Tourists and Pilgrims: go home

Tourism is a for a long time contested concept:

Being imperial, unfair, rich-poor enhancing, hedonistic, naturedestroyer, culturedestroyer ....
And specific for pilgrimage routes like the Camino de Santiago the number of pilgrims are rising, new records crushed the next year.
Sure,  this increase is intentional, policy of national and regional government and of commercial corporations. A development that started some 40 years ago.

I looked around to provide you with additional and latest popular developments.
Looked at the pilgrimage route
Looked at some general touristic concerns.

Sometimes there just are too many tourists, too many pilgrims.
So, this blogitem provides an overview of the latest trend in tourism and pilgrimage alike: overcrowding.
And it hints alternative / sustainable tourism.

(China’s Qingdao Huiquan Beach during the height of peak season)

On the pilgrimage route

(photo: dpa Picture-Alliance / Florian Schuh / picture alliance / dpa Themendie)

The Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route saw it's routes becoming more and more crowded. 2017 probably again a record year. Experienced pilgrims use the usual comments: Try other routes or seasons, keep away from  the usual staged etappe endings, overcrowded camino was already an issue 30 years ago, it's nice, cosy and socially, it's not that bad. However: complaints are growing, even on the 'less walked' route like the Camino Ingles.
Like a pilgrim from Colorado just (august 2017, walked in july) reported on Tripadvisor: "Way to many people".Some people don't mind, I do and try to keep away from overcrowded routes.

Four recent articles in French and German newspapers/sites cover the overcrowding.
( use google translate ;-)

Wir sind dann mal weg

Zu viele Jakobspilger: In Spanien wird gegen Urlauber protestiert

( Mass-tourism, we're off then. After Kerkeling's camino book Ich bin dann mal weg. Subtitle of the article: Too many pilgrims: Spain protesting against tourism)
Suddeutsche Zeitung

Pilgerstau am Jacobsweg

Far away from the peaceful tranquility, long human karavans on the way to the pilgrimage town of Santiago de Compostela are driving up prices and hunt away the locals
Die Presse

"Ce n’est pas de la tourismophobie, c’est de l’anticapitalisme" : en Espagne, des activistes torpillent le tourisme de masse

(This isn't tourismphobia, it's anticapitalism. In Spain activists torpede mass-tourism)
Francetvinfo

(Un graffiti "Touristes, rentrez chez vous" dans le centre-ville d'Oviedo (province des Asturies, nord de l'Espagne), le 7 août 2017. (ELOY ALONSO / AFP))

Große Zahl der Pilger sorgt für Ärger entlang des Jakobswegs
Large amount of pilgrims causes trouble along the Way of St James.
Hamburger Abentblatt (this article is published in many other magazins)

Tourisme generic

I'l start with a few headlines..

Is Mount Everest an overcrowded tourist trap?

Machu Picchu to introduce timed ticketing to deal with overcrowding

20 overcrowded sights that should follow the Cinque Terre's example

Over-tourism in Amsterdam

You can click on them to go to the responding article

Protests are growing

Anti-tourism protests spread across Europe

Barcelona residents protest unchecked growth of mass tourism

Venice residents protest against tourist influx

Protest against "tourist colonialism" in Palma

You can click on them to go to the responding article

And to closeoff

European tourism prompts locals to declare 'enough is enough' as visitor numbers grow in ABCnet.

"There is a growing backlash over tourism in Europe as the favourite hotspots suffer from chronic overcrowding and locals face rising prices for basic needs such as rent."

European tourism prompts locals to declare 'enough is enough' as visitor numbers grow

(Twitter Corse Tourism)

Just a few thoughts..

The growth paradox: can tourism ever be sustainable?

World Economic forum (aug 2017)

Picture Comparison Mass / Alternative Tourism

(Nompumelelo Mathebula, Univ of Johannesburg)

Picture Types of Tourism

(Cecilia Ryan, Understanding tourism impacts & types of alternative tourism)