They’re ruining it for everyone.
Another year of bad tourist behavior. With tourism back in swing this year, the number of instances that grabbed headlines have been too many to digest. Destinations are increasingly tightening their laws to deal with tourists acting poorly, from introducing fines to jail times and deportation. There are also some that are actively discouraging tourists from visiting and others that are increasing tourist taxes to keep people in check. No matter what, people are still defacing ancient monuments, ignoring local customs, and breaking the law everywhere in the world. These are just a couple of examples of bad tourists ruining it for others.
The Tourists Who Capsized a Gondola in Venice
A group of tourists were taking a gondola ride in Venice this month when their boat capsized and all of them ended up in the water. The video of the incident was widely shared online and The Guardian reported that it happened when the gondola driver was navigating under a bridge. Despite his warnings, the group of tourists continued to stand and click pictures, which disbalanced the boat.
Venice has been struggling with overtourism for years. While the COVID months offered a respite, tourists are back in the city, but so are new laws to bring balance. The city has banned large cruise ships; it has fines for misdemeanours (like swimming in the canals and siting on monuments and bridges); and from next year, it will also tax daytrippers.
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The Tourists Who Defaced the Colosseum
Another Italian destination that is constantly challenged by tourists is Rome. In July this year, a 27-year-old carved “Ivan + Hayley 23” into an internal wall of the Colosseum, which is around 2,000 years old. He was traced to England and he apologised for the vandalism. In Italy, damaging cultural heritage fetches the hefty fine of up to approximately $19,000 and a prison sentence of up to five years.
Also this summer, a teenager on a holiday with her parents also carved on the inner wall of the Colosseum and a 17-year-old scratched a wall that damaged brickwork before he was stopped by the police. At the famous Trevi Fountain, a woman was filmed climbing the rocks and filling up her bottle before a security guard confronted her.
The Tourists Who Stripped in Bali
Bali has become a hotbed of bad tourists. So much so that the island has been deporting people for disrespecting local customs and it’s planning to start charging a tourist tax. The governor also banned tourist activities on sacred mountains this summer and stricter rules are being enforced for those who want to rent a bike.
Calls for better behavior haven’t stopped tourists from acting up on the island. A German tourist stripped naked in a temple; a Russian was deported for shooting nude with a 700-year-old sacred banyan tree; another Russian was evicted from the country for posting a semi-nude photo at a sacred site.
The Tourists Who Slept in Eiffel Tower
Two drunk Americans were found sleeping in the Eiffel Tower in Paris in August. They had bought tickets to the tower on Sunday night at 10.40pm, but while coming down they hopped security barriers and were found by security guards in the morning. It delayed the opening of the attraction by an hour.
But this wasn’t a lonely incident at Eiffel this year. A man jumped off the Eiffel with a parachute and safely landed in a nearby stadium. He entered the perimeter at 5am before public opening time and was instantly detected. However, he managed to get to the top and jumped off with a backpack, which carried his parachute.
The Tourist Who Vandalized an Ancient Temple in Japan
A UNESCO World Heritage Site in Japan was defaced by a Canadian teenager this year. The 17-year-old carved the word “Julian” into the wooden pillar of the Toshodaiji Kondo temple, an 8th century temple. In Japan, damaging cultural property can lead to a fine of up to $2,000 or a five year prison sentence.
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The Passenger Who Opened Emergency Door Mid-Flight
There have been countless incidents of unruly passengers this year as well. Just this week, a passenger on Spirit Airlines made a mad dash to the door by leaping over seats to deplane faster. In July, a passenger threw a fit over his lack of meal preference and the flight had to be diverted.
But a shocking incident that happened this year was when a passenger aboard an Asiana Airlines flight managed to open the emergency door minutes before landing. The plane landed safely and no injuries were reported.
Such incidents have also been reported in the U.S. where passengers have tried to open emergency exits. In March, a Delta passenger opened the door, activated the slide, and exited the aircraft while it was on the runway. He was arrested.
Since 2021 when unruly behavior peaked in the U.S., the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has referred more than 270 cases to the FBI for prosecution. In the country, violations can lead to fines of up to $37,000, ban by airlines, and jail time.
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I want to commend this Fodors site for calling attention to the worst of mass tourism, through this article, and a recent one by Scott Laird. Of course it's hard to know what to do about this "dufus tourist" problem, short of extremely severe punishments strictly enforced (and as other countries are not bound by the eighth amendment of the US Constitution, they should be able to come up with something). But at least Fodors is doing its part.
First of all, it is important that when people go abroad, as well as when they simply stay in their own countries to behave properly. no one benefits in anyway from bad behavior, no matter where it occurs.
speaking of bad behavior, I do feel quite honestly that Fodor’s could do more, much more I think to clean up their own website of members whose posts are instigating in one way or another. Whether abroad or at home or here bad behavior should not be tolerated.