Very valid arguments and the impact of tourism on destinations can be immense. My first experience of mainstream naturism was at Spartacus Beach (Little Banana) in Skiathos. Since that first time I went there every year for about 10 years until the year the local big wig developer finally bought the land from the farmers deceased estate knowing there was a killing to make. The first change was that Yanni who managed the sunbeds on the beach lost his contract with the council and the developer then added "luxury Sunbeds" with 150mm mattresses and instead of the daily charge being 5 Euros the price went up to 15 Euros or 20 with an umbrella.
They then bulldozed a road through the Olive grove to supply the bar. The bar became commercialised selling fried food, textiles were advertised to and encouraged to visit and enjoy the beauty of the beach with drinls and snacks, all the whilst destroying it's natural beauty and serenity. Before this change Naturists cared for and about this sanctuary beach, no radios, lovely butterflys, goats on the beach, quietness, taking home rubbish and keeping the beach clean and the water crystal clear. Lastly to cap it all the Olive grove became a building site selling little box houses with plunge pools. Little Banana is no longer a true naturist beach. As a world class environmental and cultural icon, the beach has been destroyed.
Worst of all the local people that managed the beach knew and trusted the naturists and became our friends, were invited into their houses and to their family celebrations such as weddings and Christenings.
I'm not a Luddite but I grieve the detrimental change.
I never minded the walk to and from the beach, it was the cost of natural beauty. Now naturists have to become "explorers" to enjoy nature how it was intended to be enjoyed - in harmony.
Sometimes the modern vogue for Instagram tourism makes one question the visit - some seem more interested in having the selfie to prove they were there than absorbing the experience of actually being there. A few tears back on a visit to the USA we climbed a local peak to find a queue at the summit to take their “I was there” pictures; we sat to the side, got out our flask of tea and enjoyed the view.
A totally rational argument. I would add one observation you say ...
"While the tourism dollar may help the local economy, there comes a tipping point where the damage done to the environment and the well-being of the locals is not worth the income that tourism brings."
It is not just the damage done to the environment. There are other significant costs of mass tourism.
1 The cost of extra policing
2 The extra strain on medical facilities
3 The rise of "All inclusive" tourist jet in go to a resort owned by a multi-national corp. Eat and drink international brands in the resort facilities which are staffed by lowly paid worker imported from around the world.
The financial benefits of tourism to a country or region are in my belief vastly overstated. I would cite Malaga in Spain ... Tourist hotspot in Andalusia with the 3rd lowest GDP of all Spanish
I agree with all that you have written. My problem with tourists is the same as I have with the vast majority of citizens in all countries. They are slobbish in their behavior. Rather than respecting the locals values, rules and regulations, they do as they wish. I go to a beach with a bag to collect my trash, but watch others leave their trash for others, I don't stare at others whether dressed or not, never take pictures of others. It's just common courtesy which seems to be a lost value. An example is Washington D.C. 5 or 6 years ago was the Million Man March. After the march was over it took D.C. crews 5 days with extra worker to clean up the mess. A week or so later a Christian organization had a similar sized march, brought their own trash bags. City crews cleaned up what was left over in 2-3 hours. The difference: repect.
I like most other naturists don't care wether others are clad or not but I do care about them being disrespectful.
Being in NZ I will usually swim at a convenient beach. This will often means that I will be the only one without clothes. 99+% of people I meet are respectful but you do sometimes get the odd belligerent objector. Mostly I just move to avoid the conflict but occasionally I will stand my ground.
I largely agree with everything you've said, Steve. A couple of points worth noting though . . .
1. While I expect visitors to be respectful of my clothing choice, I certainly don't expect them to be naked on my beach if they choose not to be. I don't understand the complaint of some naturists who claim that clothed people make them uncomfortable.
2. "Surely it is the behaviour of the tourist that has the biggest impact on the locals." True, but then there is the other side to this one: Surely it is the behaviour of the locals that has the biggest impact on the tourists. If you don't want drunken stag and hen parties in your town, then don't provide the facilities. Weeds love acidic soil. If you don't want weeds, add lime to raise the ph. Make the environment inhospitable to weeds! Get the picture?
I agree entirely. There are places in the world, that I have been or have always dreamt of going to, but now I would'nt like to revisit, just because its gone so popular, its been spoiled. Its also 1 reason I don't fancy a cruise, 3000+ people landing on a small island or a compact town and taking over. It would spoil the whole ethos of wanting to visit there.
Not somewhere I would ever go, but the fact you have to QUEUE to climb Mount Everest fills me with horror. And as you rightly said, most of these tourists have no interest in the place, other than to take an Insta worthy photograph of them posing there.
Hi Steve,
Very valid arguments and the impact of tourism on destinations can be immense. My first experience of mainstream naturism was at Spartacus Beach (Little Banana) in Skiathos. Since that first time I went there every year for about 10 years until the year the local big wig developer finally bought the land from the farmers deceased estate knowing there was a killing to make. The first change was that Yanni who managed the sunbeds on the beach lost his contract with the council and the developer then added "luxury Sunbeds" with 150mm mattresses and instead of the daily charge being 5 Euros the price went up to 15 Euros or 20 with an umbrella.
They then bulldozed a road through the Olive grove to supply the bar. The bar became commercialised selling fried food, textiles were advertised to and encouraged to visit and enjoy the beauty of the beach with drinls and snacks, all the whilst destroying it's natural beauty and serenity. Before this change Naturists cared for and about this sanctuary beach, no radios, lovely butterflys, goats on the beach, quietness, taking home rubbish and keeping the beach clean and the water crystal clear. Lastly to cap it all the Olive grove became a building site selling little box houses with plunge pools. Little Banana is no longer a true naturist beach. As a world class environmental and cultural icon, the beach has been destroyed.
Worst of all the local people that managed the beach knew and trusted the naturists and became our friends, were invited into their houses and to their family celebrations such as weddings and Christenings.
I'm not a Luddite but I grieve the detrimental change.
I never minded the walk to and from the beach, it was the cost of natural beauty. Now naturists have to become "explorers" to enjoy nature how it was intended to be enjoyed - in harmony.
Best wishes Stephen in Banks Peninsula
Nice article which speaks about the direct, indirect interconnection between naturism, climate change, over tourism etc...
Sometimes the modern vogue for Instagram tourism makes one question the visit - some seem more interested in having the selfie to prove they were there than absorbing the experience of actually being there. A few tears back on a visit to the USA we climbed a local peak to find a queue at the summit to take their “I was there” pictures; we sat to the side, got out our flask of tea and enjoyed the view.
A totally rational argument. I would add one observation you say ...
"While the tourism dollar may help the local economy, there comes a tipping point where the damage done to the environment and the well-being of the locals is not worth the income that tourism brings."
It is not just the damage done to the environment. There are other significant costs of mass tourism.
1 The cost of extra policing
2 The extra strain on medical facilities
3 The rise of "All inclusive" tourist jet in go to a resort owned by a multi-national corp. Eat and drink international brands in the resort facilities which are staffed by lowly paid worker imported from around the world.
The financial benefits of tourism to a country or region are in my belief vastly overstated. I would cite Malaga in Spain ... Tourist hotspot in Andalusia with the 3rd lowest GDP of all Spanish
I agree with all that you have written. My problem with tourists is the same as I have with the vast majority of citizens in all countries. They are slobbish in their behavior. Rather than respecting the locals values, rules and regulations, they do as they wish. I go to a beach with a bag to collect my trash, but watch others leave their trash for others, I don't stare at others whether dressed or not, never take pictures of others. It's just common courtesy which seems to be a lost value. An example is Washington D.C. 5 or 6 years ago was the Million Man March. After the march was over it took D.C. crews 5 days with extra worker to clean up the mess. A week or so later a Christian organization had a similar sized march, brought their own trash bags. City crews cleaned up what was left over in 2-3 hours. The difference: repect.
I like most other naturists don't care wether others are clad or not but I do care about them being disrespectful.
Being in NZ I will usually swim at a convenient beach. This will often means that I will be the only one without clothes. 99+% of people I meet are respectful but you do sometimes get the odd belligerent objector. Mostly I just move to avoid the conflict but occasionally I will stand my ground.
I largely agree with everything you've said, Steve. A couple of points worth noting though . . .
1. While I expect visitors to be respectful of my clothing choice, I certainly don't expect them to be naked on my beach if they choose not to be. I don't understand the complaint of some naturists who claim that clothed people make them uncomfortable.
2. "Surely it is the behaviour of the tourist that has the biggest impact on the locals." True, but then there is the other side to this one: Surely it is the behaviour of the locals that has the biggest impact on the tourists. If you don't want drunken stag and hen parties in your town, then don't provide the facilities. Weeds love acidic soil. If you don't want weeds, add lime to raise the ph. Make the environment inhospitable to weeds! Get the picture?
I agree entirely. There are places in the world, that I have been or have always dreamt of going to, but now I would'nt like to revisit, just because its gone so popular, its been spoiled. Its also 1 reason I don't fancy a cruise, 3000+ people landing on a small island or a compact town and taking over. It would spoil the whole ethos of wanting to visit there.
Not somewhere I would ever go, but the fact you have to QUEUE to climb Mount Everest fills me with horror. And as you rightly said, most of these tourists have no interest in the place, other than to take an Insta worthy photograph of them posing there.