Anti-tourism marches spread across Europe

Level 2 l Upper intermediate

1 Warmer
a. Which countries are these places in or part of?
1. Rome
2. Venice
3. Barcelona
4. Dubrovnik
5. Mallorca

b. What do these places have in common?

c. Which other places are mentioned in the article?

2 Key words
a. Match the key words with the definitions. Then, find them in the article to read them in context. The
paragraph numbers are given to help you.

crack down expel fines impact measures paddle

phobia rentals seasonality sector slash sweltering

1. affected in an uncomfortable way by extreme heat ___________________________ (para 1)

2. a very strong feeling of disliking or being afraid of someone or something ___________________________
(para 1)
3. a part of a country’s economic or business activity ___________________________ (para 1)
4. an effect or an influence ___________________________ (para 2)
5. cut something in a violent way ___________________________ (para 2)
6. force someone to leave the place where they live ___________________________ (para 2)
7. happening only, or mainly, during a particular time of the year ___________________________ (para 7)
8. deal with someone or something much more strictly ___________________________ (para 8)
9. places that you pay money to stay in such as a room, a house or a flat ___________________________
(para 8)
10. play or walk in water that is not very deep ___________________________ (para 10)
11. actions that are intended to achieve or deal with something ___________________________ (para 10)
12. money that you have to pay because you have broken a law ___________________________ (para 11)

b. Underline the stressed syllable in each of the key words.

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NEWS LESSONS / Anti-tourism marches spread across Europe / Upper intermediate

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Anti-tourism marches spread across Europe
Level 2 l Upper intermediate
First Venice and Barcelona: now
anti-tourism marches spread
across Europe
Will Coldwell
10 August, 2017
1 With the European mainland sweltering under
a heatwave nicknamed Lucifer, tempers have
been boiling over, too, as anti-tourism protests
take place in some of Europe’s most popular
destinations. Despite this “tourism-phobia”,
the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has
defended the sector – it is asking local authorities
to do more to manage the growth in tourist
numbers in a sustainable manner.
2 The focal point for much of this has been
Spain, which had a record 75.6 million tourists
in 2016. In Barcelona, where anger has been
growing for years over the unchecked increase
in visitors and the impact of websites such as
Airbnb on the local housing market, Arran, the
youth wing of the radical CUP (Popular Unity
Candidacy), have slashed the tyres of rental
bicycles and a tour bus. An Arran spokesperson
told the BBC: “Today’s model of tourism expels
people from their neighbourhoods and harms the
environment.” Spanish Prime Minister Mariano
Rajoy described the group as “extremists”.
3 There have also been protests in Mallorca and
San Sebastián, where an anti-tourism march
is planned to coincide with a major festival of
Basque culture.
4 Other demonstrations have taken place across
southern Europe. In July, 2017, in Venice – which
has more than 20 million visitors a year but only
55,000 residents – 2,000 locals marched through
the city, expressing their anger at rising rents and
the impact of huge cruise ships and the pollution
they cause on the city’s delicate environment.
5 Speaking to The Guardian, UNWTO Secretary
General Taleb Rifai said the rise in anti-tourist
feelings is “a very serious situation that needs to
be addressed in a serious way”.
6 “Ensuring that tourism is an enriching experience
for both visitors and hosts demands strong,
sustainable tourism policies, with the involvement
of national as well as local governments and
administrations, private-sector companies, local
communities and tourists themselves,” he said.
7 UNWTO recommends a number of ways
to manage crowds in destinations, such as
© Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2017
NEWS LESSONS / Anti-tourism marches spread across Europe / Upper intermediate
encouraging tourists to visit beyond the central
sights, diversifying tourist activities, reducing
seasonality and, importantly, addressing the
needs of the local community. The focus should
not be, it says, on simply stopping tourists arriving.
8 Earlier in 2017, Barcelona started cracking
down on unlicensed Airbnb rentals, doubling the
numbers of inspectors checking properties. Of
around 16,000 holiday rentals in the city, 7,000
are believed to be unlicensed.
9 In Venice, the mayor’s office has also been
attempting to tackle the problem. In June, 2017,
it said it would introduce a ban on new tourist
accommodation in the city centre and “people
counters” have been installed at popular sites to
monitor overcrowding.
10 Italy has also been cracking down on anti-social
behaviour in other tourist hotspots. In Rome, this
means a ban on people eating or paddling in
the city’s fountains and drinking on the street at
night. Similar measures have been put into place
in Milan, which introduced a summer ban on
everything from food trucks to selfie sticks in the
Darsena neighbourhood.
11 In Dubrovnik, another city where cruise ships
unload thousands of visitors at a time, the mayor
has introduced cameras to monitor the number of
visitors in its UNESCO-listed old town so that the
flow of people entering can be slowed – or even
stopped – once a certain number is reached.
Meanwhile, the mayor of popular Croatian
party island Hvar has promised to put an end to
unacceptable behaviour by mostly British tourists
by handing out huge fines.
12 For Duncan McCann, researcher at the New
Economics Foundation, there are a number
of factors for the tourism-phobia, including the
rise of Airbnb, an increasing number of tourists
making short city breaks and the huge cruise
ships. Both people on city breaks and cruise-ship
passengers are much more likely to remain in a
city centre rather than explore further afield.
13 “These changes are really putting pressure
on these locations, increasing the numbers
and reducing the spread of the tourists,” says
McCann. “If you think about the layout of a lot of
these European cities – old and with a network of
smaller streets – you can see why local residents
start to feel that tourists are taking over.”
© Guardian News and Media 2017
First published in The Guardian, 10/08/17
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 Anti-tourism marches spread across Europe
Level 2 l Upper intermediate
3 Collocations
1. Match the words to make collocations from the article.

1. anti-social a. sector
2. enriching b. wing
3. focal c. experience
4. further d. community
5. housing e. increase
6. local f. behaviour
7. youth g. point
8. private h. market
9. selfie i. afield
10. sustainable j. manner
11. unchecked k. stick
2. Find and underline the collocations in the article and notice how they are used in context. Discuss
their meanings.
3. Use the collocations in sentences of your own about the article.

4 Comprehension check
Answer the questions using information from the article.
1. What are the anti-tourism protesters angry about?
2. How has Airbnb added to the problems?
3. What does the UNWTO recommend?
4. What measures have local authorities already taken in the following places?
a. Rome
b. Hvar
c. Dubrovnik
d. Milan
e. Barcelona
f. Venice
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NEWS LESSONS / Anti-tourism marches spread across Europe / Upper intermediate

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 Anti-tourism marches spread across Europe
Level 2 l Upper intermediate
5 Discussion
1. Places

• Have you ever visited any of the places in the article?

If so, …
o where did you go?
o how did you get there?
o what did you do while you were there?
o where did you stay?
o how long did you stay?
o was your experience there mostly positive or negative?

If not, …
o would you like to visit any of these places?
o which one(s) and why?
• Do you know of any other places that have problems caused by tourism?

2. Cruise ships

• Have you ever been on a cruise?

If so, talk about your experience.
If not, does a cruise appeal to you? Why? Why not?
• What impact does the arrival of a cruise ship have on a place?

3. What now?

• Discuss the merits and potential difficulties of …

o limiting the number of tourists;
o limiting the number of cruise ships;
o introducing tourist-free days;
o introducing a tourist tax;
o introducing different charges for tourists and residents in restaurants, in shops, on public transport, etc;
o taxing Airbnb lets.
• What other ideas can you think of that might limit the problems caused by tourism?
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NEWS LESSONS / Anti-tourism marches spread across Europe / Upper intermediate

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Anti-tourism marches spread across Europe
Level 2 l Upper intermediate
6 Webquest
a. Choose one of the places mentioned in the article.
Find out …
1. exactly why it is so popular with tourists;
2. recent facts and figures relating to tourism;
3. how tourism has changed the look and feel of the place over the last 25 to 50 years;
4. details of any protest movements active there;
5. what the local authorities are doing to address any tourism-related problems.
Present your findings.

b. Read the article below to find out how one Italian town is saving itself by encouraging tourists to visit.
www.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/19/civita-di-bagnoregio-italy-dying-town-tourist-toll

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NEWS LESSONS / Anti-tourism marches spread across Europe / Upper intermediate

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Anti-tourism marches spread across Europe
Level 2 l Upper intermediate
KEY
1 Warmer 4. i – a greater distance away, especially from where
you live or are staying
a. 5. h – the trade in buying and selling houses
1. Italy 6. d – the people who live in a certain area
2. Italy 7. b – a part of an organization that is for, and/or run
3. Spain by, young people
4. Croatia 8. a – all the businesses, industries and services that
5. Spain are not owned or managed by the government
9. k – an expandable pole that you attach to a mobile
b. (suggested answer)
phone or camera to help you take a photo of
They are popular holiday destinations with a growing yourself and other people with you
anti-tourism movement. 10. j – a way that does not hurt the environment
c. 11. e – a rise in the number of something that is not
Milan (Italy), San Sebastián (Spain), Hvar (Croatia) controlled or prevented from happening
Teacher’s tip: If possible, before moving on to the next
task, show students the three photos that accompany 4 Comprehension check
the article (get the full screen versions by clicking on
any of the photos). Ask them to talk about what they 1. that the number of tourists has been rising
see in the photos. unchecked for years; the environmental impact of
www.theguardian.com/travel/2017/aug/10/anti-tourism- huge cruise ships
marches-spread-across-europe-venice-barcelona 2. Local people are no longer able to afford to buy or
rent properties.
3. encouraging tourists to visit beyond the central sights,
2 Key words diversifying tourist activities, reducing seasonality and
addressing the needs of the local community
1. sweltering 4. a. banning people from eating or paddling in the
2. phobia city’s fountains and drinking on the street at night
3. sector b. pledging to put an end to unacceptable
4. impact behaviour by handing out huge fines
5. slash
c. introducing cameras to monitor the number of
6. expel
visitors into the old town, slowing or even stopping
7. seasonality
them when the numbers are too high
8. crack down
9. rentals d. introducing a summer ban on everything from
10. paddle food trucks to selfie sticks in the
11. measures Darsena neighbourhood
12. fines e. cracking down on unlicensed Airbnb rentals by
doubling the number of inspectors
checking properties
3 Collocations
f. planning to introduce a ban on new tourist
accommodation in the city centre and installing
1. f­ ­­– a way of behaving that shows a lack of care for
people counters at popular sites to
other people or for society in general
stop overcrowding
2. c – something you do that makes your life better
3. g – the most important part of something that you
concentrate on or pay particular attention to
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NEWS LESSONS / Anti-tourism marches spread across Europe / Upper intermediate

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