Lisbon’s Overtourism Lesson: Living Like a Local Is Not Enough
Photo Caption: A rare occurrence: Lisbon's iconic tram 28 spotted empty after a long, crowded day. David April
Skift Take
Lisbon's post-crisis evolution and corresponding tourism boom show the dramatic impact and lasting ramifications of overtourism. Efforts have centered on sustainable tourism and limiting tourism's potential negative impacts, but, in our view, the focus has been all wrong. Sustainable tourism should be about sustainable cultures, and we all have a role to play.
Sometimes I get really uncomfortable as a traveler in new countries.
And I don’t mean overwhelmed by how foreign a place is or how different it is from home.
What I mean is finding out upon arrival that Lisbon has been a case study in overtourism. Legislation encouraging foreign investment, the sharing economy, and a strong start-up scene combined with the city being a comparatively cheap destination has resulted in tons of travelers heading to Lisbon. It doesn’t hurt that Portugal also has lovely, tiled buildings, beautiful beaches, and a vibrant food scene.
Suddenly, my excited “live like a local” mentality falls flat, and I’m reminded that, in some ways, I’m just another annoying tourist.
Am I just another part of the problem when I rent out a home via Airbnb in Lagos, a gorgeous, beach town in the south of Portugal, for the weekend with a bunch of digital nomads? When 10 friends and I show up at a restaurant for dinner, is it frustrating how inadvertently lo
