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In several countries the forced halt

in mass tourism

caused by the covid-19 pandemic has sparked a debate about the negative impact of this model, but the income and jobs it generates make any change difficult.

In tourist destinations today abandoned by international visitors,

nature

has taken over the land.

At the site of

Machu Picchu

(Peru), the

spectacled bear

has been seen again

, after long disappeared.

In Thailand, where the number of foreign tourists fell by more than 83% last year, more and more marine animals such as

dugongs

, endangered turtles or

whale sharks

are being observed

.

To make it easier for flora and fauna to regenerate, the Thai government has decided to close, about three months a year, more than

150 national parks

and limit their access.

"Now we want

quality tourism

, we do not want a massive influx of tourists to our national parks," says Varawut Silpa-archa, Minister of the Environment.

To compensate for this loss of influx,

rates could be increased

.

It is "the price to pay" to protect nature, he adds.

Educate travelers

Also in Peru, access to Machu Picchu has been restricted and the authorities are studying how to implement a less massive and

more selective

type of tourism

.

According to Darwin Baca, mayor of Machu Picchu Pueblo, other offers are being developed, such as

guided visits

to natural spaces and waterfalls, to encourage tourists to extend their stay while they wait to be able to access the Inca site, which each year reports 38, 5 million dollars (31.7 million euros) to the country, according to official estimates.

The Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, in Peru.

Travelers must be "educated" to visit

lesser-known places

, or to come in low season, points out Jean-François Rial, general director of the Voyageurs du Monde agency.

Dubrovnik

, in Croatia, a destination that has become emblematic of mass tourism, hopes to disperse its travelers to other areas beyond the old city, literally taken over by tourists and cruise passengers.

It seeks to reposition itself "as a

destination of excellence

and sustainable tourism," explains Ana Hrnic, director of the tourism office.

The pandemic could be "an opportunity to move towards more responsible tourism" in the long term, says Damien Chaney, professor of marketing at EM Normandie.

"For radical solutions to emerge, in general there has to be an external shock, such as covid-19," he explains.

Furthermore, the interruption of tourism has shown how dependent some economies are on it.

In countries like

Tunisia

(or Spain, without going any further), tourism is responsible for up to 14% of GDP.

The island of Djerba, a very popular destination, saw 80% fewer visitors last year, a real catastrophe for jobs.

"All the parameters are in red," laments Hichem Mehouachi, regional commissioner for tourism on the Tunisian island.

Is tourism a drug?

In Barcelona, ​​in places like the Gothic Quarter or the emblematic Las Ramblas promenade, most of the shops are closed or their owners see them and wish them to make ends meet without tourists.

"Here tourism has expelled a lot of local population and now that

tourists have also left

, there is nothing left," says Martí Cusó, a social worker who fights against mass tourism in the center of Barcelona.

In Italy, Guido Moltedo, founder of the Ytali portal, has launched a petition so that the

museums of Venice

do not continue to be closed and that a debate be opened on the future of the city, its tourism and its vision of culture.

The petition has collected 6,000 signatures.

"The city is on its knees and it shouldn't be like this," he commented, alarmed.

Tourists in Venice before the pandemic that emptied its streets.

But in Venice as well as in other tourist destinations,

sacrificing income from tourism

seems difficult.

"Even the smallest bar in this city earned 3,000 euros a day, the city is

drugged,

" denounced Moltedo.

Tourism is the main source of income for approximately 65% ​​of its inhabitants.

"It is true that mass tourism has sometimes been a problem in Venice, but its

total disappearance

is worse," said Claudio Scarpa, director of the city's hotel association.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

  • Barcelona

  • Peru

  • Tunisia

  • Thailand

  • Italy

  • Croatia

  • tourism

  • Covid 19

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