Tourism is one of the world's biggest industries, with a global turnover of some $11 billion. It seems that we all want to get away from home. Millions travel abroad every year, and most of them choose to go to the same few places at the same time. Unless you have lived in a popular tourist destination, it's hard to imagine how traumatic the annual invasion can be. For years I lived in Cambridge, England, which, along with Stratford-upon-Avon, is a compulsory stop on the British tourist trail. For half the year, it was a delightful place to be. During the tourist season it became unbearable. Local residents in these places are beginning to fight back. Venice, with 265,000 residents, is overwhelmed by 30 million visitors a year. Barcelona is banning new hotels. Vienna, Dubrovnik, Florence, and the Island of Capri are all pushing back, Amsterdam is asphyxiated, and the famous Dutch flower fields are trampled by hordes of people taking selfies among the tulips. The Greek Island of
Tourism is one of the world's biggest industries, with a global turnover of some $11 billion. It seems that we all want to get away from home. Millions travel abroad every year, and most of them choose to go to the same few places at the same time. Unless you have lived in a popular tourist destination, it's hard to imagine how traumatic the annual invasion can be. For years I lived in Cambridge, England, which, along with Stratford-upon-Avon, is a compulsory stop on the British tourist trail.