On Easter to Paris? Or to Barcelona? First days on the beach in Mallorca? Or maybe a cruise through the Mediterranean? The desire to travel remains unbroken, and the Tourist is an important economic factor. But not everywhere it seems to be more welcome: It’s too many, moaning, especially some cities. And fight back with regulations and penalties. This is a potent agent against over tourism? A conversation with Harald Pechlaner, Professor of tourism at the Catholic University of Eichstätt, hospitality and respect.

Venice wants to take admission fees, Majorca imposed penalties for booze tourists, Amsterdam is limited to the city of tours, Dubrovnik locks cruise ships: the Tourist from the coveted economic factor to the unwanted Person?
Harald Pechlaner: Actually, it’s always about the essence of tourism, namely hospitality and the relationship between the guest and the host. The guest was often seen only as a value-added factor. He, however, also have the appreciation factor.

I do not understand: The places which already suffer the crowds of tourists, to make the guests more appreciation?
This is a two-sided relationship. It is not only service quality, but also that the guest must be aware that he moves in a habitat that is not exclusively focused on him. Tourism and habitat are in competition with each other. And it comes to find the right Balance. You can’t operate in the long term against the interests of the population of tourism policy.

in Barcelona, or Mallorca Is still possible, where the population is already against the tourists on the street? You can turn back the wheel?
I think that the discussion over tourism the beginning of a larger Transformation in the tourism. Because it are interesting also, very travel-experienced people, with the tourist developments are dissatisfied.

Because you do not get the experience you want?
Because, you see developments that you are not agree.

Is reflected in the company really so? When I look at how tourists behave in some places, I doubt.
It is the paradox remains that we are faced with the excesses of tourism is quite critical, but still not from the mass logic. We want to protect places, but they are particularly attractive. But I think that the awareness of the need for sustainable development increases, and that this will have an impact on the end in the travel behaviour.

“We get every location in the handle, if we look to him for the people who live there.”

it Will be for the most polluted places and regions in time?
does not happen Where it is in time, no longer will you have to call a halt, because there the Situation is bearable. This can be, for example, an entrance fee, as in Venice planned.

is a daily tourist of an entrance fee of three euros, as it is for Venice planned from a visit hold? There’s not less to Visitor management as an additional source of revenue for the city?
Without a doubt, three euros are not much, can everyone get over. But it’s about symbolism. Alone the fact that now the entry fees are collected, for Venice is very important. It’s not about the amount, but to signal a question: you can visit our city, but contribute your mite to the fact that the city remains clean, because the money is supposed to flow into the city cleaning. Or, take the proposed penalties for excessive partying tourists on Mallorca: It is an important Signal to say to the people: Till here and no further, it’s different. It takes a lot, to a tourist destination.

What can do crowded regions, exactly?
especially in the cities must strive to the tourism managers, it comes as no spatial and temporal concentrations of guests to rivers, to put it technically. For the large region of Barcelona, there are, for example, an App that shows what the waiting times of the visitors to the attractions. The tourist product must be wider to be placed by the guest will be offered Alternatives to the most crowded destinations. There will always be Hotspots, the question is: How long will people stay there? To keep you longer in the Destination, with a view to the creation of value, in principle, a good approach, but it would be important that they remain as short as possible in the crowded Hotspots.

Is there not a danger that I have the people in the district of locke, which is not only set right?
It’s true: In a city centre it is set on tourism is much stronger and has much less problems with the felt too much. Still need to make the city planners and tourism development thoughts, whether you create an alternative attraction points. It would be a mistake, however, the over tourism-a discussion in purely operational terms. We get every location in the handle, if we look to him for the people who live there. We must not make the tourism space in front of the habitat, which applies to all destinations.

And as a responsible traveller I do in the future, and a big bow to the most important, and therefore crowded attractions?
no. But the guest is required to do more with the desired destination address, to inform, for example, when it is particularly full and this does not make sense to travel there. It is important that we try, with respect and responsibility, our destination. (Editorial Tamedia)

Created: 03.04.2019, 19:34 PM