‘We’re not anti-tourist’: Italy’s picturesque villages struggle to cope with deluge of Insta-visitors

Cinque Terre and Mass Tourism

• Manarola, the second smallest of the five villages in Cinque Terre, Italy, receives massive crowds of tourists, making it difficult for locals to move around.
• The villagers have seen a significant change in their lifestyle, from having peaceful afternoons to constant noise and disruptions due to tourism.
• Italy saw a record number of tourists in 2023, with foreigners making up the majority of visitors for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic.
• Popular destinations like Cinque Terre, Venice, and Dubrovnik are struggling to manage mass tourism, balancing economic benefits with environmental and social concerns.

Managing Tourism in Cinque Terre

• Authorities in Cinque Terre are working to avoid overcrowding, following Venice's example of imposing an entrance fee.
• Measures implemented include making the Sentiero Azzurro trail one-way on public holidays, which has been successful.
• Plans are underway to limit access to electric boats to protect marine life and extend the one-way trail initiative.
• The main challenge is managing the crowds that swarm the tiny villages, with 4 million visitors concentrated in a 1km area.

Local Authorities' Concerns

• The mayor of Manarola and Riomaggiore, Fabrizia Pecunia, emphasizes that the issue is not overtourism but overcrowding, particularly during certain periods of the year.
• Pecunia's goal is to distribute tourism across the area without giving the impression of being anti-tourist, as tourism is fundamental to the local economy.
• There are tensions between local officials and regional authorities over the reopening of Via dell'Amore, a popular coastal walkway, with concerns about a publicity campaign triggering even bigger crowds.