For years now in Italy and in many European cities there has been talk of overtourism , exaggerated "hit and run" tourism, often disrespectful of the destination and poorly tolerated by residents. A significant breath of fresh air, however, for museums, restaurants, accommodation facilities, traders and even artisans, some of whom specialize in the reproduction of souvenirs. An influx of revenue that has proven important, at times crucial, for the coffers of sites such as Venice, Florence, Paris, Amsterdam , Barcelona , which have become capitals of mass tourism. Until the beginning of 2020, still unaware of the coming crisis, residents of tourist hotspots, from Venice to Florence, filed lawsuits against the wild rentals of AirBnb , which swallowed up entire neighborhoods.
Graffiti against tourists Australia Phone Number appeared in Barcelona. But how do the semi-deserted cradles of European tourism live today? Could the pandemic represent, after a very difficult initial moment, a turning point and growth for destinations? Let's find out together, thanks to an analysis by The Guardian . Focus on Barcelona Barcelona - along with other Spanish cities heavily dependent on the tourism sector - fears economic collapse and is working to draw up plans to attract travelers again, while residents tired from the crowds catch their breath. The most worrying specter now seems to be unemployment. Trade associations predict, in fact, that at least 15% of businesses and one in four restaurants in central Barcelona will close permanently due to the coronavirus and the outlook is equally bleak in other urban tourist destinations, with tens of thousands of jobs at risk.
Despite the huge losses, however, mayors, sector experts and scholars of European cities see a very powerful light beyond the shadows: the collapse of the travel industry offers an unprecedented opportunity to rethink the business model of cities affected by overtourism . Xavier Marcé, the Barcelona councilor responsible for tourism, said: “I don't want more tourists, I want more visitors.” According to Janet Sanz, deputy mayor of Barcelona, cities now dependent on tourism are paying the price of a monocultural economy and now the real challenge is to diversify. A challenge that is not easy to pursue, according to the numbers of the urban hotspots in question. Barcelona, which has a population of 1.6 million, hosted 30 million visitors in 2019 ; Venice, 270,000 residents and 25 million visitors; Amsterdam, 873,000 inhabitants, welcomed 19 million tourists.