MISBEHAVING TOURISTS

I realise I’m coming out on a bit of a limb here in talking about behaviour as it can be subjective, and of course these days, is increasingly wrapped up in political correctness, moral relativism and no doubt a heck of a lot of other ‘isms’ but I’m going to give it a shot.

'Tourists behaving badly' is not a totally new phenomenon, but it IS an urgent issue for the industry and one on which we should be more on the front foot.  Given the anticipated strong growth in tourism numbers and the recent anger and criticism by local communities of the tourism industry as a result of overtourism, we need to take measures to better mitigate the risks associated with misbehaving tourists. 

WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?

With the phenomenon of overtourism (documentary by Responsible Travel), over the last couple of years, many residents are at their wit's end, faced with the obnoxious and intrusive behaviour of tourists, who see travelling as their personal 'right’ rather than a reciprocal two-way exchange with the local community. Their self-indulgent behaviour is antagonising host communities, who are indicating that ‘enough-is-enough’ and pointing their finger at the tourism industry. 

Image credit: The Guardian

The problem comes in many guises

§ Vandalising infrastructure and property: The defacing of monuments, damage to cultural sites, lawns trampled, beaches littered. e.g. a teenager who defaced a 3,500-year-old bas-relief in the Luxor Temple or the person who Instagrammed her acrylic paint graffiti on a number of national parks in the U.S – declaring " I know I am a bad person". There are so many such examples.

§ Binge Tourism: Rude and obnoxious behaviour, often fuelled by drink – people exposing themselves at monuments, urinating in people’s gardens, running naked through local streets.

§ Cultural insensitivity and ignorance: e.g. Showing soles of your feet in some cultures or inappropriate dress and behaviour on beaches, in local restaurants, places of worship and local shops. e.g. two sisters arrested at the holy temple of Preah Khan in Cambodia, snapping photos of each other’s naked backsides. [I kid you not!].

§ Lack of consideration for others: e.g. Particularly with noisy partying until the wee hours or littering in shared public areas. e.g. the trashing of the stunning St Kilda foreshore in Melbourne with rubbish on Christmas Eve, that resulted in an $18,000 clean up bill for the local community.

§ Exposing bits that shouldn’t be exposed: In an era of the naked selfie – thanks to websites such as Naked at Monuments and My Naked Trip blog, travellers feel compelled to compete to bare all, showing disrespect for the communities in which they display this compulsion. 

§ Egotistical and narcissistic behaviour:  Our article - Is Narcissism Damaging Tourism? has already highlighted the irresponsible direction in which we are heading. Just last week, media reported on an all out brawl, referred to as a ‘Selfie Spat’ between two women trying to take a selfie in the same spot at the Trevi fountain Rome. #MeTourism

§ Lack of empathy and respect for ‘others’ e.g. travelling to another city or country for ‘stag’ & ‘hens’ parties so that the traveller can behave in a manner unacceptable in their own communities.

 § Abuse of animals e.g. animal tourism, animals being abused for souvenir trophy photos, 'the must-have-instagrammable-moment’ or trick performance to amuse.

§ Abuse of the environment – high negative impact on national parks, vandalism, illegal camping, theft. Tourists adding to the seas of plastic waste. Cruise ship pollution. Instagrammers contributing to the destruction of fragile environments for the ‘hero shot’ in pursuit of personal fame. 

§ Taking from the local community but not contributing positively to it The impact of not contributing economically to the local community that we are disrupting, is overlooked or often little understood. This is an acute problem with stopover business, where little is purchased locally but disruption from the high number of visitors and misbehaviour is high. In some cities such as Venice, traditional local shops and artisanal businesses are closing, changing the face and heart of Venice....probably forever.

‘We’re tired of low-cost, drunken tourism. It’s killing our neighbourhood and dissuading other types of tourists.” Oriol Casabella Local Neighbourhood Association - Barcelona.

WHY IS IT HAPPENING?

I’m not qualified to provide insight at a sociological level and there is plenty of room for debate over the details, but I would offer these observations:

More travellers, more travelling - as the number of travellers increases so does the amount of misbehaviour. We are seeing more people travel who have not previously done so, benefiting from the cheap fares of low cost airlines and the availability of relatively low cost accommodation.  Some have had little exposure to the etiquette of travel. 

Disintermediation  - as accommodation becomes easier to access, particularly through the sharing economy, we are seeing an increase in the level and volume of conflicts between local residents and the tourists over noise and behaviour dramatically increase.

Ignorance and isolation– in spite of being more travelled, this is not necessarily translating into greater understanding and empathy. In some cases travellers do not move away from their own tribe, having little or no real contact with local people from whom they might otherwise learn and develop respect. 

Narcissism – there has been much published about the increase in the prevalence of narcissism.  Whilst there have always been and will always be narcissists in society, the provision of a ‘soap box’ on social media, providing easy access and little accountability, is nirvana for some.

#MeCulture – In some countries of the world there is a strong need or compulsion 'to be known', to stand out, to have a promotable ‘influencer’ status brand, in order to be relevant to peers. This pressure for peer status can be a major driver of insensitive behaviour - at best, and obnoxious behaviour– at worst.

Perceptions - The public realm is free, tourists do not pay. In the main, access to public places, such as public squares, walkways and toilets and for services, such as rubbish collection etc., are free for tourists. It’s the local people who pay for these through their taxes. The fact that these are free impacts the (lack of) value placed on them.

Lack of empathy and respect for others – empathy can be in short supply today and when combined with visitation to other people’s neighbourhoods can cause insensitive behaviour, where locals are seen as mere objects. Respect for others seems a novel concept for egocentric tourists. e.g. a United Airlines flight that had to be diverted as passengers fought over a reclining seat. A man had put a knee-defender lock on the seat to stop it reclining. The voluble argument and thrown cup of water sealed the fate of that flight. 

 An attitude of self importance - the focus on ‘my rights’, but little focus on ‘my responsibilities' as a traveller.

WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT IT?

Industry Takes Responsibility

The travel and tourism industry has a critical role to play in educating tourists to be responsible travellers and the industry should be accountable for that aspect of its role.We have an educational role in getting the message out about respect, responsibility, cultural sensitivity, local benefit and engagement. We also have responsibility to ensure our own business practices and those of our suppliers are up to scratch.

Tourism is a two way street and the local community has right of way. It is no longer acceptable for DMOs, travel wholesalers, hotels, airlines etc., to see their role as ending once they have promoted a destination and achieved the traffic or visitation targets, yield and spend. Those days have ended. Visitor and resident satisfaction, sustainability, and place management, need to be added to the accountable management metrics of DMOs, travel suppliers, wholesalers, EDOs etc.

Getting Tough  - New rules and Fines

Cities around the world are issuing new rules aimed at visitors who behave badly. Many are introducing significant fines in order to get cut-through on the measures. 

Italy sees itself as having a national struggle on its hands. Florence’s mayor has gone so far as to threaten to enforce the ban on alfresco picnicking in the Cathedral Square by hosing down offenders! 

Venice has introduced its #EnjoyRespectVenezia campaign. Visitors will be reminded not to swim in canals, make picnic stops out of public areas, pause too long on bridges, drop litter, ride bikes through the city or sightsee in swimsuits.  Transgressors will be up for fines of up to 500 euros. ($A780)

Majorca has had a particularly difficult time with boozy visitors. It has devised a rulebook with 64 new rules designed to curb anti-social behaviour.  Transgressors in Magaluf are facing fines up to 3,000 euros ($A4,460).

Amsterdam has been getting tough on antisocial behaviour with on-the-spot fines for laggards who have difficulty understanding its Enjoy and Respect campaign. The city’s law enforcement officers have been equipped with mobile

Image credit: The Guardian

credit card readers to enable on-the-spot fines. Public consumption of alcohol will earn €95 ($148); public urination, disorderliness and littering, will draw fines of €140 ($218).

Education & Awareness Programs

Vancouver Island’s Ucluelet Aquarium’s in Canada has devised a  Be a Better Beachgoer campaign that actively teaches visitors to respect the environment and look after its wildlife. 

Palau is the first country to develop an Eco-Pledge that is mandatory for all of its visitors to take on arrival. The pledge reads, “Children of Palau, I take this pledge as your guest, to preserve and protect your beautiful and unique island home. I vow to tread lightly, act kindly and explore mindfully. I shall not take what is not given. I shall not harm what does not harm me. The only footprints I shall leave are those that will wash away.” 

Regulation is Required

Airbnb sublet regulations - It is well known that Airbnb and local councils have faced an uphill struggle with partying, bad behaviour and noise in some ‘homestay’ sublets, provoking the ire of local residents.  Europe is attempting to tighten controls. In general, the introduction of licensed rentals and heavy fines for breach, is introducing more controlled behaviour.

A Bit of Blaming and Shaming

This is a bit controversial, but all cultures are different. Parts of Indonesia are taking extreme measures to attempt to arrest control. A humiliating  ‘walk of shame’ is an expression of ‘ local justice’ and a way of avoiding the traditional justice system. 

The Encouragement of  Cultural Sensitivity

Part of travelling is learning how to be sensitive to other people's cultures and lives. Encouraging tourists to learn a little about the places they are visiting can help with social customs. Using social platforms to inform rather than encourage obnoxious behaviour would be a good start. Consider linking your clients through your content marketing to Pinterest Board Infographics that exist using the 'culturally sensitive travel' search term. 

The Encouragement of The Right Type of Visitor

Tourism should not be a numbers game. The fact that it still is in many destinations is one of the reasons for the problem we have. Thinking needs to change in identifying whom we want to attract. The focus should be on those who:

Add economic and social value to the local community, are respectful of the quality experiences being delivered and respectful of the neighbourhood and environment. 

SHAPING CONDUCT IS IN EVERYONE’S INTEREST

Local tolerance and acceptance of tourists is increasingly related to the perception of their behaviour as well as their number. The problems for local residents, local councils and consulates, are increasingly fuelled by misbehaviour and without stronger control and management, will result in yet more tourism pushback; demonstrations, increased legislation and restrictions. Setting ground rules for visitor behaviour, prioritizing locals and the environment, considering penalties for recalcitrant behaviour, educating and informing through social platforms are just some of the ways for the industry to improve behaviour management. The price of not attracting quality visitation will be an erosion in the perception of tourism as a sustainable industry. 

Thank you for reading this post:

You can follow my other posts here at LinkedIn where I write on destination marketing, digital transformation and SMEs, demographic change, future trends, travel tech., and a host of issues shaping our real and virtual worlds. 

You may also like to follow Creative Planet Media on Twitter where I tweet on all these good things daily. You can follow me here on LinkedIn. 

Suzanne Cavanagh is the Director of Creative Planet Media and is a Melbourne based freelance tourism strategist. 

My mission it is to help travel and tourism organisations manage transformation in the digital marketplace. I keep a keen eye on trends that are shaping the future. I see this period in tourism with the convergence of creativity, business, technology and people power,  as a very exciting time and am grateful to be part of it.