Tourism backlash: Global hotspots close doors to preserve heritage
Nature, monuments, and the lives of local residents all suffer when tourism in a given place starts to get out of control. Often, it is the residents themselves who sound the alarm that something is wrong and change is needed. Currently, we are witnessing protests in Mallorca and Tenerife. However, some places have already given up on tourists for good.
One such place is Uluru, the sacred mountain of Australian Aborigines, known to many of us as Ayers Rock. The mountain, with its characteristic reddish colour, is a special place for the local Anangu tribe. It was closed to climbers in 2019 at the indigenous people's request.
This is our home. Please, do not climb it - TVN24 quotes the sign at the base of the mountain.
Tourists brought fungi and mould. European caves closed to them
Tourists are no longer allowed into the Spanish cave of Altamira or the French cave of Lascaux. Both caves house rock drawings believed to have been created during the late Paleolithic period, from 17,000 to 12,000 years ago. Unfortunately, the caves' popularity meant tourists started visiting them, bringing in higher humidity levels, warmth, and carbon dioxide. Altamira was closed to tourism in 2001.
Lascaux was discovered in 1940, but it was already closed to visitors in 1963. The reason? Tourism caused fungi and mould to appear, and the rock paintings began to fade.
Today, tourists can visit replicas of the Altamira and Lascaux caves.
The heavenly beach and a down-to-earth problem
For Thai authorities, Maya Bay beach was a tourist magnet. Known for the movie "The Beach," it attracts thousands of people worldwide each year. This started to become very burdensome, especially for nature. In 2018, the Thai authorities decided to close Maya Bay, whose coral reef was destroyed by the excess number of tourists.
Tourist traffic returned in 2022 but with restrictions. Tourists can only be on the beach from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for up to an hour each time. Additionally, a maximum of eight boats can dock at the pier.
At the beginning of this tourist season, residents in places like Barcelona, Granada, Seville, and Mallorca started protesting. Meanwhile, protesting residents in Tenerife carried a banner with the slogan, "The Canary Islands have their limit."
In recent weeks, an absurd situation occurred on the Greek island of Santorini, where more tourists arrived than the number of residents. Local authorities had to ask the latter to stay home to avoid paralyzing the island.
