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Cruise ships? No gracias

How to tackle the problems that arise from mass tourism

ANDREW J. LINN

Friday, 25 May 2018, 13:00

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What should we think of the growing movement across the world to discourage mass tourism? On the Costa we have not yet arrived at situations like those of Barcelona, Venice or Phuket, but quite probably we will soon witness a conflict of interests between those who make their livings out of tourism, and the rest. The idea of introducing charges for visiting places will become increasingly controversial, and a conflict-free answer is not on the cards. It may sound drastic but the logical solution is to discourage, if not ban altogether, day trippers. This species arrives at their chosen destination in the morning, their pockets stuffed with what they have 'harvested' from the breakfast buffet, and they leave a few hours later to have a main meal where they came from. They even bring their mineral water so they don't have to buy anything at their destination. They make no economic contribution to the place they are visiting. In real terms they are freeloaders.

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Although on the coast mass tourism probably affects us only when we find ourselves in a packed street, the 'cruisers' are the worst of all. Any given day a ship may arrive in Malaga with 5,000 passengers and the only beneficiaries are the port authorities. Thirty-five per cent of the cost of a cruise typically consists of the fees and taxes that the ships are charged for visiting a port. All passengers have their three meals a day guaranteed, so have no incentive to spend any money on food or drink while in port. In Malaga you will hear faint praise for what cruise passengers spend in restaurants, while those from elite passenger boats like The World are looking for gastronomic delights and are prepared to pay for them. These millionaires' ships offer no free lunches, so the passengers pay for their food and drink wherever they are. The problem is that small cruise boats only deliver a few hundred passengers into the grateful arms of Malaga's bars and restaurants, but at least that is better than the 5,000 that may arrive one morning on some 'queen of the seas' and spend next to nothing.

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