Rethinking the tourism model
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The tourist industry is desperate to reopen:
Devon and Cornwall get ready to #WelcomeBack visitors from July 4 – Cornwall Live
But there have been troubling consequences of things reopening a bit too explosively:
Exmouth beach mass brawl with up to 200 people as horrified families look on – Mirror Online
And there have been other consequences:
Litter around Sidmouth leaves plastic warrior ‘heartbroken’ | Sidmouth Herald
The council is doing its best meanwhile:
EDDC to look at budget for beach cleans and reopening of public toilets | Sidmouth Herald
As are the police:
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Perhaps the West Country needs to be looking at different models:
Can the tourist industry be green? – Vision Group for Sidmouth
Can the tourist industry be ‘sustainable’? – Vision Group for Sidmouth
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The Telegraph (paywall) is suggesting something East Devon might be quite good at:
Agritourism could be this summer’s UK holiday trend
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Whilst a long read from the Guardian suggests “Tourism isn’t the right that many holidaymakers, whatever their budgets, seem to think it is. It’s a luxury that needs to pay its way:”
The end of tourism? | Travel | The Guardian
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Meanwhile in Spain, there is a rethink going on:
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Spain Looks to a New Kind of Tourism After COVID-19
On the island of Majorca, in the Balearics, the resort of Magaluf has for years been famous for its free spirit tourism.
Xavier Pascuet, director of tourism for Calvia council, which oversees Magaluf, said authorities have been trying to move away from the type of tourism which has made the resort notorious and instead to encourage families to holiday in the resort.
“COVID-19 could be an opportunity for us to change from the type of tourism which involves for some promoters using ‘booze cruises’, all-in-one deals and using semi-naked women to promote alcohol,” he told VOA by telephone from the island. “We will introduce a “tourist journey” in which all stages of the visit will be governed by regulations to make it safe from the airport to the hotel and the beach.”
The Balearic Islands regional government has introduced fines for tour operators offering booze cruises or other ‘all-in-one’ promotions. Calvia council is to introduce an app so people can find beaches that are not too full.
In Barcelona, an elaborate system of video sensors, barriers and apps will help keep the Mediterranean city’s beaches from becoming congested.
However, not all will welcome the return of tourists. Barcelona, like Venice and other resorts in Europe, has been the scene of protests among local residents who complained their home had been saturated by overcrowding all year round. “I don’t think anything is going to change. We will have the same problems as before. The council will not re-think their tourism model,” Albert Mallol, of Poblenou Stand Up, a residents’ group, told VOA in a telephone interview.
Spain Looks to a New Kind of Tourism After COVID-19 | Voice of America – English
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Everywhere’s having a rethink:
Rethinking tourism as Venice reopens | DW News – latest news and breaking stories | DW | 20.06.2020
Post-Pandemic, Will Bali Rethink Tourism? – The Diplomat
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photo: File:Sidmouth sea-front – geograph.org.uk – 60642.jpg – Wikimedia Commons