Latest news with #over-tourism
Daily Mail
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez face protests from locals over wedding in Venice
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez are set to to tie the knot in the 'wedding of the century' in Venice, Italy, in just two days' time - but to say the romantic city's locals are less than thrilled about the three-day celebration is an understatement. Protest banners, posters and graffiti have appeared in recent days, most emblazoned with the message 'No space for Bezos', and activists are planning a series of disruptions to challenge the island-wide celebrations. The Amazon founder, 61, and his fiancée, 55, are expected to throw one of the most lavish sets of nuptials of the year, costing an estimated $15 million to $20 million, with a star-studded guest list featuring some of the world's most famous faces. According to Italian media reports, hundreds of stars will visit the city for the events, which will take place from June 23rd to 25th, with nearly every luxury hotel now fully booked. But demonstrators in the Lagoon City are against the spectacle of wealth that is about to take place and say the wedding is an example of over-tourism, a problem Venice already struggles with. Last week, a group of activists unfurled a huge banner over one of the city's most famous landmarks, the Rialto bridge, with its central message 'No Space for Bezos', a nod to the billionaire's space exploration venture, Blue Origin. They also hung a huge banner with Jeff's surname crossed out in red on the bell tower of San Giorgio Basilica. Protestor Federica Toninelli told the BBC that Venice is 'being treated like a showcase, a stage', adding that Jeff and Lauren's wedding is 'the symbol of the exploitation of the city by outsiders'. In a social media post urging other locals to join the protests, the activists also accused the city's Mayor Luigi Brugnaro of treating residents as 'a nuisance' because 'for him the only valid use of Venice is as a backdrop for events that make the rich richer'. But Brugnaro has hit back, telling reporters he is 'ashamed' of the protests and adding: 'What other city would organise a committee against the wedding of such an important person? 'I hope [Jeff] doesn't have second thoughts.' Another protestor, Marta Sottoriva, told The Independent that the city's willingness to host the extravagant event has given the impression that 'a city can be sold to the highest bidder with the most money'. On Sunday June 22nd, more messages popped up around the city bearing the protest message, even as businesses prepare for the huge influx of tourists. One poster features a black-and-white image of Jeff with red tape over his eyes and an upside Amazon logo placed over his mouth like a frown. The activists are also planning to cause a stir during the festivities and hope to drum up attention for their cause by blocking roads and the city's iconic waterways with boats and paddleboards, as well as jumping into the canals. Among the sea of high-profile guests expected to attend the wedding, close Hollywood A-lister friends of the couple such as Kim Kardashian, Kris Jenner, Orlando Bloom, Eva Longoria, Oprah Winfrey, Gayle King, and Miranda Kerr may make an appearance. TMZ reports suggest members of the Trump family may also be in attendance, including Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner. It is not known if US President Donald Trump and Melania Trump will be there, but seeing as Jeff and Lauren were given front-row seats at the president's inauguration, his attendance is a possibility. A source in Italy revealed to MailOnline that the couple will officially tie the knot on June 27, and will say 'I do' on the island of San Giorgio, which is home to the famous Basilica of San Giorgio Maggiore, a 16th century Benedictine church. Bezos' $500 million superyacht, Koru, will be docked on the island's harbour. The island, which is owned by the Cini Foundation, will not be open to the public. Mass tourism in Venice has been a top issue among residents for some years now. In 2023, officials said they would introduce an entry fee for tourists coming into the city to curb overcrowding and limited the size of tourists to 25 in a bid to control the flow of people. But the measures have done little to deter the majority of tourists, who still flock to Venice in huge numbers. Earlier this year, a video shared on social media showed thousands of visitors congesting the narrow Venetian streets near the Grand Canal as they tried to make their way along the water to catch a glimpse of the iconic Carnival parade. Locals have been grappling with over tourism and the impact it has had on their living conditions, and have taken to the streets in recent years to demonstrate against the number of visitors arriving to the Floating City. There are approximately 250,000 people living in the region although only approximately 60,000 live in the Renaissance city itself. Jeff and Lauren's lavish wedding is far from the only large-scale celebration involving celebrities to take place in Venice. In 2014, George and Amal Clooney tied the knot in a star-studded ceremony, which brought hundreds of people to the city hoping to get a glimpse of the glamorous couple and their famous friends and family.
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Daily Mail
Revealed: Where Spain WANTS British tourists to visit - including 'secret island' that's as pretty as Ibiza
Spanish tourism officials say Britons are still welcome in Spain this summer - they just need to discover the country's 'still unknown' destinations, including a beautiful island that gets just a few hundred visitors a year. This weekend once again saw impassioned anti-tourism marches, which included banner-carrying locals and children squirting tourists with water pistols, in Palma de Mallorca, Barcelona and Ibiza. Thousands of locals came out to protest - and tell Brits to 'go home' on Sunday as part of widespread protests against 'over-tourism '. Holidaymakers were visibly stunned by the dramatic demonstrations - as fed-up locals were seen banging their drums and chanting slogans as tourists tried to enjoy bars and restaurants on Sunday afternoon. The protests were the latest in a string of marches that have targeted key Spanish tourist destinations in recent months. On Friday, the UK Spanish tourist office unveiled a list of the country's relatively unknown regions and destinations, in the hope that holidaymakers will point their compasses in the direction of less crowded destinations without abandoning Spain entirely. Pedro Medina of Spain's Tourism Office in the UK, said: 'Tourism in Spain is a story of success. But I would say it is still a relatively unknown country for tourists.' Britons visiting Spain currently account for 19 per cent of its overseas tourism, but around 80 per cent of that figure is solely focused on five popular regions: the Balearics, the Canaries, Andalucia, Catalonia and Valencia. Those seeking an island escape without the masses should consider El Hierro, the westernmost - and quietest - island in the Canaries, which boasts beautiful beaches, spectacular volcanic scenery and historic towns, but recorded just 200 arrivals in 2023. Manuel Butler, Director of the Spanish Tourist Office in the UK, said tourism strategies were now focused on pushing overseas visitors to different corners of Spain. He said: 'We're not chasing volume, we're chasing diversification - in geography, season and demographic - to ensure tourism in Spain remains resilient and beneficial to both visitors and residents.' Northern Spain is also likely to see huge investment in its tourism infrastructure in the coming years - because it has lowly tourism figures compared to the rest of the country, and enjoys cooler temperatures, which could prove enticing as Spain's summers continue to get hotter. The country's least-visited beaches lie on the Cantabrian coast, in Marina Lucense in Galicia. Only 1,800 tourists from Britain visited the destination in 2023, a tiny 0.01% of overall tourism figures. Also in Northern Spain, the wine-producing province of La Rioja is also tipped to enjoy an influx of British tourists thanks to its quiet towns and rolling vineyards - but currently takes just a 0.06% share of the UK market. City breakers might swap out Barcelona or Madrid for Murcia, with tourism officials pushing the south-eastern coastal city, the least visited of Spain's top ten biggest urban destinations. Alongside coastal activities, great tapas and plenty of shopping, the city has historical treasures to explore, including Roman and Moorish sites. Jessica Harvey Taylor, Head of Press at the Spanish Tourist Office, said tourism strategies would now focus on getting people to discover unknown Spanish destinations sooner rather than later, saying: 'We want to share visitor numbers [across the country]. 'If we look at visitor stats at the moment, it's focused on our islands: the Balearics, the Canaries and Andalucia, Catalonia and Valencia. The rest of Spain is a huge country and geographically diverse and receives very few visitors.' In Mallorca this weekend, demonstrations began at Plaza de España, in the heart of the tourist city, shortly after 6pm. Activists claim more than 30,000 people took to the streets to voice their frustrations about the impact of tourism on the island. Placards held up by marchers read: 'Tourists go home', 'Mallorca is not for sale' and 'Mallorca is not your cash cow… go home.' Footage shows Brits visibly shocked by the demonstrations, while some tourists were seen taking refuge on their accommodation balconies. Other signs read: 'Your vacations, our anxiety.' Dozens of placards read 'tourists go home… refugees welcome', while a group of teenagers could be heard chanting 'tourists go home!' as they marched through the city. Children taking part in the protest were seen carrying water pistols, with plans to spray holidaymakers as they passed them. Protesters were heard chanting slogans against Airbnb and 'guiris' - the Spanish slang term used to describe Brits and other foreigners. One placard read: 'Rich foreign property buyers go to hell', while another said: 'Enough is enough.' Local resident Oriol, 40, told MailOnline: 'I'm protesting because I don't want 80% of my money to go on rent. 'I don't want to be forced to speak only English or German in by apartment block. 'I don't want my friends to have to go to the mainland when they have children just to be able to afford a dignified life, a lot of us are fed up.' Alex, 32, has a masters degree and a well-paying job. He told MailOnline: 'I'm here because I cannot afford to buy my own place, I'm having to live with my parents because the rent is also too much. 'There are also far too many people coming to the island for holiday, our resources cannot cope, there needs to be a limit.' The demonstrations are taking place in major destinations including Barcelona, Mallorca, Ibiza, Menorca, San Sebastian, Granada, Tenerife and Malaga. Other European destinations involved in the action include Venice in Italy and Lisbon in Portugal. The action is designed to 'call attention to the social and environmental costs of overtourism.' The protests have been organised by the Southern Europe Network Against Touristification (SET), and are supported by local activist groups. Many locals living in tourist hotspots in Spain believe the industry's model has become too excessive. They say the numbers of visitors continue to increase year by year, creating an increasing demand on local resources. They also complain that the overwhelming amount of tourist activity is causing environmental pollution, particularly in Tenerife, where natural landscapes are not being properly protected by local authorities, while a surge in pleasure boats and sewage waste are polluting the marine environment, they claim.
