Is over-tourism turning Lisbon into the next Venice, asks The Telegraph
Few destinations have witnessed a boom in tourism over the last few years quite like Portugal, writes The Telegraphs digital travel editor, Oliver Smith, pointing to United Nations World Tourism Organisation’s figure of 6.8m overseas arrivals in 2010 that has grown to 18.2m in 2016, an increase of 168%.
Tourism revenue was up another 17%, year-on-year and a further 14% increase so far this year.
“Rapid growth means strained infrastructure and overcrowding in big cities and at major attractions,” which increases tension between local and the hordes, mainly due to overcrowding and because landlords have evicted tenants to convert properties into short-term rental accommodation.
“Over-tourism is definitely an issue in Portugal, mostly in Lisbon and Porto,” said Trish Lorenz, a journalist and Lisbon resident.
“The surge has happened very quickly and infrastructure isn’t keeping up. There are huge queues for tickets at railway stations, standing room only on public transport, and issues around noise and litter mean locals are increasingly fed up.”
“In both Lisbon and Porto, the central downtown areas have become more or less only for tourists,” said Lorenzo. “Lisbon’s Baixa district, for example, which covers an area of 1.5 square kilometres, now has more than 70 hotels, while tourist-oriented restaurants, souvenir shops and big international brands have displaced local businesses.”
The government wants people to visit off season but is content that the cities are overfull in summertime. The tourist board’s efforts to increase off-season numbers have mad slow progress but traditional spring and autumn golfers have covered disappointing uptake in other sectors.
The Telegraph picks some alternatives to Lisbon and Porto, including Coimbra, Aveiro, known as the Venice of Portugal and the medieval cities of Guimarães and Braga in the far north, each with castles and churches.
The Alentejo is highlighted, especially Montemor, Evora and Vila Vicosa, and a special mention is made for Olhão in the Algarve.
“The little town of Olhão has managed to survive the over-development that much of the Algarve has suffered, due to a lack of hotels,” says Mary Lussiana, Telegraph Travel’s Portugal expert.
“Yes, daytrippers come to see the famous domed fish market, the region’s best, but when they have left there is the perfect sunset to watch undisturbed from atop one of the flat roofs of this white-washed Moorish town which faces the Ria Formosa. The narrow streets remain a warren of tiled, coloured facades, unchanged for centuries and storks still nest in the bell towers of the churches.”
Lussiana then mentions Comporta on the Alentejo west coast, perhaps unaware of the impending slew of tourist developments, depending on which bidder is approved at the September 28th board meeting of Gesfimo shareholders.
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Is overtourism turning Lisbon into the next Venice?
