2023-05-23 22:48:07
Tourists head for Mont-Saint-Michel on March 19, 2023. A month later, the site welcomed 60,000 visitors in four days, peaking on May 19. Mathieu Pattier / West France/PHOTOPQR/WEST FRANCE/MAXPPP
DECRYPTION –The record crowds at some sites during the Ascension weekend took their managers by surprise. Better managing year-round visitor flows requires political courage and agreeing to set limits.
By putting an abrupt halt to tourism, the Covid pandemic had also put an end to its excesses: the overcrowding of the most visited sites. City councilors, residents and tourism professionals had taken to dreaming of the end of the scourge of overtourism, which damages favorite destinations. On the one hand, experts believed tourists, accustomed to social distancing, would flee the gathering crowds. On the other hand, tourism professionals had taken advantage of this forced break to take measures and better regulate the flow of visitors.
The ace. The Ascension weekend dashed their hopes. Chase the natural, it’s coming back at a gallop… Unsurprisingly, the French and foreigners – all back, with the exception of the Chinese – have acclaimed the great tourist classics. Worse. Record crowds were poorly anticipated, ruining the experience of visits and degrading the image of certain sites. From Mont Saint-Michel to the Beauval Zoo via the gardens…
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#Overtourism #France