Tourism... Are we heading for a global shift?

V

VicBee

Recently, a news outlet discussed locals in Barcelona protesting over tourism by spraying tourists with water guns. Not long after, the local government decided to ban Airbnb from Barcelona starting in 2025, following several popular tourist destinations in Europe.
Now it appears that Spain is about to take things to the next level. Starting in 2025, any non European wishing to visit Spain will have to show a hotel/hostel/short term rentals (where legal) reservation to customs upon arrival or will be denied entry in the country.
Worse still, friends or family wishing to visit a local property owner? The owner will need to submit details of those staying with them to the local police station, which will have 20 days to send an approval letter to the owner. That letter will then need to be sent to the visitors who will have to get a stamp of approval from their local Spanish embassy. Finally, that letter will need to be shown to customs upon arrival or be denied entry. This makes dictatorships look like welcoming democracies!

Spain isn't alone... Italy will now require advanced bookings to visit its most popular cities like Venice or Rome, much like going to national parks in the US. Only a number of tourists per day will be allowed in.
Greece has increased the price of its entry visa by 15% as have Thailand and Indonesia. Japan is toying with the idea of having prices for locals and prices for tourists. Brits are boycotting tourist destinations in Turkey for being charged outrages prices for food and drinks.

There clearly seems to be a concerted effort by governments to slow the movement of tourists, at least to the world's most popular destinations. While Airbnb has often been touted for transforming the way people travel away from tourist traps and closer to the real local cultures, it seems locals no longer want to share their localism with tourists.

It didn't take long for people with money to realize that buying a property in a tourist destination and Airbnb it for the season was lucrative, with fewer tenant rights protections than regular renters. Fewer rental units led to high rental prices that locals can't afford, and higher Airbnb rates that pleased property owners.

What's the future likely to be? The Spanish rules coming in 2025 will help determine the path forward. There could be a severe contraction in tourism that will significantly impact the local tourist economy and lead to businesses revolts, and the government may loosen its rules. If not, airlines will be affected, property values will drop as owners off load their short term rental units. The tourist economy will falter. Locals may again find affordable rentals if they haven't lost their jobs in the process.
Those likely to gain will be the traditional tourism players like corporate hotels and established services industry that no longer have to compete with short term rental alternatives. It will be a win for government tax offices struggling to control the grey market economy.
It may also be an opportunity for alternative tourist destinations to revamp and promote their offering to attract those tourists booted out of the favorite areas.
 
Airbnb is well know in Spain for renting apartments to the worst kind. People that look for cheap accomodation for a few days. They get drunk as a sport, they are noisy and violent with the neighbours.

The reason the Spanish government is acting against it is because neighbours have started to vandalize those apartments. As in blocking locks, breaking doors and painting walls.

If you are a shit tourist you will get a hard time in Spain. Obviously that has to be stopped.
The government wouldn't do anything until there's a fight in the streets for it.
Tourists are getting hit by neighbours on a daily basis.

So yeah, go to a hotel if you want to enjoy your holidays in Spain. Everyone will leave you in peace there. And they are not that much more expensive, with proper services, catering and infrastructure for it.

Airbnb stock is down 25% in the last six months. They won't be around for much longer with that shit busines model.
 
Drawdown Addict said:
In case you are wondering where those tourists are coming from, they a British.

https://www.reddit.com/r/path%3D%252Fr%252Faskspain%252Fcomments%252F1f8c375%252F

I know you guys think that being British is a synonym of being part of a Elite in the USA , but the reality is way different. We get to see them how they are when they get drunk.
More...
I know the Brits have a bad reputation, which is deserved particularly when they follow their football teams around Europe. I'd say it's centuries of inbreeding but I'm gonna be called a racist and some of my best friends are Brits.
Although, in my travels journey I have to say that my worst experience was in Barcelona, where I stayed 3 months prior to the Olympic games there. The Catalans were the least friendly, most self absorbed people I'd encountered. The friendliest people I met there were South Americans and spaniards from outside Catalonia. I wondered then how they would all cope with the world soon descending on their region.
 
I was an Airbnb host for 10 years in Oakland, renting out a downstairs autonomous unit from our house. It was rented almost the entire time we lived there and the money put my kid through private schools. We only twice had an issue with guests out of 70 or so rentals. All others were outstanding.
 
VicBee said:
I know the Brits have a bad reputation, which is deserved particularly when they follow their football teams around Europe. I'd say it's centuries of inbreeding but I'm gonna be called a racist and some of my best friends are Brits.
Although, in my travels journey I have to say that my worst experience was in Barcelona, where I stayed 3 months prior to the Olympic games there. The Catalans were the least friendly, most self absorbed people I'd encountered. The friendliest people I met there were South Americans and spaniards from outside Catalonia. I wondered then how they would all cope with the world soon descending on their region.
More...

They are so used to dealing with rude tourists, they won't waste any time with a foreigner. Also Barcelona is a big city, they don't need people coming from outside, they are packed and crowded already.

I am from the South, and we deal with foreigners in a very different way. Cities are way smaller and there is room for newcomers. So we don't really care where you are coming from. It is full of South Americans for that very same reason. I had the same comments many times from them, that we don't push them away. It is because we are used to emigrate as well. We understand what is to be a foreigner.

There are many small towns in Andalucía that will welcome tourists, there's not much happening there, life pass slower and things are more relaxed. So waiters will treat clients in a very different way.

There's one downside, they don't speak English, but if you don't care trying to make yourself understand with gestures you'll be fine.

Avoid main hubs like Marbella of course, that is like going to Liverpool, it is conquered by the British.
 
I thought the out-of-control pickpockets in Europe is already a natural deterrent to over-tourism. LOL I didn't know that the governments there would still need to do something so drastic to curtail tourism. But this is more of curtailing of Airbnb than stopping tourism altogether. As long as the tourists have hotel/hostel or any non-Airbnb reservations, they are still welcome. Airbnb's are a freaking nuisance no matter where they are. They cause so much problems for the locals mostly the neighbours and many times the owners as well. Many condo buildings already ban Airbnb's and require condo owners to obtain approval from property managers before renting out their units. It makes sense. There is a reason why hotels are built away from residential buildings and require special zoning. It makes no sense that the municipal governments painstakingly zone hotels away from residential areas and Airbnb's just bring them right to people's faces and make their lives a living hell. And then they trash the place of their hosts causing so much damage to the property that it causes the owner more in repair cost than how much they earned from the rental revenue. It's a wonder that people are still willing to rent out their property through Airbnb.

No dictatorships there. The government, democratically elected by the people are allowed to make policies to better govern their country.
 
VicBee said:
Recently, a news outlet discussed locals in Barcelona protesting over tourism by spraying tourists with water guns. Not long after, the local government decided to ban Airbnb from Barcelona starting in 2025, following several popular tourist destinations in Europe.
Now it appears that Spain is about to take things to the next level. Starting in 2025, any non European wishing to visit Spain will have to show a hotel/hostel/short term rentals (where legal) reservation to customs upon arrival or will be denied entry in the country.
Worse still, friends or family wishing to visit a local property owner? The owner will need to submit details of those staying with them to the local police station, which will have 20 days to send an approval letter to the owner. That letter will then need to be sent to the visitors who will have to get a stamp of approval from their local Spanish embassy. Finally, that letter will need to be shown to customs upon arrival or be denied entry. This makes dictatorships look like welcoming democracies!

Spain isn't alone... Italy will now require advanced bookings to visit its most popular cities like Venice or Rome, much like going to national parks in the US. Only a number of tourists per day will be allowed in.
Greece has increased the price of its entry visa by 15% as have Thailand and Indonesia. Japan is toying with the idea of having prices for locals and prices for tourists. Brits are boycotting tourist destinations in Turkey for being charged outrages prices for food and drinks.

There clearly seems to be a concerted effort by governments to slow the movement of tourists, at least to the world's most popular destinations. While Airbnb has often been touted for transforming the way people travel away from tourist traps and closer to the real local cultures, it seems locals no longer want to share their localism with tourists.

It didn't take long for people with money to realize that buying a property in a tourist destination and Airbnb it for the season was lucrative, with fewer tenant rights protections than regular renters. Fewer rental units led to high rental prices that locals can't afford, and higher Airbnb rates that pleased property owners.

What's the future likely to be? The Spanish rules coming in 2025 will help determine the path forward. There could be a severe contraction in tourism that will significantly impact the local tourist economy and lead to businesses revolts, and the government may loosen its rules. If not, airlines will be affected, property values will drop as owners off load their short term rental units. The tourist economy will falter. Locals may again find affordable rentals if they haven't lost their jobs in the process.
Those likely to gain will be the traditional tourism players like corporate hotels and established services industry that no longer have to compete with short term rental alternatives. It will be a win for government tax offices struggling to control the grey market economy.
It may also be an opportunity for alternative tourist destinations to revamp and promote their offering to attract those tourists booted out of the favorite areas.
More...
One country where, I bet, international tourists are still welcome:

upload_2024-9-15_7-44-5.png
 
I got married in China, I can confirm that they love tourists in a very weird way. I've never seen locals loving foreigners as much as they do in China, it is something I tell everyone. I had mothers coming with children to take a picture with me. They called me Dàhàn (the big man). I was like an attraction, it is a shame the didn't throw peanuts at me, that would have made the story complete.
 
AirBnB, Uber & Lyft were always illegal corporations. There existence was always based on regulatory arbitrage. There are strict Taxi & Hotel laws & taxation they just by pass. I still don't understand how they are allowed to exist.

I guess enough politicians just look the other way since they are so popular.
 
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