From Barcelona to Hanoi, travel hotspots levy tourist taxes and take other steps to curb crowds, pollution, bad behaviour

From Barcelona to Hanoi, travel hotspots levy tourist taxes and take other steps to curb crowds, pollution, bad behaviour

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Then, in a bid to attract culturally sensitive sightseers, the “Renew Your View” campaign was launched to encourage the appreciation of the city through the eyes of locals rather than as part of the mass-tourism phenomenon.

These initiatives come on the heels of a ban on cruise ships entering the city centre, a decision that authorities say aligns with their sustainable development ambitions.

Venice has already banned some ocean-going liners and is now in the process of introducing a €5 admission fee for peak-time visitors to the city. Photo: Bloomberg

Venice, Italy

Amsterdam isn’t the only place banning or restricting cruise ships. In 2021, Venice prohibited ocean-going liners weighing more than 25,000 tonnes, as damage to the lagoon, palace foundations and other centuries-old structures saw Unesco threatening to put the City of Canals on its endangered list.

The Italian tourist honeypot is also in the process of introducing a controversial €5 peak-time admission fee, which would make it the first city to charge people to enter. Venice bigwigs plan to take things further by restricting tour groups to a maximum of 25 and prohibiting loudspeakers.
A cruise ship at port in Juneau, Alaska, where authorities have limited the number of large liners docking to five per day. Photo: Shutterstock

Palma de Mallorca, Spain, and Juneau, Alaska, US

Protests by residents of the Spanish city of Palma de Mallorca have resulted in a ruling that only three vessels are permitted in port at any time, and authorities in Juneau, in the US state of Alaska, have limited the number of large liners docking in the Alaskan state capital to five per day.

Scotland, UK

Scotland, which counts its cruise ship passengers in the hundreds of thousands, wants to increase taxes on ships that emit high levels of pollutants.

Citing a 2021 study that claims the carbon footprint of one vessel can be greater than 12,000 cars, Scottish Green Party minister Lorna Slater believes new legislation would incentivise companies to build zero-emission ships.

Mount Everest, Nepal

Mountaineering organisations generally adhere to the Leave No Trace rule, which provides guidelines for human waste disposal.

Not everyone attempting to scale Mount Everest got the memo, though, and the Nepalese government has ordered climbers to use biodegradable “poo bags” to carry excrement back down the world’s highest peak.

Forbidding waste dumping en route makes sense, not least because mountaineers often rely on melted snow for drinking water.

Trekkers and porters at Everest base camp, where authorities now require climbers to carry biodegradable bags for their excrement. Photo: AFP

Also from this year, Everest climbers will have to carry government-issued tracking chips, which help guide rescue teams.

Denmark

Fly to Denmark and you may soon be paying a passenger tax. The scheme, which is part of the Scandinavian nation’s green transformation of air travel, is slated for 2025 and would see air travellers charged US$9 for flights originating from within Europe and US$56 for long-haul services.

The money generated will be used to develop sustainable fuels on domestic flights by 2030.

Hanoi, Vietnam

In Hanoi, a game of cat and mouse between authorities and tourists has been going on for five years. Fears of serious accidents on Train Street prompted the 2019 closure of trackside cafes where selfie-seeking sightseers had congregated to photograph trains as they squeezed along a narrow route in the Vietnamese capital’s Old Quarter.

Want an exclusive holiday? Just 2,100 tourists visited this island in 2023

Despite the measures, determined trainspotters continue to find ways to reach the rails, often with the help of locals who point out openings.

Officials responded by calling for harsher penalties for the makeshift cafes and travel agencies have been told not to arrange tours of the area.

The situation is fluid, however, and some travellers have posted online updates saying they were able to get in while others warn that military personnel are guarding entrances. The rules will probably change again in a month or two.

Hallstatt is a picture-perfect village in the Austrian Alps. Photo: Shutterstock

Hallstatt, Austria

Another bucket-list favourite that has become too popular for its own good is the picturesque Austrian village of Hallstatt (population: 800). The timbered houses and sparkling Alpine lake appear as a wallpaper in Microsoft’s Windows 10 computer operating system and the scene is so admired by Chinese Instagrammers that a replica was built in Huizhou, Guangdong province.

In August 2023, residents armed with placards (“Tourism yes – mass tourism no”) blocked traffic on the main road into Hallstatt to show their displeasure at the 10,000 or so day trippers who clog the streets.

Austrian capital Vienna touts ‘life-seeing’ tourism for wealthy visitors

The protesters have urged the government to regulate the number of visitors and are calling for a ban on tour buses after 5pm.

One solution could be a timed-entry approach and daily cap, similar to the system now in place for holidaymakers wanting to explore the Acropolis archaeological site in Athens, Greece.

Kyoto and Mount Fuji, Japan

Kyoto has banned sightseers from entering Gion, the city’s geisha district. Photo: Shutterstock

The Geisha Paparazzi, as some overzealous tourists have become known, stand accused of ignoring signs forbidding non-consensual photography, approaching and touching kimono-clad entertainers and even chasing them as they head to teahouse appointments.

Also in Japan, more than 220,000 people climbed Mount Fuji last year, resulting in congested trails and avalanches of rubbish left for volunteers to clear. From June, a levy of 2,000 yen (US$13) will be introduced in an attempt to suppress the number of hikers scaling the iconic mountain.
Tourists gather at the Chureito Pagoda, a famous vantage point for viewing Mount Fuji. A levy will soon be introduced to limit the number of climbers on Japan’s most famous mountain. Photo: Kyodo

Seville, Spain

Another destination planning to implement a charge for an attraction that was formerly free is Seville. Authorities in Spain’s hottest city have announced plans to finance the restoration of the Plaza de España by instigating an entry fee.
Seville’s Plaza de España. Photo: Shutterstock

According to Seville’s mayor, the semicircular structure, which was used in the filming of 1999 Star Wars film The Phantom Menace, is at risk of permanent damage unless money is raised to fund conservation work.

Istanbul, Turkey

Once a Byzantine cathedral, then a museum, Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia mosque receives around 3.5 million visitors annually. Entry to the Unesco-designated attraction was also free, until a €25 admission fee was recently imposed.
Inside Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia mosque, to which entry now costs €25. Photo: Shutterstock

The money will go towards the maintenance, preservation and management of one of Turkey’s most historical sites.

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