to updateFrance wants to rein in the masses of tourists who flock to the country every year. According to Tourism Minister Olivia Gregoire, the growing numbers of holidaymakers threaten “the environment, the quality of life of local residents and the experience of visitors”.
According to the minister, France, one of the most important tourist destinations in Europe, needs to better manage the flow in the high season. To combat “overtourism”, it unveiled a plan to regulate visitor flows in the most popular places.
World-famous tourist attractions like Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy say they can barely handle the hordes of day-trippers. Gregoire also laments the lack of economic benefits brought by the travelers of the day, because they often buy ice cream somewhere.
In order to benefit from the money that tourists spend in France, the government wants to attract visitors with alternative tourism circuits and destinations.
Ile de Brihat is a case in point
One of the first places where fewer visitors will be accepted today is the Île de Brehat. The many visitors to the island off the Breton coast can create a lot of waste and damage the environment.
In high season, about 6,000 people still come to Île de Brehat by ferry every day, fifteen times more than the 377 people who live permanently on the island. The mayor has now decided that the number of tourists on days between July 14 and August 25 – the peak summer period – should be limited to 4,700.
look. This is the French island of Ile de Brehat
Île-de-Bréhat is a Natura 2000 site designed to protect biodiversity. Many people come to the island specifically for the sake of the beautiful scenery, but many tourists thus endanger the same scenery. The municipality wants more balance between mass tourism and nature.
look. All you need to know about your vacation country
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