Cinque Terre Villages Complain About Being Smothered By Tourism

notyourcommodity

notyourcommodity

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Apr 14, 2015
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This article is a few weeks old now, but I thought it was relevant to the forum!

Italy's stunning Cinque Terre coastal villages complain of being smothered by tourism

We have been talking recently about our favorite places in Italy and Cinque Terre often comes up as a favorite. There was also a thread discussing tourism and how it affects smaller towns.

Here's a snippet from the article, but feel free to check out the link for the entire contents:

The inhabitants of the Cinque Terre, which literally translates as The Five Lands, say the huge numbers of visitors threaten to ruin the very thing they have come to see.

They have launched an online petition, Save the Cinque Terre from Mass Tourism, calling for the number of visitors to the World Heritage area to be managed better.

One of the hundreds of people who have signed the petition, which was launched a few days ago, wrote: “They were once a paradise but now they have become hell.”

“In the past few years the Cinque Terre has boomed in popularity amongst international travellers and is suffering the consequences of unsustainable - and unrestricted - mass tourism,” the petition organisers wrote.

What do you think about their concerns about tourism? How do you think it might be able to be managed more effectively?
 
I think for any town there's a fine balance. On the one hand the locals don't want to be swamped by tourists turning their once peaceful town into something akin to Disneyland, but on the other, the tourist industry brings in a lot of money and can boost the economy.

I'm sure they should be able to find a balance and a compromise somewhere along the line.
 
They have been dealing with this for years to be honest. The lack of hotels in the area does control tourism to some extent, but it's more the behavior of some tourists that might be upsetting them. The cruise ships aren't a good idea and maybe they need to limit those, because there are too many people in one go. It's sad that it has become overcrowded.

Maybe they need to limit the number of people in a group because it's also not safe walking along the path with crowds. From a safety point of view maybe they need to evaluate the potential consequences.

I always went out of season when it was less crowded and it's true the villages can't cope as there aren't enough facilities for these kinds of tourists.
 
Gabe said:
They have been dealing with this for years to be honest. The lack of hotels in the area does control tourism to some extent, but it's more the behavior of some tourists that might be upsetting them. The cruise ships aren't a good idea and maybe they need to limit those, because there are too many people in one go. It's sad that it has become overcrowded.

Maybe they need to limit the number of people in a group because it's also not safe walking along the path with crowds. From a safety point of view maybe they need to evaluate the potential consequences.

I always went out of season when it was less crowded and it's true the villages can't cope as there aren't enough facilities for these kinds of tourists.
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Ahh, I have been on vacations in different parts of the world (not Italy) when cruise ships have rolled into port, and I remember one particular time it was horrible. I wasn't a part of the cruise, just there on my own travels, but the whole vibe of places seems to change when a ship comes into town. People would push and shove, and skip queues in places, because I guess they figured they were just there for one day.

I can understand why the local community wouldn't be too impressed if a cruise ship was in town if that was the case.
 
I've never travelled on a cruise ship, but I have been in towns when they have come to port also, and its like setting a herd of cattle loose.

They all come charging off the boat, and invading the town. It's like because they know they're only there for a set number of hours they are trying to do everything all at once, and if that means they have to be rude and arrogant, then so be it.

They should have to be let off the ship the same way Noah led the animals on to the ark...2 at a time!
 
From what I remember of Cinque Terre, the area doesn't really benefit much from tourism. The restaurants and cafes may do well with some meal times (mainly lunch, and dinner only in areas where there are moorings or if there is a car park), and there are very few places in the area for lodgings. As most places 'sacrifice' tourism to aid the towns finances, it doesn't seem to work that way much for the Cinq Terre.

As such with little gain, I can see why the locals will be annoyed. Hopefully these cruise ships can work something out with the local authorities, before some locals get too vocal.
 
I think that's the main issue the locals will have, and if the town or village is benefiting from the tourism trade then they will put up with it. A lot of the time though the tourists are doing more harm than good, so the locals have every right to be annoyed.
 
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