Holiday blow as popular destination calls for fewer tourists from UK

POPULAR holiday destinations across France are calling for fewer British holidaymakers in a major tourism shake-up.

As part of a new tourism strategy, France has unveiled plans to combat over-tourism.

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In recent months, several hit TV shows such as Emily in Paris and Lupin have increased the popularity of already popular sites.

French holiday hotspots such as Mont-Saint-Michel abbey in Normandy have said that they are “being overwhelmed by the number of visitors”.

According to French24, the French tourism minister, Olivia Gregoire, unveiled plans to curb the number of visitors to popular sites.

She said: “France is the world’s main tourist destination, but we have a serious lack of data.”

“It’s up to the government, working hand in hand with regional officials and tourist sites, to implement measures for informing tourists and locals, and to help manage the crowds.”

The French government revealed that 80 per cent of tourists only visit around 20 per cent of the country.

In a bid to keep tourist numbers manageable, the government will encourage holidaymakers to visit lesser-known parts of the country.

They will also enlist social media influencers to explain the risks associated with overtourism.

And according to the Daily Express, holiday hotspots such as the Calanques National Park, near Marseille have already introduced a cap on the number of visitors.

And France isn’t the only popular destination that’s calling for less holidaymakers in a bed to tackle tourism levels.

Earlier this year, Lanzarote, in the Canary Islands, announced that it wanted fewer holidaymakers from the UK.  

As part of a new tourism strategy, the island plans to declare itself a “tourist-saturated area,” and will look to welcome fewer tourists who have greater spending power.

Lanzarote isn’t the only tourist hotspot in Spain that plans to reduce its reliance on Brits.

The Balearic Islands, which include Majorca, Menorca and Ibiza, have become the latest holiday destination in Spain to ask for fewer Brits.

The local government says 16,475,579 holidaymakers arrived in 2022 and this will be the “absolute ceiling” for future years.

Meanwhile, Brit holiday hotspot Amsterdam,  is introducing its “stay away” campaign, urging tourists to consider going elsewhere if they’re only planning to “let loose”.

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