Tourism is fun for everyone. Below are five places in the world that are looking for ways to cope with the tourist rush due to their popularity.
Thailand: Four-month ban for tourist on Maya coast
In March, Thai authorities announced that they were closing the country’s famous Maya beach to keep tourists away for some time.
Leonardo DiCaprio’s film ‘The Beach’ was filmed here and since then four to five thousand tourists visit this beach daily.
Experts say 77% of the peacock bushes on the Maya coast are under serious threat, especially from boat anchors. The proposed four-month break from June to September this year will not solve the problem. This was the rescue operation delayed?
This is not the case with Bangkok-based marine scientist Thon Thamrongnausut.
“If we thought it was too late, we wouldn’t do anything,” he told the BBC.
“We closed Mount Yong three years ago and now the corals are growing well there. We will repeat the same process on the Maya coast and try to graft some pearls here.
Thailand closed dozens of swimming pools to tourists in 2011. Koh Yong on Phi Phi Island and Koh Tachai in Semilyan Islands National Park have also been closed to tourists since mid-2016.
Italy: The use of technology in the chunky terra
In northern Italy, the five colorful hill towns known as Chunque Terra are a popular tourist destination. The area is home to 5,000 inhabitants and became a national park in 1999, and now attracts two million tourists each year.
People hike along the roads leading to these towns and vineyards. Roads that have been used for many years are now deteriorating due to overuse and erosion.
The route between the towns of Reymogue and Monroe has been closed since September 2012, when a group of Australian tourists were injured in a landslide. According to the La Nouveau website, a hiker was injured on another route during the Easter holidays in 2018.
There has been a lot of talk about limiting the number of tourists, but so far nothing has happened.
Recently, the park authorities have introduced a trailing app, through which tourists can see how many people are currently on different routes.
When the app shows a red sign, it means that the road is crowded and they can make up their mind whether they want to join the crowd or not.
Tourists are also encouraged to purchase Chankoe Terra Cards, which will enable them to access public transport. It is not necessary to obtain this card, but it is a step towards repairing routes and other matters.
“This is the best time for change around the world,” Richard Hamwood, of GreenTraveler.com, told the BBC.
“People are becoming more aware of how they are traveling and how they are living,” he said.
“For example, in the last one year alone, there has been a growing awareness of the use of plastics and it is spreading in the lives of people in other areas, creating a more conducive environment for change.” It provides a platform for governments and local authorities to play their part, as they will no longer face the same backlash as they did in the past.
Peru: Scheduled time in Machu Picchu
The ancient Inca castle of Machu Picchu in Peru is one of the most popular tourist attractions.
Through its famous Inca Trail, tourists can see the beautiful scenery of the Andean region and the forest surrounded by clouds, which many say is a rich experience. However, the roads have been damaged due to overcrowding and overcrowded operators, with piles of dirt and overcrowded tents.
In 2005, the Peruvian government limited the number of hikers per season. It is also closed for cleaning and repairs in February each year. Tourists now book in advance and tour companies have to follow the rules to maintain their fixed permits. But despite this, tourists go to Machu Picchu on their own, which can be reached by road.
Last year, authorities introduced a new system. Trying to control the number of tourists also included the process of buying tickets for tourists in the morning or evening.
However, a local environmentalist told the BBC he feared it was a hasty decision. The site attracts more than the 2,500 UNESCO-recommended daily visitors.
Jeju Island: South Korea
Can you guess which the busiest air route in the world is?
Last year it was on Jeju Island, a tourist destination 90 kilometers off the coast of Seoul, the capital of South Korea.
People come here to see the volcanic landscapes, the charming waterfalls and the enchanting amusement park which is popular among the honeymooners.
In 2017, 65,000 flights were flown between the two airports, or 180 flights a day. According to the China Morning Post, 1.5 million tourists visit the island every year. The number is much larger than the 2,000 square kilometers of the island.
King Won Bo, director of a local protest group, told the Korea Times: Now there is more traffic jam and dirt.
“Many tourists come to the island by sea, staying here for a few hours and not having much of an impact on the local economy,” Seoul-based tourism adviser Catherine Germaier-Hamel told the BBC.
“The success of tourism around the world is measured by the number of visitors, and it needs to change,” said Germeier-Hummel.
The South Korean government is considering building another airport in South Jeju, and estimates that by 2035 the number of tourists will triple to 45 million a year.
Most of the visitors to Jeju Island are Chinese tourists.
Last year, however, China banned travel agencies from selling South Korean tour packages due to China’s protest against the installation of a US-built missile defense system by Seoul. The ban has now been lifted.
Colombia: Code in Caino Crystalis
Caino Crystalis is an unrealistic location in Colombia. It is a river that looks reddish in color.
Reflecting aquatic plants and lights makes it look red, pink, green and yellow. Locals in the central Meta province call it a flowing rainbow.
The site was formerly occupied by FARC guerrillas, meaning there was almost no regional or foreign tourism.
But in recent years, especially since the signing of the peace agreement in 2016, tourists have been flocking to these parts of the country and settling in the small town of Macarina.
The number of tourists visiting Caino Crystalis is significantly lower than other tourist destinations (16,000 in 2016) but it finds it difficult to balance this unexpected arrival with the ecosystem.
There are concerns that more people in the area are at risk of increasing pollution and damaging valuable aquatic plants.
As an emerging tourist destination, a number of regulations have been put in place: plastic bottles and sunscreen or mosquito repellent in water are prohibited, and swimming is prohibited in some areas. Smoking and fish feeding are also prohibited. Tourists visiting here are fully aware of this.
Hundreds of tour guides and host families are now being trained and taught other languages, said Henry Coyvedo, president of the Caino Crystalis Tourism Board.
However, the increase in flights (most people come from Bogata, 170 miles north) and the journey from Macarina to the river in their vehicles raises environmental concerns.
Access to the river was restricted in December. Faber Ramos,coordinator of the Ecotourism Program, told the Semna Sustennell website: ‘The presence of humans can impair the growth of plants. That is why we have decided to impose a ban.