TTC Special. World Tourism: troublemakers under surveillance

Photo: kzenon/123rf

By Frank Martin

TTC Service.- Tourist destinations around the world increasingly aspire for visitors to bring income and jobs, but they are decidedly against the abuses that often lead to uncivilized behavior of some of their guests.

In the great tourism fairs the subject is more and more frequent.

Experts at the FITUR Tourism Fair in Madrid have heard examples.

Cases were studied from tourists who find as their main individual fun to consume alcoholic beverages.

Others reach more sinister behaviors such as the search for sex at all costs, drug abuse and even dangerous experiences such as throwing into a pool from a high floor of a hotel.

In Europe there are increasingly accusations of revolting visitors. But that practice does not solve the problem.
They better replacing it with rigorous rules of conduct.

In the Balearic Islands, in Spain, some regulations are already in force.

The codes of conduct have placed potential offenders over the possibility of more severe fines and penalties.

Someone who took too much and therefore lost the rhythm of their behavior causing damage to the environment can face fines of up to 600,000 euros.

The figure can be seen as exaggerated, but it is not if is a punishment for causing destruction to buildings, rooms or public facilities.

That kind of attitudes also cause a decline in the prestige of the place where it occurred.

Specialists in the global tourism industry stress that any destination in the world is exposed to these problems.
Therefore, there has been a need to limit the rules of the so-called free market, among others one that states that “the customer is always right.”

It is already essential to guarantee public order, public health, protection of the individuals rights, safety and health of consumers and recipients of public services.

Stray sheep among tourists tend to be dangerous and give a very bad reputation to a place so scary that only stray sheep frequent them.

Studies all worldwide talk about hotel establishments, bars and boats that have allowed excursions to consume alcohol as the only claim.

It should be noted that the so-called issuing markets do not usually have mercy when tourist destinations are not doing well, even when a momentary tolerance level offers mediocre long-term prestige.

For example, several Caribbean destinations have carried an oversized burden of guilt when violence has caused a sad event or chance has given them the reputation of being tourist killers.

A “sensationalist press” can turn a city and even a country into a hell.

In times of excessive tourism it is the tourist destinations that are exposed if they do not apply regulations that will never affect tourists who just want to have normal fun.

A good amount of annual tourists is what any tourism nation wants.

But excess is something else. It is usually dangerous.

New rules adopted by Amsterdam or Venice in 2019 in order to limited tourism are well known.

The criticisms and complaints of locals there went far.

The local government of Dubrovnik, Croatia, is already famous for its insistence.

The authorities in Dubrovnik had the audacity to limit the entry of cruise ships to two per day in 2019.

During the same year promoted a ban on ending outdoor restaurant tables. It was announced that the measure will be applied in 2020.

That city also limited parking spaces for all types of vehicles.

The tourist destinations that act against the excessive tourism hope that this helps to fight the “revolts” and the locals bad mood.

But the specialists maintain that without hard regulations against those who violate norms it does not matter that the overcrowding diminishes.

The rules can be life or death. for the nationals tourism industry.

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