When I was in college I travelled to the Soviet Union. I spent days wandering the halls of the Hermitage with my small band of fellow travellers. We explored the Summer Palace. Years later I visited Rome and gazed at Michelangelo’s masterpiece, the Sistine Chapel. I trekked across ice in the Antarctic to meet scientists from around the globe at their research bases. What do these experiences have in common? In every situation, the members of my travel group and I were the only people there.
Anyone who has visited these places in the past 10 years knows this type of travel no longer exists at popular destinations. The last time I went to Sistine Chapel we stood shoulder to shoulder across the entire space. At the Summer Palace and Hermitage, a recent visit was less than pleasant, having to elbow poke our way through the crowds to see any of the artwork.
As more people around the world gain economic footing, people have chosen to spend that new income on travel experiences. Couple that with the fall out of COVID, the proliferation of lower cost tour companies, and airline deregulation, and it feels like the entire world population has an incurable case of FOMO. While sold out museums and crammed tourist sights make for a less than ideal experience, there is something positive to this trend. More people gazing on the Pyramids or riding across the Serengeti in search of herds of elephants will hopefully lead to an increased interest in environmental protection, greater understanding for people who live in less economically advantaged situations, people who have lived through the horrors of war, and a passion for animal conservation. There’s nothing wrong with a world population that is more tuned in to how their lives impact the planet.
At the same time, increased tourist visits to the world’s most popular places have stressed local governments, international conservation organizations, and travel companies as they work to minimize the impact of increased human visits.
Effects of Over Tourism
I recently spent time in Peru. My son and I travelled to most of the “big” tourist areas in the country. When we booked Machu Picchu, we had to choose a “circuit” for our visit. A bit of research and a couple phone calls later I learned that, in order to manage the huge traveller numbers at the archeological site, the Peruvian Government has broken the mountain top site into 4 different walking tours, our circuits. When we arrived, we had a strict 2.5 hour visit on site with a guide (you couldn’t go on your own). 20 years prior, my husband and I had visited Machu Picchu. We were given a 2-day pass, could roam freely wherever we wanted, no guide needed. We could wander in and out of the site at will during those 2 days. Boy have things changed.
A couple days later, my son and I hiked to Rainbow Mountain and the Red Valley. This is a no-holds-barred, 4km uphill trek at 16,500 feet. If you approach from the longer side, the trek is a more gradual ascent, but is 7km. 4km? 7km? And it was hard? What’s wrong with you? Well…16,500 feet is over 3 miles above sea level. So yes, it was the hardest 4km I’ve ever hiked. The view is spectacular from the top. Rainbow Mountain is amazing. While you stand and gaze at the multi-hued striations on the mountain, you are bathed is cold air, blowing off the glacier clinging to the adjacent mountain. It’s a stunning, unique, once in a lifetime experience. And every single visitor to Peru was there with us.
While we were there, local Incan ladies sold treats and blankets and offered photos of you with their pet alpacas (who were all wearing sunglasses!). This site didn’t even exist as a tourist attraction 20 years ago when my husband and I had made our previous trek to Peru. Today, Rainbow Mountain is the 2nd most visited site in Peru, next to Machu Picchu.
The Peruvian Government is going to have to stem the flow of tourists to this site, and quickly. While you can’t actually touch the different minerals that create the stripes in Rainbow Mountain, the shear number of hikers is impacting the trail system. This is an extreme high altitude desert environment. It’s very fragile. Any small plants that can thrive in this harsh place cannot survive being trampled by hiking boots. And while there are multiple guides and locals watching, people still leave trash around at times.
The jumping off points for the hikes are all tiny ranching villages. These small villages are seeing more mini buses, more horses, ATV’s, more motor bikes arriving as entrepreneurial Peruvians offer paid assisted services to tourists who want to gaze on the splendor of Rainbow Mountain with minimal physical effort.
Peru is very aggressive at balancing the enjoyment of visitors with preserving the local environment and standard of living for the local residents. Other countries are more interested in the tourist dollars. I’ve visited many places where I’ve questioned the safety of the local environment (and the visitors).
In recent years, many local jurisdictions have done the opposite, installing visitor limit numbers and fees for access. The City of Venice Italy has removed all cars from the historic center and instituted an access fee to visit. They’ve even gone so far as to ban the big cruise ships from dropping anchor in their port.
The City of Rome has imposed a hefty fine for anyone caught sitting on the famous Spanish Steps. They’d become so crowded with resting visitors that the steps were impossible to climb. Rwanda and Uganda have severely limited the number of trekking permits available for visitors to witness Mountain Gorillas in their native habitat. The Antarctic Treaty has been amended to minimize the impact of tourism on the 7th continent by imposing strict limits to the number of individuals allowed to land from a cruise ship on a given day.
In the US, the popular National Parks struggle to balance visitor access with animal safety and environmental preservation. You cannot visit Yosemite during the summer months without a reservation. At Zion National Park in Southern Utah, you cannot visit the main valley in your own car during the high seasons. You must use the Park Shuttle Service to move around. Even at less visited Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico, only those with ADA parking placards can drive to the visitor center parking area most of the year. All others must use the shuttle from nearby White Rock. This is partly because there isn’t much parking at the visitor center and partly because the access road is 2 narrow lanes that twists along the canyon wall and has a ton of blind curves.
Around the world, governments and environmental groups have grappled with different ways to minimize human impact while allowing access to the world’s most sought after destinations.
What You Can Do
What can we do to help stem the tide of environmental stress at these popular places and still get to enjoy the grandeur of Yosemite or the engineering involved in Tikal or Machu Picchu?
- Do your research. While some sites like Vatican’s Sistine Chapel or Disneyland, there is never a time when you’ll have the place to yourself, unless you can break in after hours. But there are still times when fewer tourists are visiting. Yosemite is less busy during late fall and winter. But you have to be ready for snow and road closures.
- Take a tour. I know, I don’t love tour groups either. You don’t have time to linger at a painting in the Louvre or spend an extra hour gazing at the stunning spires of Angkor Wat. But there are many tour companies from moderately priced G Adventures to exclusive (and expensive) Natural Habitats that take a lead on environmental sustainability and supporting local communities. Again, do some research. All companies will boast of their efforts on sustainable tourism. Check them out. Read reviews. Verify what their sustainable tourism approach is. Do they work with local communities and schools? Do they build infrastructure like water wells in the areas they work? Do they work to curb poaching? Every company does something different.
- Go with a small group. Don’t take the safari tour of Kenya because it’s a rock star cheap price. Be sure so go with a small group. The fewer fellow travellers in your group, the better.
- Travel to alternate sites. This is an option I see all the time. Yes, you can see amazing examples of Incan Architecture without visiting Machu Picchu. But you’ve always wanted to see the citadel clinging to the top of the mountain, shrouded in fog.. Stand on that ledge and wonder how on Earth people who didn’t have the wheel managed to build this amazing place on a mountain top. And you should see it. Stand there and wonder. So I’m not a huge proponent of the “skip it and go here instead” advise. Don’t skip crowded Bora Bora for Cook Islands. Ideally – do both!
- Don’t go to the “hot” place. When Qantas first starting flying non-stop from Sydney to Los Angeles, back in 1984, Australia went from “far away land where no one from the US had explored” to “everyone on my block is going this year.” Similarly, just before the pandemic, Iceland went from one of Europe’s least visited countries from the US, to the “hot place” (pun completely intended). Don’t join the bandwagon. Wait a couple years. If everyone on your block is headed to Iceland this year, that means people aren’t travelling somewhere else. Maybe you’ve always wanted to go wine tasting in South Africa. Or exploring the Valley of the Kings. Or go skiing in Chile. If you want to go to Iceland, you must have a travel list. Do some research. You’ll find that “somewhere” isn’t selling as well. Explore South Korea’s amazing villages and exquisite cuisine this year and save Japan until the US travel bloom fades a bit.
So, before you book that dream trip to Egypt or your excursion into Eastern Africa, know that you are not the only person looking to experience ancient history, soak in local culture, and see endangered animals in their native habitats. Plan accordingly so you can have the experience of your life, witness Earth’s marvels from the front row, and enjoy your trip.