What the war on tourism gets wrong
Visitors are a boon, if managed wisely
![A demonstrator uses a megaphone as people protest against mass tourism, in Alicante, Spain, July 13th 2024](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20240803_FNP001.jpg)
Cooling off is easy in Barcelona. Swim in the sea, sip sangria—or just hang about looking like a holidaymaker. Recently residents have taken part in anti-tourist protests, some firing at guests with water pistols. Other rallies calling for an end to mass tourism have taken place across the Balearic and Canary Islands. And it is not just Spaniards. Locals in Athens have held funerals for their dead neighbourhoods. Authorities in Japan have put up a fence to spoil a popular view of Mount Fuji and prevent tourists gathering. Soon there will be a 5pm curfew for visitors to a historic neighbourhood in Seoul.
Finance & economics August 3rd 2024
- What the war on tourism gets wrong
- Which cities have the worst overtourism problem?
- Investors beware: summer madness is here
- Gary Gensler is the most controversial man in American finance
- India’s economic policy will not make it rich
- China’s last boomtowns show rapid growth is still possible
- EU handouts have long been wasteful. Now they must be fixed
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