media content instead of enjoying the experience. Local people is hard to be found, the popular locations are overcrowded and all sorts of tourism related businesses appear left right and center. Eventually it will come around to be the business and work city it used to be.
I lived in Europe for three years. We started out visiting as many famous places as possible but quickly learned that there is almost always a place that is just as nice but much more pleasant because it is mostly for the locals. We also decided we are never going to Rome.
Rome is amazing if you enjoy ancient Roman art and history, or perhaps church history. Go during the off season if that's the case, but if you don't care then I would say other cities cover e.g. Italian Renaissance better
Well then you are doing yourself a dis service if you appreciate engineering and architecture. See the completely intact ~2000 yr old Pantheon and its large unsupported dome (nothing came close for 1400 yrs) is well worth it. Just go in early spring or late fall.
@@joen4088 yes he is doing himself a disservice, but a favour for everyone else! :)
@@szurketaltos2693 Rome has an off season?
@@eljanrimsa5843 well, it definitely has a peak and off peak, it doesn't have an off season in the sense of being locals only.
I went to Rome right before the pandemic hit. I never went to the vatican or anything, but I had a blast. I had a lot more fun in Rome than I did in Florence. Certain places like the Coliseum or the Vatican are going to be packed with people all the time, but everything else is so spread out that you don't really get choked with people. Or at least I didn't.
Yeah when I went to Rome (admittedly a while ago), there was a lot of tourists but outside of the typical tourist hotspots, it's still a pleasant city to visit with plenty of smaller things to visit (churches, mostly) that are gorgeous and empty enough to still enjoy.
Same here, i went in 2019. Venice was definitely way more packed than Rome. Though I liked Florence overall, reminded me a lot of my home country Ukraine. Napoli I did not like…..very dirty city (but amazing pizza).
Where in Ukraine is like Florence? I'd love to go sometime.
@@szurketaltos2693 i am originally from Uzhorod (in Zakarpattia oblast) and Florence reminded me a little bit of it. Now of course it doesnt have as much history, culture, or art as Florence, but walking and driving around the city (and especially the out skirts of it) I really felt that it was similar from design and architecture wise. Just how the roads are, how the houses and apartments are, things like that. I dont mean this negatively but Italy felt more Eastern European to me than for example Germany or Netherlands which ive visited too.
@@yuriydee looks like a lovely place really. Looks possible to add to a central Europe tour, tempting. And I haven't seen any of eastern Europe but Rome/Naples definitely feel like Istanbul (which I love) more than they do Paris (which I also love)
The thing about Porto is that 10/15 years ago it was far less known, and the historic center was slowly becoming less lively, with more ruined buildings and young people moving out from the historic center. Renovating the old buildings while complying with the preservation policies is not cheap, and you could get more room, in a better kept, although newer, part of the city for the same price.
So when tourism strated to boom in Portugal in the early 2010's people saw iit as a blessing because the city centers were being renovated and becoming more lively, and the money was much needed as the country was coming out of the 2008 crises, still.
In the meantime it just became too much lively, and while at first the houses being taken were the vacant/ruined buildings in the center, now there's just too much demand everywhere in the city and the prices skyrocketed.
I still remember when the bookshop you mentioned was just an ordinary nice bookshop, 10 years ago. You could simply walk in. But when it started becoming too crowded, the owners started imposing an entrance fee (in part to compensate for the increase wear everything was getting for having people not buying the books).
The "tourist bus" can be useful when you're foot-sore, tired, or old, as an add-on to other ways of getting around. They also tend to have audio description of the places you pass.
Duolingo would've been no help to you anyway since they do Brazilian Portuguese and not European. I'm probably adding on to Porto's tourism by saying this, but Porto also has a cool McDonald's. They opened a McDonald's in 1995 inside the historic Cafe Imperial, a former coffeeshop that was in the city since the 1930s. It has massive stained-glass windows and chandeliers. On top of that, it has a GIANT bronze eagle at the entrance designed by sculptor Henrique Moreira. Many call it the world's most beautiful McDonald's. Goes to show you there are still locations that resist the minimalistic change that has happened to many McDonald's locations.
While I don't think a tourist tax would solve overtourism alone, I think it would be a good solution since the tax goes right to the city government to improve the needs of the locals. I also think more people should be adventurous and travel off the beaten path. Go to less-popular cities and places like Palau, Micronesia, Dominica, and Mongolia. Because there are some gorgeous remote places out there like those two countries that don't get the tourists that they deserve.
Sightseeing buses can be great if they are hop-on hop-off. Cheap way to get around, see all the major attractions, some bits you usually don't see; pretty convenient, usually with some informative talk. In-between and having gotten the lay of the land so to speak you then explore on your own. I don't know, seems like a pretty good deal to me.
The tragic(?) thing about this over-tourism is that it often feels it doesn't have to be that way. Of course, there's a lot of unique (or unique-ish) sights around the world, but also many that, well, frankly aren't that special if you got any actual desire to "shop around" so to speak. But apparently for most people it needs to be "specifically that thing". dunno, not a way I can enjoy attractions either.
As Americans, we could learn a lot about how to travel, how to exist in places that don't have our flag waving over it, how to interact with locals, etc etc etc. Our dollar gives us the ability to travel a lot more flexibly and widely than a lot of other nationals. We should treat the gift of travel with high respect.
Actually, Europeans have more vacation time and travel more in general xD
@@cancerino666 Can probs thank the EU for that...
I wish Americans would be given classes on the aeroplane on being respectful tourists. Please keep your voices down. Please don't block the streets taking photos. Please spend your money at the local shops, not the large multinational chain stores.
99% of the tourists in Europe aren't even Americans.
Can't wait to see the video on Disney experience management!
I just came back from Barcelona and the downtown was almost impossibly crowded on a working week day morning. I lived in Barcelona in the 1980s and 90s and it kind of shocked me. The old Barcelona was dirtier and more run down, but on a week day there would've been maybe 20% of the people I saw last week. Tourism helps clean up the city, but it also makes it much less livable.
Great video! I was absolutely gutted to see Adam Something’s video about Prague and how airbnb landlords basically own all the property in the medieval downtown, so that no locals can afford to live there. I think this video has a lot of similar themes to that one.
You're asking really smart and difficult questions. Thank you.
Well articulated video. Went to Portugal in March (skipped Porto) but Sintra was 100x worse for all the things you mentioned. Azores was amazing but not too city. (Btw Doulingo only does Brazilian Portuguese-which is quite different from European)
agree about Sintra.
This video touches on something I've been noticing and thinking about for a while, which is how whenever I visit a tourist destination, they seem more impacted and more expensive over time. In particular to ski slopes and national parks.
Like you noted, I think it's that travel is more accessible (it's cheaper and people have more money) but the number of destinations hasn't increased. They aren't making new ski slopes or national parks or historic cities. Increased demand with fixed supply and cost means shortages, just like in highway traffic or anything else. One solution is to visit places lower on the tourism ladder, thereby increasing the supply.
What you pointed out about out about seeking affordable urban spaces hits home for me, as I lived in Medellin, Colombia, with my local-to-there wife for a year and realized I was gentrifying the place. We ended up moving to an expensive place in an expensive region of an expensive country. So my current place was already gentrified when I got here lol.
Btw you should visit Medellin, Colombia, it has a lot of interesting urban features and design elements that you would really appreciate.
Having lived on the Iberian peninsula for over a decade now, I noticed the changed most drastically between when I first visited Oporto a bunch in 2011-2013 and then again in 2017. I think the Airbnb-ification and Instagram-ification of the city really did it.
Also, the Lello & Irmão bookstore used to be free like any other bookstore. But then they started charging an entrance fee (a few euros) and it totally blew up, as if it wasn't worth seeing until you had to pay to get it in. It suddenly became something people felt like they had to do because you had to pay. People are dumb like that, I guess.
Porto
@@joaomatos1420 Correct, force of Spanish. But miraculously I am still understood
@@masayojohnson5155 It was,.maybe is still, the English way of saying the name, like Lisbon/Lisbonne/Lissabon for Lisboa, Rome/Rom for Roma; Venice. Venise, Veneza [this last one Portuguese] for Venezia, and in Portuguese one says ,when referring to the city, 'o Porto', always with the definite article. Some city names are translated, others not, such as Rio de Janeiro: no one ever says 'River of January' - it's all very inconsistent and. at times, confusing.
@@bewareofpigeons I raise yiu Sir with, 'The Ukraine '. At least the conflict has stopped that .I liked it , though.
This is a great prep for my trip to Porto in a week!
I've often noticed that tourism tends to have this very paradoxical effect in which the more popular a destination becomes, the worse the overall experience tends to get due to the number of tourists. This is generally the reason why whenever I travel, I tend to have very little interest in the well-known iconic locations and landmarks, and instead run off to smaller towns and try to discover what they have to offer. Most of my fondest travel memories come from obscure locations many tens or hundreds of miles away from the actual places most people would consider a tourist spot.
In regards to the point about expats pricing locals out of their own homes, I think that a lot of the problem comes from the fact that expat communities tend to be concentrated within the largest or most well-known cities, and it's extremely noticeable just how much the expat population drops off the moment you go to even a moderately sized location away from that core. I moved to the Netherlands many years ago, and pretty much every western immigrant I know here that's not from a bordering country lives in or around Amsterdam. I made a point of staying far away from that whole region exactly because I didn't want to be involved with or lumped in among all the tourists and expats, and I absolutely believe that it's the main reason I've been successful in making a decent life out here.
I've lived in two touristy towns, one much more popular than the other and it can feel like you just never can just take a breath. You're constantly surrounded by people and most of them are great people who are nice and respectful, but once in a while you meet someone that you really just want to shout "hey I live here, you don't!" at them. I don't regret the experience, but I couldn't live there forever. It definitely made me rethink travel and want to be as kind, considerate, and respectful as possible when in places where I'm an outsider.
As someone who works in Porto, I completely agree with you in most of your points 🙂
The double decker tourist buses... I'm always complaining about them, and not because of the reason you listed (of being a weird felling, like African Safari vehicle), but because of the negative impact there is on traffic. I mean, Porto is a very old town, and most of the roads were not means to be used by cars, let alone by those monstrosities. If it were public transit, I would be OK with it, but now for sightseeing? The same for tuk tuks and other aberrations.
Lello bookstore. I visited it once back in 2010, and it was a good experience. I just entered the store, visited, and left. There were few people, but that was it, it was a nice experience. Right now? I don't understand why anyone would go through that just to visit the bookstore...
Regarding the prices of the proprieties, now that's a different matter altogether, because the people who are complaining about the prices can take a hike. 15 years ago, NOBODY wanted to live in Porto, NOBODY. Every one would just to the suburbs, and the city center was mostly abandoned, full of old buildings that no one wanted to live in.
Now that Porto is "cool", every one suddenly wants to live in the city.
It's really depressing when you have experienced these cities before the boom in cheap flights and Airbnbs. Cities that have other money-making industries apart from tourism, seem to be not as bad, in part because politicians there are less afraid to implement legislation that keeps them half-way affordable for normal citizens. My city has relatively tough legislation against renting out normal apartments as vacation homes /Airbnbs. It made a difference.
So there's definitely a tension to hold here because cities are always meant to be dynamic places that frequently accept out of town folks to either visit or move in but too many visitors and too many ex-pats especially (I think its worth keeping in mind a distinction between ex-pats and immigrants even if it gets fuzzy on the edges) really do harm a city. And there's a spectrum of responses one can have to this. The worst for locals is pretty much the "tourist beach town" where everything is meant for folks who don't stay in the town long term and who therefore don't really care about it. I'd say this includes rich folks with vacation homes or folks in institutions staying for limited times (like military bases) but even folks who retire to a place whose time horizon for it is just a few years to a decade before they expect to die. Florida is the poster child for this and having lived in Pensacola for a while I've gotta say it sucks.
On the other hand are cities really only meant to cater to residents which can create two tier citizenships that are ripe for exploitation. The Chinese Hukou system is one way that can go off the rails. Originally designed to help cities control growth and manage social services, that system became a way to have a resident group that gets support and protections by the city, and a larger migrant workforce group that can get super exploited by business owners leading to many of the issues of sweatshops in China. As those rules have been loosened not everyone has switched to city residency but the option still helps in fights to improve working/living conditions. And I'd note that if I had choice to live in a Florida or a Chinese city (assuming no legal or language barriers) I'd absolutely choose a Chinese one. But there's a balance to hold nonetheless.
That said, a lot of the problems of holding that balance need answers like widespread public/social housing and a strong commitment to transit. If a large percentage, say a third to half, of a city is public housing or co-ops with strong rules about who folks can sell to, then tourists and ex-pats become an annoyance but don't rise to the level of threat that they currently represent in many areas.
Isn't Venice or Barcelona even better examples of this problem. Today's Venice is mostly a theater for tourists and no longer the strong city state ruling the mediterranean sea.
I'm enjoying this new kind of content!
Wonderful topic and you make a great point!
Quite possibly your best video yet. How do I know this? Because you had my wife rolling with laughter one minute, and the two of us discussing how to be good ex pat retirees the next. This may not be a common combination of reactions but there it is. Too much of Europe has gone this way now. I see it in the inner city of Vienna every time I go in. Thankfully, I live on the edge of town and can avoid this mess most of the time. But Porto has been way up on our list and this gives us pause. Or at lease let's us think that November may be a better time. Looks like you might have gotten some of the Easter residual rush. Amsterdam is taking big steps to alleviate. Venice may or may not have installed turnstiles and day passes. We did Cinque Terre in mid December and were treated to empty trails and temps in the low 60s. Flexibility is key. Be part of the solution instead of the problem. Can you imagine Powell's books charging admission. I mean, that bookstore is beautiful, but arrrrrrrggghhh..... It's also why I love cities like Vigo, Oviedo, Bilbao, etc. Less dedication to tourism, more dedication to chill. Again, absolutely amazing video, and why I am now a patreon supporter. T
Thanks! Yeah, this video's interesting, a bit more of a niche topic, but it seems to really resonate with some folks. Porto is gorgeous -- yeah, I probably had bad luck with the time I went. Seville was a bit crazy when I was there too (just before Holy Week) but a larger city seems to absorb it better. Not that Porto is that much smaller, but it is a bit more compact!
I felt the same about Amsterdam but most of what I didn't like in the city was just concentrated in Central but just outside downtown was much better and you get a better feel of local culture
I agree too many tourist can be bad, especially when nature is involved as it can directly degrade the very thing drawing in people. I also agree tourists should do their best to be respectful of where they are going. However, I dislike blaming tourists for just being tourists, or feeling guilt when you are a tourist yourself. If there are too many tourists, it's the government's job to handle it (and some governments do); blaming individual tourists does nothing productive. Even if you shame a tourist into not going, someone else that doesn't care as much will just take their place, and they might not be as respectful once they arrive, thus it's a net negative.
Ok, don't blame yourself (as a tourist) blame the government 👌😂 I say take responsibility and don't be part of the problem if it's that bad
@@runswithraptors More like direct the well-deserved frustration at your local government for not doing anything instead of directing it at the tourists themselves. You'll see more meaningful change that way I feel
One of your best, because it’s so uncomfortably honest. Cheers
i love end of season/off season travel. Yeah the weather is more hit or miss but it won't leave you with these disappointing feelings of over tourism.
On the other hand, a Lake Como hotel owner told me that the new trend in travel for that area is instead of strict on/off season, travelers are starting to come year-round. And that doesn't mean fewer travelers in the on season.
Maybe if we had more cities worth visiting instead of unending suburban sprawl in the USA, the ones worth visiting elsewhere in the world wouldn't be so completely overrun by tourists.
That said, when I lived in San Francisco, I liked having tourists, but I also like the bustle of a city.
Counterpoint: Nashville. Tennessee is among the most sprawlingest states to ever sprawl and Nashville is an absolute tourist hellhole.
And don't get me started on Sevier County. Plenty of tourists visit places with marginal cultural value.*. It's how that tourism is managed that makes the difference.
*Both Nashville and East Tennessee are important to the development and popularity of country music. Kid Rock's Honky Tonk bar and the Soaky Mountain water park are not.
Boston strikes a good balance, even if the traffic is awful.
A billion people living in samey concrete cities in China is not helping either.
@@JohnFromAccounting Well, Bostonions also follow some of his advice by being incredibly rude to tourists. ;)
Small and low speed electric tuk tuks seems like a good alternative to larger diesel powered taxis to me. That “dune buggy” is a small private car, the kind of alternative we should offer to people that “need” to drive and shouldn’t be in a SUV.
Mass tourism has been a thing for decades. It definitely has become worse with low cost carriers. If it's just people that are staying a few days in hotels, it can be controlled.
The last years have started some new trends that mean the death of lots of places. I am talking about airb&b and digital nomads. This turns whole cities into international bubbles of shallow people who can pay a lot more than the locals. All local life and all that was authentic about these places is gone or will be gone soon. It turns real pleaces into attraction parks.
Airb&b should be forbidden. It's no good.
Really great video, hits different since I just got back from Amsterdam. I definitely identify with what you said about having a little bit of self-loathing being there, it was super odd seeing how an entire city center just has become an adult Disneyland.
Meanwhile you go outside the city center and it’s legitimately an urbanist’s wet dream. I also wasn’t sure how to weigh that and is still something I ponder
Fascinating. My dad, sister, and I visited Porto and other places in Portugal in 1994. Porto was quite gritty then. Really lovely and amazing, but also felt quite poor and run down. It's such a double-edged sword. It is great to see the city lifting up from as grim as it was back then - - at the same time, it's kind of sad to see it turn into a tourist Disneyland - - Portugal is a rich, lovely, and singular country - - it is so much more than a tourist destination
I am German from Berlin and for once in my life i was a trend setter 😂 🤣 Went to lovely Porto in 2010-12. It were the cheapest flights for spontaneous city trips as a student, we used a hostel. Many old houses were still in poor condition. Was still quit, i loved it. But the main Problem in Europe are private Airbnb rentals. In Berlin the City put measurements in place to stop this. Now there harsh fines for violating any city rules. Heard Prague has the same Problems.
A lot more people can travel now than the 70s and 80s. There are 320 million in the US compared to 220 million in 1980. Couple that with travel being more affordable and you get more tourists. Many more Asians are traveling now compared to 30 or 40 years ago also.
I went to Rome in May 1986 and there were few people at the Vatican. It just wasn't very crowded. St Peters was almost empty. i went right up the elevator to the dome.
Similar issues in SE Asia, where there is also not really a low/shoulder season travel option. Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia are particularly overwhelmed especially in the last 10 years as the Chinese have discovered tourism en masse. There are many smaller towns (ie Hoi An, VN) that are bursting at the seams. Also Chiang Mai -- whose small airport seems to land a widebody plane out of China every few minutes.
As pretentious as it sounds, there is a difference between tourists and travelers. And for the traveler there are places that aren't really seeable anymore, even in our own backyard -- ie Zion National Park. I remember having Porto on my bucket list 15 years ago...and delayed and delayed...and now have been scared away from many parts of Portugal for the reasons you outline. Digital Nomadism is usually an early indicator of what's next to be destroyed. And on that measure.... Mexico City is a prime candidate.
Maybe the tourist train that looks like it’s for children might be a good choice for senior citizens that can’t walk very far, the same with the hop on hop off bus
The closing thoughts here are definitely something I've been dwelling on as someone who wants to move out of the US. Part of me wants to get out ASAP, but another part really wants to give a fair chance to some of the good US cities that you highlight on this channel.
I'm doing some traveling in Europe this year and I can't wait. Thank you for your eye-opening videos. They will definitely give me some more perspective on things to look out for!
I was lucky enough to visit Venice and Rome towards the tail end of Covid in early 2022. It was crowded but manageable. What struck me the most were the local Italians who told me that for the last two years they were actually able to enjoy the cities they lived in. Places like Manchu Piccchu have a reservation system, maybe something like that would work for historical European cities where if you don't live there, you need a pass to access the main sites.
You can come visit Finland if you want to avoid overtourism. I don't think we have it here. Sure, there are some tourist hot spots but they are easily avoided. It's not a lot of snow here in the summer, but there's sunlight all day around. You could even explore the empty streets during the night.
The amount of over tourism is definitely directly related with the average temperature of the country.
I love Finland and have been there twice. Helsinki’s museums (And the awesome library!) are easy to visit and I think that on my last visit (Fall 2021) the people were very hospitable compared to my first visit (2001) Cheers!
Spent a glorious day in Helsinki last June. What a great city. Helped that I had perfect weather.
Cities visited by cruise ships have been starting to realize that tourists often add very little to your city.
Can’t believe you made this video BEFORE going to SINTRA. That place is beautiful but also super overrun with tourists. It was like the Disney World of Portugal last June
I was hungover when I went to Sintra and it was one of the most scarring travel experiences of my life.
You should probably make a video about your selection process in choosing a new US city to live in (once you've cleaned out your storage lockers in Vegas).
One of America's most unique tourist attractions, here in my home state, the automobile-free Mackinac Island, is definitely overrun by visitors. Although you're spared the danger of cars, the risk of being trampled by crowds or run over by bicyclists is very real indeed.
A wild Michigander appears!
In my opinion, I do think the governments of the local city should limit the number of airbnbs toward the center of the cities so locals can also afford to stay there, to live there. I don’t know exactly how that would be monitored but anytime there’s very short term rentals it’s going to change a place.
Tax them appropriately. If there are too many, they are not being taxed enough.
@@stevengordon3271 We have an ordinance that if you're in an R1, your Airbnb has to be an accessory dwelling and the primary house has to be owner occupied.
It's useless for condos and apartments, but it's a compromise that gives neighborhoods some mechanism for shutting down party houses.
Hobart tried, but there was some obscure legalistic reason why they couldn't. So the squeeze on the locals continues.
I'm from Porto but lived abroad for the past 19 years, and did go back regularly until the pandemic.
I totally agree with the points from this video, every single one of them. Although tourism helps to bring money and to keep the city cosmopolitan and vibrant it is just a bit too much, and I disagree with people that say that is due to tourism that the city is (or was) being regenerated.
Porto had a great nightlife, had tourism and a city center where locals still populated the streets. My grandparents lived all their life in the old historical part of town (actually a good portion of my family did or still does), and were moved to an old building that had been totally refurbished so that the building where they lived could have the same treatment - this was over 25 years ago, so the city although boosted by tourism was not refurbished just because tourism happened. The streets were lively and street life was pleasant.
I look forward to show my kids the city I grew up in, take them around all the beauty spots where I used to play and that I know like the back of my hand - Unfortunately they will know a side of it I never did, overcrowded queued up Porto.
I'm from Portugal but been living abroad for years, and every time I come back home there's more and more tourists, touristy things and more expensive things that used to be affordable for us locals and now just feel inaccessible to anyone on a Portuguese salary. I'm glad people enjoy my country so much, but I wish there were more regulations in place to avoid my beautiful country from becoming a foreigners' playground. By all means, do come here and explore and take photos and have a wonderful time, but don't treat it like a theme park.
I visited Portugal in 2015 and decided to visit the famous cities and the not so famous. By that time everyone was saying Lisbon is the best, but for me just felt like a generic European city designed for tourism with all the brands and people speaking English.
In Porto I could feel that the place had some soul, the architecture was great and the culture is much more local. Sad to see its being overcrowded now.
Btw I visited the countryside and smaller cities and the experience was much more closer to Porto than tourist generic Lisbon.
It seems like these famous touristic places lose their charm and local characteristics in their way to turn more tourist friendly