Climbing Everest was once an even more dangerous challenge than it is today, requiring great courage, endurance and skill. Yet mountains can kill people. A century ago, this trail claimed the lives of two of Britain’s greatest mountaineers, George Mallory and Sandy Irvine.
The world’s highest mountain finally succumbed to human challenge almost 30 years later, when Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay climbed to the summit on May 29, 1953, carrying the British, United Nations, and Nepalese flags. . Sporadic trips involving a small number of explorers continued for many years. .
However, the slope of Everest has been changing in recent years. Its peaks and ridges are now regularly filled with tourists aiming for the 8,849-meter (29,032-foot) peak. More than 1,200 people will attempt the feat in 2023, paying a fee of around £40,000 each. Of these, he succeeded in more than 600 cases. Once synonymous with remote, pristine grandeur, this place has become a high-end tourist trap, with its once pristine slopes now littered with tattered tents, abandoned equipment, and human waste. ing. Everest tourism has the potential to generate hundreds of millions of pounds in revenue for Nepal, but it comes at a high cost.
Overtourism is not limited to the Himalayas. Last week, Venice became the first city in the world to introduce an entrance fee. The 30 million tourists who visit each year must buy a day ticket of 5 euros each to enter St. Mark’s Square, the Rialto Bridge and its bridges. Other wonders. While tourists may be happy to contribute to the city’s upkeep, many locals see the move as a step toward turning Venice into a Disney-like imitation, Veniceland.
Other locations, from Dubrovnik to Yellowstone and Machu Picchu to Cornwall, are facing similar problems. Thailand’s Maya Bay has been closed for four years due to the influx of tourists who saw the bay in a Leonardo DiCaprio movie. the beach – Began to destroy coral reefs. Iceland is briefly in lockdown after the Fjadzlarglífur Gorge, the canyon made famous by Justin Bieber’s 2015 music video “I’ll Show You,” suddenly suffered an influx of tourists. A closure was imposed.
The causes of overtourism, where too many tourists arrive at the same place at the same time, are complex. A factor in this is the significant growth of the middle classes in India and China. Cheap flights. And the rise of social media has created a generation obsessed with taking selfies in front of great works of art and architecture. This last factor forced the Louvre to consider relocating the museum. mona lisa Visitors will be moved to their own room where they can pose more freely in front of the world’s most famous paintings.
In many ways, such interest should be welcomed. Visiting other countries has its benefits. Travelers learn about other cultures and create powerful and lasting memories of their time spent there. Unfortunately, that price is becoming harder to pay. Currently, overtourism threatens to destroy the pristine wildlife habitats and valuable historical sites that attract tourists in the first place. According to research, 80% of travelers now visit only 10% One of the world’s tourist destinations. This concentration reveals a dangerous imbalance in priorities.
After newsletter promotion
The warning signs are clear and alarming. Unfortunately, the solution is not very obvious. Another option is to tighten controls on cruise ships, which can suddenly disembark large numbers of passengers in vulnerable locations. Imposing a city tax, as in Venice, is another matter. A proper assessment of the economic value of our environment will also help assess damage. At the same time, tourists themselves also need to show restraint and sometimes consider local attractions instead of distant ones. Our earth has many wonders. Care must be taken to uncover their wonders.
