A café isn't exactly the place to end up in a one-sided water pistol fight. In early July, protests took place across Spain and the Canary Islands calling on holidaymakers to head to a café. “go home,” with some protesters using spray toys to annoy tourists.
Overtourism in Europe is not a new problem. Since the 2010s, European countries have adopted measures to redirect visitors to lesser-known destinations. For example, the declining city of Venice imposed a tourism tax in 2011 to maintain the city’s infrastructure and historic sites and recently added a tourist tax. day trip fees. Dozens of international destinations have tourist taxes; Amsterdam is the Very expensiveand the Dutch city has even enacted a hotel ban This further limits the number of tourists to the region. Yet Europe is the world’s top tourist destination, according to the European Environment Agency. As international tourist travel returns to pre-pandemic levels, some destinations are taking a positive approach by developing new policies that promote more sustainable tourism.
Here are three destinations around the world that reward tourists who make thoughtful choices.
Copenhagen
As one of the world's most sustainable destinations according to the Global Sustainability Index, Copenhagen launched a sustainable tourism program called “CopenPay.” Tourists who use public transportation, cycle, eat at eco-friendly restaurants, refill their water bottles, and participate in other initiatives that give back to the city and the environment will be rewarded with activities like free cups of coffee or free museum visits. The Copenhagen Tourist Board said that CopenPay “is not about increasing tourism.” Instead, Wonderful Copenhagen CEO Mikkel Aarø-Hansen said in a press release that “we need to make tourism a force for positive change, and an important part of that transformation is changing the way we move around the destination, what we consume, and how we interact with locals.” For now, CopenPay will be in effect for a limited time, through August 11, with the option to return annually.
Faroe Islands
The autonomous Danish archipelago comprising the 18 Faroe Islands has inaugurated the “Closed for maintenance” The “Closed for Maintenance” program was launched in 2019. The goal was to close a few popular tourist sites around the islands to tourists for a weekend, but leave the sites open for volunteers – dubbed “voluntourists” – to combat erosion and rebuild the attractions. Due to the net positive impact, the “Closed for Maintenance” program is repeated every year. Visitors can sign up and buy a ticket to the islands, where they will be assigned a project during which they can make friends with locals, make international acquaintances, and preserve natural sites.
Since the launch of the programme, the overall tourism message for the islands has also changed. The Visit Faroe Islands board states that “tourism should always allow us to improve our country”, balancing the need to preserve natural beauty and culture while sharing them with interested visitors.
Hawaii
Another island has adopted a similar approach to using tourism to make the destination a better place for visitors and locals alike. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Hawaii got a glimpse of what island life was like without the usual streams of visitors. Hawaii Sustainable Development Plan 2050 notes that this period has emphasized the need to reallocate resources to local communities and land preservation. After the pandemic, the Hawaii Tourism Authority began the Regeneration Program Malama (“give back”), a tourism initiative that spans the Hawaiian Islands. The Mālama program encourages tourists to plan their visits around environmentally friendly experiences, such as coastal cleanups on Kaua’i and forest preservation on Mauna Kea. Like CopenPay, participation in Malama Hawai’i offers perks, such as chances to receive hotel discounts or a free night.
