In an article entitled “Is overtourism turning Lisbon into the next Venice”, the UK’s Telegraph has come up with some suggestions of how people visiting Portugal can pull back from the trend that is “Disnifying” the capital in much the same way that Venice has been irreparably transformed as a result of its touristic popularity.
Digital travel writer Oliver Smith encourages visitors to ‘look elsewhere’ and find jewels in Portugal’s crown that are not knee-deep with gawping holidaymakers.
“Ignore social media and the so-called travel “bucket list” – and pick somewhere less obvious”, he says, citing Coimbra, the Alentejo, Comporta, Serra da Estrela and in the Algarve, Olhão.
Another option is given by one of the story’s readers who highlights Serra da Lousã, with its ‘lost’ slate villages and jaw-dropping views. If it were “anywhere else in western Europe it would be a tourist trap”.
But the bottom line is that Lisbon’s spike in tourism is “not sustainable” and fanning the flames of “anti-tourism sentiment”.
natasha.donn@algarveresident.com
