A worldwide backlash against tourism rages. From the BBC,
‘Gringos out!’: Mexicans protest against tourists and gentrification.
It seems to be part of a trend. The BBC reports,
Demonstrators gathered in Parque México in Condesa district – the epicentre of gentrification in the Mexican capital – to protest over a range of grievances.
Most were angry at exorbitant rent hikes, unregulated holiday lettings, and the endless influx of Americans and Europeans into the city’s trendy neighborhoods like Condesa, Roma and La Juárez, forcing out long-term residents.
In Condesa alone, estimates suggest that as many as one in five homes is now a short-term let or a tourist dwelling.
The list of grievances includes the delicious,
Others also cited more prosaic changes, like restaurant menus in English, or milder hot sauces at the taco stands to cater for sensitive foreign palates.
Yes. We were born, born to be mild. Not to mention the irony of it all,
Yet plenty of others, including many on the recent marches, do blame the recent American and European arrivals – at least in part. They accuse them of being tone deaf to Mexican customs, of failing to learn Spanish or, in many cases, even pay taxes.
But it’s no joke, the BBC documents how long-time local residents are being displaced to provide short-term rentals to overseas tourists.
And it’s not just Mexico City. Some other headlines from this summer,
- BBC: The protesters and residents pushing back on tourism in Barcelona
- U.K. Express: Majorca panic over plunging tour-guide bookings as anti-tourism actions bite
- CNN: Rising waters and overtourism are killing Venice. Now the fight is on to save its soul
- Reuters: Berlin courts tourists as Paris and Barcelona tire of the crowds
I’m sure you could trace the anti-tourism phenomenon back for centuries, but this year’s stain seems unusually virulent.
