How Top Tourist Destinations Handle Overcrowding

Tourism is on the rise. Popular destinations are only getting more popular while up-and-coming destinations are getting packed with tourists. While this can be great for the economy it can also, in a way, be a huge hindrance because of overcrowding.

This problem isn’t likely to go away. Travel has always been a big business and it has only gotten bigger. But the huge influx of crowds can bring big issues for local residents. We’ve seen this type of joke when it comes to beach towns, but it’s no joke for locals who can’t get to work in time because of tourist traffic. Large crowds can also cause damage to the environment.

So how are the top tourist destinations dealing with this overcrowding problem? Let’s find out.

Barcelona – Barcelona is one of the top visited cities in the world, and for good reason. But life is becoming hard for the locals. They’re being pushed out of their homes to make space for tourist accommodation. Rents are on the rise. To combat this, the city has stopped licensing the building of new accommodations for tourists. This is temporary, until visitors fall to a more manageable level. In the meantime the city is marketing less famous sites and areas outside the core of the city.

Venice – This is the city you probably think of when you hear the term “overtourism”. The amount of tourists regularly outnumbers the amount of locals, to the point that locals are moving away. Recently Venice announced that it wants cruise ships to take a different route to dock. They’ve launched a campaign that brings hefty fines to those who break rules such as swimming in the canals and dropping litter. Signs are posted around the city reminding tourists of these rules. It also encourages tourists to wander the whole city, not just the famous areas.

Machu Picchu – This beautiful, ancient site is in danger of being destroyed by the many tourists visiting it every year. Luckily a lot of new rules have been introduced to limit the impact of tourism. Tourists now have to choose one of two entry times, and can’t linger beyond a certain amount of time. If a visitor wants to spend the entire day, it costs extra. Tourists must be accompanied by a certified guide who takes them on specific paths. They are also restricted on what they can bring with on the journey. The rules will be adjusted as time goes on.

Amsterdam – While some cities are taking steps to limit visitors, Amsterdam is looking into more creative ways to prevent overcrowding in the city. They use data to analyze the habits of tourists, and use that data to subtly move tourists to less busy attractions. They also provide live feeds that display the wait time at popular tourist stops so visitors can re-arrange their schedules to avoid the crowds. Less popular areas near the city have even been re-branded to draw more people out of the center of town. Amsterdam is relying on technology not to limit tourists, but expand their horizons.

Santorini – This picturesque Greek island has been slammed with tourists. The amount of visitors is putting a huge strain on the infrastructure of the island. In the past visitor caps have been enacted to keep people off the island. The biggest culprit is cruise visitors, who come to the island for the day leaving it completely overrun. For the time being, Santorini is still struggling to get their crowds under better control.

Bhutan – Tourism in this Asian country only began in 1974, and the country has done a lot to keep the tourist impact low. All tourists must travel with a guided package that is pre-planned and pre-paid. The fee is all-inclusive so your expenses when you arrive are minimal to nonexistent. Part of the entry fee is also a sustainable tourism royalty, which goes directly back into the country. Bhutan has done what many destinations cannot…stopped overcrowding before it had a chance to start.

Become A Trendsetter By Visiting These Destinations First

Traveling abroad for vacation is more popular than ever. International tourism is growing and it shows no signs of slowing down. Tourism is up pretty much across the globe. While this is fantastic for the tourism industry, it also means the sights you want to see are going to be more crowded than ever.

We’ve already brought you some tips to avoid crowds while traveling, but it is inevitable that popular tourist destinations such as the UK, France, and the Caribbean will be crowded. Luckily the world is massive, and there’s plenty of locations that haven’t become absolutely flooded with visitors yet.

Cambodia

While Angkor Wat is a famous tourist attraction, it still pulls less tourists than many other famous ruins. There is far more to explore in this country that plenty of tourists don’t see. The beaches are no less beautiful than Thailand’s, but lack the crowds. The capital city is an amazing city with fewer people than Thailand and Vietnam. Cambodia is rich in history with friendly people and amazing food. Don’t just stop while on a trip to Thailand; take some time to see this amazing country.

Bangladesh

This densely populated country has some great sights without a lot of tourists. The locals are friendly and excited to see foreigners visiting their home. Though sightings are rare, you may even spot a tiger in the wild. Visit temples, hike far off the beaten path, and explore the many rivers many of the locals make their livelihood from. Before you go make sure to check on the security status though, as political demonstrations do occur.

Belize

Belize can be easy to forget about since it is surrounded by more popular Central American countries, but it shouldn’t be. With beautiful beaches, Maya cities, and an amazing barrier reef, this location should definitely be on your bucket list. The weather is warm all year and getting around is extremely easy. This is the place to go for more adventurous travel with less of the tourists.

Myanmar

This SE Asia country only recently became open to tourists, meaning it has yet to be spoiled by Western influence. Over 2,000 temples still remain that you can explore. If you love adventurous travel there’s plenty of jungle for you here. This affordable nation is slowly entering more people’s radars, so go see it before everyone else does!

Zambia

This African country has amazing things to offer any visitor, sans the crowds you’ll find in places like South Africa. You can still go on safaris to see the animals in their natural habitat. Here you can also view the largest waterfall in the world. The national parks are remote and boast amazing wildlife. Here you can be more adventurous in your travel or head to one of the high-end resorts!

Iceland

Iceland has so much to offer despite its relatively small size. It also offers some amazing incentives that you won’t find many other places on Earth. Time it right and you can experience 24 hours of daylight here. It’s also one of the best places to view the northern lights. If you’re feeling chilled take a dip in one of the many geothermal baths. Explore the country’s many volcanoes and icebergs. If you love outdoor adventure this place is for you.

Cyprus

If you don’t like the cold, Cyprus may be more your speed. This small Mediterranean nation certainly sees its fair share of visitors, but not so many that you should be put off. The tasty food, easy access, and beautiful beaches will make you fall in love with this country. If you’re looking for somewhere you can just sit back and relax, you can’t go wrong here.

Luxembourg

This tiny European country is about the size of Rhode Island and is situated around Germany, France, and Belgium. It’s easy to get to and often known by the typical tourist. You’ll find modern buildings and medieval ruins, all in this tiny country. Just like elsewhere in Europe there’s tons of museums and galleries. Plus if you’re already in Europe this destination is easy to get to and makes for a perfect weekend trip.

Bhutan

Travel to this country must be planned in advanced, and you’ll be hit with a $250 fee per day to explore this untouched country. This is to control tourism and protect the environment. If you need to plan your own trip you may want to skip this one, as you will be assigned a specific tour. But if you do choose to travel here, you’ll be met with an authentic, unique experience that many can only dream of.

Antarctica

If you truly want to experience a place that has escaped human influence, Antarctica is the place to go. Here you will experience massive icebergs, flocks of penguins, and superb whale watching. You have a limited timeframe to visit every year and are very limited when it comes to getting there. You travel by boat through the rough seas of the Drake Passage, and as you can imagine it isn’t cheap. Despite all this, it is not a location to be missed.

Thailand

Alright, so when it comes to SE Asia everyone knows about Thailand. If you dream to see it though, you need to go soon. Tourism to this country continues to rise, so don’t put off the trip if you want to go. And there’s plenty of amazing things to see and experience in Thailand; the temples, the wildlife, the food, and plenty more. Go now before the country is even more overrun than it is now!

10 Tips To Skip The Crowds While Traveling

Travel is much more than a fun vacation. Travel gives people a chance to learn about new cultures, meet amazing people, and gain a respect for a way of life different from their own. Trips to beautiful beaches are usually crowded, but an increasing number of people are taking trips to less-visited destinations, which mean more crowds.

By no means does that mean you shouldn’t travel. No matter where you go, you must be sure to respect the travel destination you are in. But you don’t have to avoid your dream trip just because of the crowds. Here’s how.

1.      Travel in the low season. It’s easy enough to look up the high season in any country or city you’d like to visit and plan a trip around that. Want to see Italy? Avoid summer and try going in fall instead, when the weather is still nice but the crowd sizes are much smaller.

2.      There may be the occasional exception to the above rule. If for example, you have always dreamed of seeing the cherry blossoms in Japan, there is absolutely no way to avoid the crowds. This is the highest season in Japan. If this is the case book your trip, but try to get out and see the sights earlier in the day and in the evening, when the crowds are less thick.

3.      If busy trains and busses drive you nuts, the best thing you can do is simply avoid them. Book accommodation near the big sites you’d like to see so you are able to walk. If you need to take public transportation, plan your sightseeing wisely. Plan your touring so you only need to take public transportation once or twice during the day.

4.      Do some sightseeing off-the-beaten-path. Tourist sites are popular for a reason, so we’re not saying you should skip them. But less popular attractions are less crowded and often still stunning. Do some research online to find great alternative attractions!

5.      Avoid major tourist attractions on weekends. Not only is this when tourists are out and about, it is when locals are as well. Use weekends as more laid-back travel days.

6.      We cannot state this tip enough; get up early. Yes you want to relax and sleep in, but it simply isn’t worth it. Wake up early and get to those top attractions before the crowds. We’re talking be at the door when they open.

7.      If you are heading to a city that gets a lot of cruise ships coming in, look at the schedule of those ships. Thousands of extra visitors pour into cities from cruise ships. Avoiding these ships will make your destination much less crowded.

8.      Sometimes, going early to a destination is not the solution. The sunrise at the top of Haleakala in Hawaii, for example, is packed. Do some research to see when the off-peak hours are. Sunset for example, is much less crowded and still plenty beautiful.

9.      Check out more than just tour guides when researching your trip. Books tend to focus on the popular, tourist-heavy areas in any destination. Instead check out some travel blogs. Ask around to see if you know anyone who has been there. They will give you much better advice than a book will.

10.   Buy your tickets to paid attractions in advanced when you can. Popular attractions aren’t only crowded, but they have long lines just to get tickets. Waiting for a ticket for the Eiffel Tower for example can take hours on its own. Plus when you skip the line, you have more time to explore!

Christmas Crowds

Christmas is only a few days away, and that means a lot of places are going to be extremely busy. Keep reading for our advice when it comes to handling the last couple days of Christmas crowds.

Travel

You likely already have your travel plans in place, but we’ve got some advice to try and make your experience a bit easier. Whether you’re hitting the road or heading to the airport, everywhere is likely to be pretty busy over the next week.

·        Get to the airport early. Millions of people are getting on planes over the next few days, and you don’t want to miss your flight because you get stuck in security. Bring a book or a laptop to entertain yourself while you wait.

·        Bringing gifts? You might be better off wrapping them after arriving at your destination. If a wrapped gift sets off any alarms, TSA is going to open it. It is easier just to wait.

·        Go carry on only if you can. This will save time because you won’t have to wait at baggage claim and there’s no chance of your luggage going missing.

·        If you’re traveling by car, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday are expected to be the busiest days on the road, so leave extra time.

·        If you can drive to your destination in the morning versus the afternoon, you will most likely encounter less traffic.

Shopping

If you’ve not finished Christmas shopping yet, it is too late to avoid the crowds. Malls and stores are absolutely packed with people shopping for last minute gifts. There are a few ways to make the experience less overwhelming, though.

·        Try getting out to the store before the weekend. It will likely still be busy, but not nearly as busy as it is during the weekend. Similarly, try going shopping in the early morning. The later it gets the busier it will be.

·        Parking lots will be crowded. If you can, get someone to drop you off and pick you up later to avoid the stress of parking.

·        Expect every store you go to to be packed. If it is, you are less likely to be irritated, and if it isn’t, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

·        Take friends or family with you. Yes, this means more people, but you are more likely to enjoy shopping when surrounded by people you care about.

·        Go shopping with a game plan. Know what you need to get and get it right away. Choose stores you already know to save time.

·        It may still be possible to do some online shopping. Shop your favorite stores online and opt for in store pickup. Check the dates and make sure stores will have the items before Christmas, first!

Surviving Thanksgiving Weekend Crowds

Thanksgiving is only a week away, which means soon airports and roads are going to be clogged with holiday traffic. And the AAA is predicting that a record number of Americans are going to be traveling during for the holiday. That means millions of people will be on the move, and if you’re one of them, it’s time to come up with a plan.

While airports will be busy, the majority of American’s will be driving to their destinations. If you’re one of them it may be too late to avoid the drive, but we can help you avoid many of the crowds.

AAA has released a guideline of the worst times to travel, as well as what cities are expected to have the most traffic, including specific roads. This year Tuesday is looking to be the worst day for travel, particularly around rush hour. Not only will people hit rush hour traffic, they will hit holiday traffic as people get an early start to their weekends. Traffic delays could be up 300% in some cities. Click here for a detailed list. If you can get on the road sooner, do it, otherwise you may be better off waiting until closer to Thanksgiving if you want to avoid traffic.

Longer commutes are important for people traveling via train, plane, or bus as well, as traffic delays can make you late. Give yourself extra time for traffic, and because airports and stations are going to be busier than usual.

And what about heading home? Getting an early morning start on Black Friday is your best bet for avoiding the crowds. By Saturday afternoon roads will again be crowded with people heading home. If you can stay an extra day and head home Monday, you may have less traffic as your reward.

If you’re traveling for Thanksgiving, accept that you are going to run into worse traffic than usual. That is inevitable. Please drive safe, and be kind to the others on the road with you.

Security at Major Events

The shooting in Las Vegas is just the latest in a series of devastating attacks at large events. Whether you are planning for a festival, a concert, or any other type of large event that attracts a lot of people, you need to put a lot of thought into the security of your event. A lot of this has to do with crowd control. With strategic pre-planning you can do your best to limit the risk of violence at your next event.

Before you do anything else, once you start planning your event you have to begin your threat and risk assessment. How do you even begin to do this? First consider common threats, such as petty and minor crime and weather. From there, branch out to consider more severe threats, such as active shooters. Finally you need to consider other threat aspects. Could the event be politically charged? What kind of crowd will be at the event? All these things (and more) are things you must consider when planning an event. Remember that the priority is keeping attendees safe, but you should also consider damage to property while making this assessment.

Once you have finished your risk assessment you can begin planning your security strategy. First you want to establish your perimeter. This shows you what space you will have to work with. If it is an outdoor event, what are the barriers of the event? How do you keep people in or out? What are the risks both inside and outside this perimeter? You can form a perimeter with something as basic as a crowd control barrier or fence; you just have to make sure you have the staff and security around this perimeter to keep it safe.

This brings us to the staff you and bringing on for the event. Work with local police. Get their feedback about the area your event is taking place in, and security threats they believe you may face. You may want to hire private security. You want to give your staff all the information you can. Have them assess the risks as well. Create a chain of command within these security personnel to make things run more smoothly. If possible, hire security staff that has worked with the venue and/or the type of event you are running before.

Providing some sort of cover in the event of a shooting can also be helpful. We aren’t suggesting you put up barriers to hide behind, but one of the reasons the Las Vegas attack was so fatal was because the shooter acted from up high with an open-air target. Keep this in mind when considering a large, open-air event. You also want to prevent cover from a vehicle attack. Unfortunately, criminals driving into groups of people on sidewalks is becoming more common, but this can be prevented with barriers to give your guests coverage.

Outside of crowd control barriers and metal detectors, one of the best and most cost-effective things you can do is train staff and volunteers to recognize suspicious behavior. You can also encourage attendees to report any strange behavior to event security, which puts many more eyes out there. Hopefully this will lead to suspicious individuals being stopped and prevent an attack from happening.

If something does go wrong, you want to have an evacuation plan in place. While you are not likely to tell each attendee this plan, what is important is that all staff and security knows about the plan. You need to have a specific plan in place, and not just a generic evacuation plan. At a seated venue there are clear exits, but at a festival there are not. This is something you have to consider in case of emergency. Make sure all your staff understands your emergency plan and that they know how to execute it if something goes wrong.

No matter what you do to plan, it is impossible to guarantee that nothing will go wrong at your event. That’s why it is important not only to attempt to prevent an attack, but to have a plan in place in case something does go wrong. Prepare the best you can and be ready to handle a situation if violence does break out. 

Evacuation During Hurricane Irma

Evacuating during a hurricane is almost always going to be a messy affair, especially if that hurricane is likely to make landfall in a densely populated area. An evacuation order, even if it comes far ahead of a hurricane making landfall, can still cause chaos. So what is the most efficient way to evacuate this busy, crowded situation?

First off, keep a close eye on the forecast. Even if you haven’t been issued an evacuation order yet, this doesn’t mean you won’t get one later. You should be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice. Prepare an emergency kit before you do anything else. This should hold cash, prescription medication, food, and bottled water. Only after this is completed should you start gathering other possessions, such as valuables or important documents. Bring legal papers, passports, and any other essential documentation with you. If your home floods this stuff could be easily destroyed. If there are valuables you want to save but cannot bring with you, store them in the highest point of your home.

If you have time before evacuating, please move chemicals, electronics, and sharp objects to a higher place. Flood waters can easily drag dangerous objects and chemicals into the water, and this debris can cause a lot of problems. But please, only do this if you have the time to do so before you leave. The same goes for boarding up windows; only do so if you have enough time before evacuating.

Make sure you and your family members have a meeting point. Cell phones may not work or some people may forget their phones or run out of battery power. Have a plan to check in on social media too if possible. Having a meeting place will make evacuation faster and much easier.

The most important tip we can give you is do not wait. In the event of an evacuation, thousands of people will all be trying to get out of the path of the storm. Time is extremely important, and it is never too early to get out. Waiting until the last minute is extremely dangerous. You could end up trapped in your vehicle during the storm, or may lose your chance to evacuate at all. If you are a senior citizen, pregnant, or disabled, you should leave even sooner. Getting around when confined to a wheelchair will be more difficult than normal, so leave as soon as you can.

If you will be evacuating but won’t be able to stay in a hotel or with friends and family, make plans to get to a shelter now. This is particularly true if you do not have access to a vehicle. Do not wait. Get in contact with others in your community or local officials to find a way to get to safety.

Roads are going to be extremely busy, so make sure you get gas beforehand. Do not rely on GPS, but instead follow evacuation routes. You do not have to get out of the state, you simply have to get away from the main areas of danger. While no part of Florida is safe from the storm, trying to drive out of the state may prove to be impossible. What is most important is to get away from the coasts and low-lying areas. Because the path of the storm is not yet fully determined, head north. You cannot evacuate to the Gulf coast. Please do not attempt to leave the state, as this just causes additional traffic problems.

If you have mandatory or voluntary evacuation orders, please do not wait and leave now. It is not worth your life to try and ride out such a dangerous storm. By tomorrow it will likely be too late to evacuate. Emergency services will not be able to respond to calls during the duration of Hurricane Irma. Don’t take the risk; heed evacuation orders as soon as you can.