[Music] [Applause] [Music] are you dreaming of a European holiday floating through Venice on a gondola marveling at the architecture in Athens basking in the sun on the beaches of Barcelona if you are beware Europe and the world is overrun with tourists and it looks like cities have had enough they're replacing come to us incentives with stay away restrictions tourism was once the Golden Goose for these hotpots but they're now tired of it why because of over tourism you see the pandemic was a bad time for travel borders were shut flights were grounded people were stuck at homes so when the World opened up tourism boomed everyone wanted to travel there was even a term for it they called it Revenge travel but 2 years later countries are fed up tourism numbers may be up but they moods not so much over tourism has been a problem for some time but now cities are fighting back so what explains this trend when does tourism become over tourism and why should you [Music] [Music] care hello and welcome to between the lines I'm py Sharma and on this show we'll try to read between the lines the stated and the unstated the obvious and the hidden to bring you the full story imagine a Scenic location azour Blue Waters pristine beaches Scenic mountains you would want to visit right well Instagram has made it easier it all begins with a humble hashtag or a viral dream meal a picturesk location is discovered an influencer snaps a breathtaking shot and that's it a On's Hidden Gem becomes a must visit destination all thanks to the magic of social media but when does this fast rising tide become a tsunami what happens when there are just too many tourists it's called over tourism it's self-explanatory too many visitors at a particular destination in an era where Globe trotting is as accessible as ordering your morning coffee it is a quiet catastrophe hidden beneath the picturesque selfies and the thrill of discovering new destinations according to the world tourism organization by the end of 2030 International tourists will surpass 2 billion yet the sites and places they want to see remain the same their capacity Remains the Same they won't magically grow in size which makes this the perfect recipe for disaster there's wear and tear on fragile sites disruption for local people plus visit visitors receive a less than ideal experience picture this long traffic jams endless skes rampant littering overpriced food and no place to just take a breath does it sound like your ideal holiday I'm sure it doesn't now the causes of over tourism are many but there are three main Trends the first is population the global population has tripled since the 1950s and more people are traveling reason number two growing influence the world's middle class is as as big as 4.2 billion people that's a very large number a lot of them can afford to travel and that's what they're doing as we speak the third is accessibility easier permissions cheap regional carriers airbnbs and social media all of this has fueled the travel boom it brings in the money too but countries are increasingly unhappy about it over tourism is killing cities so many governments are now imposing restrictions first on the list is Venice the poster child of over tourism the city is so overwhelmed with with tourists that canals have Bumper to Bumper Rush our traffic Venice gets an estimated 30 million visitors every year its population is not even 300,000 so hosting 30 million is just too much for the city the delicate ventian ecosystem cannot handle it as a result the floating city is losing its Essence so Venice has decided to act it will now charge tourists to enter the city in a bit to curb overcrowding the fee is €5 which which doesn't sound like much when you think about it all visitors over the age of 18 will have to pay it5 Venice hopes that this will deter some day Trippers it wants only the most committed tourists to visit then there is Greece it is limiting daily visitors to the Acropolis the ancient archaeological site attracts thousands of people every day so much so that there are bottlenecks outside Athens has had enough it wants to cap daily visitors at $2,000 now if you want to visit you must book in advance Amsterdam on the other hand is Banning cruise ships it wants to control tourist influx Italy's porino is introducing no waiting zones basically they're saying no to tourists brandishing selfie sticks some parts of Spain are launching tourist taxes but it's not just Europe that is fed up places in Southeast Asia too are done with tourists places like Bali it has a new set of rules for them like dress appropriately do not climb volcano do not disrespect holy sides there's a whole list and they're taking it very seriously because over tourism is not just about too many people it's also about the lack of cultural sensitivity Rowdy tourists have a knack for turning sacred temples into impromptu yoga studios and quaint neighborhoods into drunken party zones for them it's not a trip unless you've offended locals with inappropriate behavior in India too the situation is no different tourism in India is a $194 billion Market it contributes to 6.8% of the GDP it employs more than 40 million people so clearly it is big and important as a sector but all of this comes at a cost from Kashmir to kanyakumari tourist spots are brimming with people and the impact can be social economic as well as environmental take the town of jimut for example it was once a bustling tourist spot a gateway to famous pilgrimage sites but no one talked about the impact this tourism had the loss and damage to the Iman ecosystem the vibration caused by the vehicles the filth left behind by Travelers and the erosion of the sensitive Mountain ecosystem now the small Himalayan town of jimat is sinking its locals were forced to abandon their homes and the land around is not safe to live in goes to show what over tourism can do like I said before this is not just about too many people the consequences of over tourism go far beyond that there's a threat to the environment to the cultural heritage plus it Fosters inequality when tourists flood into impoverished areas they often drive up prices making it unaffordable for local residents this erodes the purchasing power of locals fracturing the sense of community in these cities so what do we do to curb over tourism do we just stop traveling well travel is not wrong but we should start with responsible travel we must choose quality over quantity valuing the depth of experience over the number of destinations checked off lists also choose sustainable tourism practices like supporting local businesses and respecting local Customs it can make a significant difference additionally governments and local authorities have to act they must prioritize the well-being of their citizens over short-term Financial gains currently over tourism is a global crisis which means it needs Global awareness and Global action it should be a wakeup call for the world our planet's Treasures are not inexhaustible and it's time to protect what we hold [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] dear [Music] [Music] [Music] oh [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music]