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Tamara Thiessen

News headlines have been sounding alarm bells over the past year about the relatively new phenomenon of “overtourism”.
Cities such as Venice, Madrid and Dubrovnik – the Croatian town where some of HBO’s Game of Thrones was shot – are feeling the strain. From Antarctica to the redwood forests of California, even the world’s wilderness areas have been impacted.
But it is small islands with fragile ecologies that bear the brunt, as tourist numbers swell beyond their capacity to support them.
The once pristine Philippine island of Boracay shut up shop to tourists for six months last year after President Rodrigo Duterte described it as a “cesspool”, with its overburdened sewage system and unchecked development. Some 6.6 million people visited the island in 2017.

Maya Bay, off Thailand’s Phi Phi Island, was also closed. A national park official said last month that the bay – made famous by the 2000 Hollywood film The Beach – would remain closed for up to five years to allow for coral and beach restoration.
These islands are just the tip of the iceberg. Malaysia’s Langkawi and the Galápagos Islands are also struggling to stay afloat as a global tourism deluge threatens to ruin the very things that attracted visitors in the first place.
With more than 1.4 billion people notching up international traveller miles last year, according to the United Nations’ World Tourism Organisation, experts say governments and their tourism boards are generally not doing enough to address the crisis.

“Tourism today is addicted to growth,” says Freya Higgins-Desbiolles, a senior researcher in tourism management at the University of South Australia. “They’ve got to kick the growth fetish.”
Everyone has a part to play in turning the situation around, says Bret Love, co-founder of eco-tourism website GreenGlobalTravel.com and Green Travel Media. The onus is on governments, but also on the tourism industry and tourists themselves.

“There are two key ways to address the issue: top down – such as government regulations on tourist numbers, charging higher entry fees, and closing islands and attractions altogether; or bottom up – with travellers avoiding places plagued by mass tourism, or only visiting during off or shoulder seasons,” he says.
“I think the ideal situation is that we address the problem from both ends.”
Now that the once unthinkable has happened – attractive islands that were once difficult to get to become swamped with tourists – some observers think it’s time for regulation, such as quotas and taxes. That applies to larger, more established destinations that are growing claustrophobic, too.
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“One option is a limit on tour companies allowed to come in and operate,” says Michelle M. Winner, a Hawaiian-born writer and photographer who laments the lack of such controls, as a record nearly 10 million tourists visited the US state in 2018.
“Many operators are not even locally owned but [owned by] foreign nationals. The tour buses now disgorge multiple buses all day into a once quiet community,” she says.
“The tour helicopters are another problem, with noise pollution. You can’t even go to the beach in search of some peace without hearing them all day.”

Not only are the places ruined, she says, but so too is the visitor experience.
“It’s the perfect example of ‘destroying what you are coming to see by coming to see’.”
So should you stay home to save the environment? Or at least veto locations that are clearly under too much pressure?
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Ellie Cleary, founder of sustainable travel blog, Soul Travel, thinks so.
“Steer completely clear of El Nido, at least until the powers-that-be have invested in proper infrastructure and resources to cope with tourism volume,” she advises, referring to part of the Philippines’ Palawan island known for its pristine white sand and coral reefs.

The township wants to impose a cap on visitors in some tourist areas to offset the kind of negative fallout Boracay has experienced: pollution, unbridled development and a dwindling food supply for residents.
“If you plan on staying on an island, ensure your paradise island beach resort handles its sewage properly and has eco-certification, and other measures to protect the environment,” Cleary advises. “Ninety per cent of such resorts in Southeast Asia do not have sewage treatment plants, so it all goes straight into the sea.”
Cleary recommends searching for trips on sites such as BookDifferent.com, a Netherlands-based social enterprise committed to promoting sustainable tourism. She also advises travellers to be wary of greenwashing – hotels and tour companies that pose as eco-friendly but with only a skin-deep commitment.
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Love agrees that holidaymakers should try to get smart and make more responsible travel choices.
“For a start, avoid the cheap flights and cheap cruises, which allow too many people to crowd into places that are too small for the number of tourists and are at the root cause of overtourism,” he says.
“On the ground in your destination, find out how the tour operator gives back to the local community. Do they hire local guides? Do they take a leading role in preserving the area’s natural resources? Community-based tourism is the most sustainable.”
Love, a journalist with more than 20 years experience, feels that travel writers also have a role to play in turning the tide.

“We need to help by drawing people’s attention to alternate destinations that have not yet been overwhelmed by tourism, but which offer similar attractions to the ones that have. And we can focus our writing more on community-based tourism initiatives, which provide more benefit for locals and are therefore less exploitative,” Love says.
Denmark’s self-governing Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic has sought to set an example of how to balance growing tourism with sustainability and community involvement.
Last weekend, the islands were out of bounds to regular tourists as 100 “voluntourists” were invited to help prepare for another forecast visitor boom, by working with islanders to establish walking paths and to build viewpoints, among other initiatives.
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Though far from tropical, the islands have experienced a 10 per cent increase in visitors over the past five years. With a population of just under 50,000, some 377,813 passengers passed through the islands’ airport in 2018.
Guðrið Hojgaard, director of the archipelago’s tourism board, campaigned to have the Faroe Islands included on Google Street View in 2016, by mounting cameras on the backs of sheep (“Sheep View”). Now she wants to control the influx, as residents become concerned about potential damage to the natural environment caused by more tourist coaches – and the growing number of international flights.
“For us, tourism is not all about numbers,” Hojgaard said earlier this year. “We also have a responsibility to our community and our beautiful unspoilt natural environment, and our aim is to preserve and protect the islands, ensuring sustainable and responsible growth.”

Sustainable tourism specialist and adviser Marta Mills says growing awareness among travellers of the impact their trips have means a growing number are willing to pay for authentic, enriching and educational experiences.
“Tourism providers must accept that this is the way forward. Tourists today want to make journeys that allow them to live like a local, not passively, but through true interaction with the local people and culture,” Mills says.
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Higgins-Desbiolles says tourists could even seek to stay with locals while travelling, and ensure their visit benefits the locals.
“A great example is beach fale tourism in Samoa – a local community approach to tourism which [sees] tourists stay in accommodation fitting in with local culture,” she says, referring to the simple thatched huts locals rent to visitors on the South Pacific islands.
“The basic model is: educate yourself, do the right thing and try to be of positive benefit. Act like you are a guest in someone’s home, because you are.”

Five sustainable travel tips
1. Book into a hotel that employs sustainable initiatives to reduce waste, energy and water consumption. For example solar power, rainwater harvesting, recycling and composting, energy-efficient lighting, and a zero plastic policy for water and toiletry bottles.
2. Choose tour operators who give back to the community – and keep tourism benefits within the host economy – by employing locals, supporting local growers and other initiatives. Opt for accommodation that is locally built and run, and committed to conservation, for example organises beach clean-ups.
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3. Be a plastic-free traveller. Take your own reusable water bottles and shopping bags. For drinking water, boil it, use UV filtration or a bottle with a built-in filter.
4. Research sustainable tourism initiatives you might want to support ahead of your trip on the internet.
5. Engage in community-based tourism, while staying with local indigenous peoples and immersing in their culture.


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Tourists head home from the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. Photo: Alamy

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A tricycle driver rides past roadside construction on the Philippine island of Boracay on October 27, 2018. - Tourists landed by the boatload October 26 on the Philippines' Boracay island, which re-opened with a slew of new rules after a six-month shutdown aimed at undoing the impact of years of being loved to death by millions of holidaymakers. (Photo by NOEL CELIS / AFP)

This photo taken on April 9, 2018 shows tourists walking on the Maya Bay beach, on the southern Thai island of Koh Phi Phi. - Across the region, Southeast Asia's once-pristine beaches are reeling from decades of unchecked tourism as governments scramble to confront trash-filled waters and environmental degradation without puncturing a key economic driver. (Photo by Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP) / TO GO WITH AFP STORY "THAILAND-INDONESIA-PHILIPPINES-TOURISM-ENVIRONMENT" by Lillian SUWANRUMPHA with Joe FREEMAN

EKM2H5 Group of tourist walking over the islet of Las Tintoreras near Isabela Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, South America

GE0869 Langkawi, Malaysia - January 13, 2015: Tourist taking selfie pictures on the top of Langkawi Cable Car view point at sunset.

Children stand beside garbage at the materials recovery facility (MRF) dumpsite on the Philippine island of Boracay on October 27, 2018. - Tourists landed by the boatload October 26 on the Philippines' Boracay island, which re-opened with a slew of new rules after a six-month shutdown aimed at undoing the impact of years of being loved to death by millions of holidaymakers. (Photo by NOEL CELIS / AFP)

Tourists and residents walk past a security check at the Caticlan jetty port to get to Boracay on April 24, 2018, ahead of its closure. - President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the once-idyllic white-sand resort closed to tourists for up to six months from April 26, after describing the country's top tourist attraction as a "cesspool" tainted by raw sewage. (Photo by NOEL CELIS / AFP)

Across the region, Southeast Asia's once-pristine beaches are reeling from decades of unchecked tourism as governments scramble to confront trash-filled waters and environmental degradation without puncturing a key economic driver. Photo: AFP

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(FILES) This file photo taken on December 3, 2010 shows visitors trekking the hills on Rinca island, home of the Komodo dragon, in the Komodo National Park. - Indonesia is mulling to temporarily shut down the popular Komodo island for a year to prevent mass tourism and smuggling attempts that could threaten the endangered species, it was reported on April 4, 2019. The temporary shutdown is expected to be implemented on January 2020 and only applies to Komodo island while other tourists favorite destinations like Rinca and Padar island would remain open. (Photo by Romeo GACAD / AFP)

Boracay’s back cleaner and greener. But something’s missing: jobs

Some houses in wetland number 6 in Boracay have been demolished. Eventually all houses will be demolished. 30OCT18 SCMP / Phila Siu

Boracay

(Left to right) Boracay workers Olive Abenera; Maureen R. Tapican; Maricor S. Gabinete; Cherry Rose Delos Santos; have been out of job since the island was shut down. 30OCT18 SCMP / Phila Siu

Boracay residents participate in a beach cleanup every morning. Photo: Hezril Azmin

Maricor S. Gabinete, a Boracay worker, has been out of job since the island was shut down. Photo: Phila Siu

Philippines to reopen Boracay after President Rodrigo Duterte wraps up 6-month campaign to clean up ‘cesspool’ resort

Residents walk along a beach on the Philippine island of Boracay. Photo: AFP

FILE PHOTO: President Rodrigo Duterte speaks after his arrival, from a visit in Israel and Jordan at Davao International airport in Davao City in southern Philippines, September 8, 2018. REUTERS/Lean Daval Jr./File Photo

(FILES) This file photo taken on April 7, 2018 shows tourists relaxing on a beach on Boracay island in Malay town, Aklan province in central Philippines. - The Philippines re-opens its crown jewel resort island Boracay to holidaymakers on October 26, 2018, after a six-month clean up aimed at repairing the damage inflicted by years of unrestrained mass tourism. (Photo by STR / AFP) / TO GO WITH Philippines-environment-tourism-Boracay, ADVANCER

Lifestyle

Travel & Leisure

From the Philippines to Thailand, overtourism and beach closures have been making the news of late
While many governments drag their feet trying to find a solution, what can travellers do to help resolve the problem?


From Boracay to Maya Bay, overtourism and beach closures have been making the news of late. While many governments drag their feet trying to find a solution, what can travellers do to help resolve the problem?
