LAST week, an online article from the World Economic Forum was published regarding “OVERTOURISM.” Upon reading the title, I immediately read the article and was surprised that this phenomenon is not only happening locally, but all over the world.
Overtourism is defined by the article as the excessive growth of visitors leading to overcrowding in areas where residents suffer the consequences of temporary and seasonal tourism peaks, which have enforced permanent changes to their lifestyles, access to amenities and general well-being.
The authors claim that overtourism is harming the landscape, damaging beaches, putting infrastructure under enormous strain, and pricing residents out of the property market. It is a hugely complex issue that is often oversimplified (Milano, et. al., 2018).
When reading the definition and the authors’ claim, it really hits home. Baguio City, my home, the place where I was born and raised, has been experiencing overtourism for the past few years. Many claim that it was when the TPLEX was constructed that tourists start flocking to Baguio especially during the Amihan season where the temperature drops to single digits in the Celsius scale.
But I think, even before that overtourism has been experienced by the city, though not as bad as it is now, especially during the Panagbenga Festival. It just became more observable now that traffic, both vehicular and pedestrian, has become a perennial problem. I am afraid to say that it is so perennial that it may have even reached the terminal stage.
It is true that there are many benefits that are derived from tourism. It provides livelihood to many residents in the city. It helps in the development of the city’s economy. However, there are also many disadvantages that overtourism results to.
One is congestion and traffic. The city was designed for 25,000 people back in 1909, and our population is at the 400,000 level already. With the number quadrupling during tourist peak season, the city is reaching its maximum capacity. And we can help but sigh or curse when we’re stuck in traffic because too much of our time is wasted being stuck in traffic.
Pollution is also a result of this overtourism. One German tourist who became a friend was contemplating of retiring here in Baguio but decided otherwise because of the pollution. The thousands of vehicles plying the city roads everyday have contributed to this, which is exacerbated by the steep terrains which require engines to work double time and emit more smoke.
Come tourist season, the tens of thousands of tourists would bring their own vehicles, contributing further to the already worse pollution in the city.
The garbage problem becomes more a concern when tourist season comes because the number of people disposing of their garbage also increase with the increase of the number of tourists coming.
There are many more disadvantages now than advantages as I see it. We should be made aware of it and we should have a concrete action to address this problem. The city officials have made the tourism industry a milking cow for the past years, and as my facebook friend comments, they have become indifferent of what is happening to our city as long as money comes in, hopefully into the coffers of the city, not into their pockets.
Let us not wait for Baguio City to become a “dead” city. Let us be more aware and be more vigilant in order for our city not to reach the point where it will be closed for rehabilitation, like Boracay, because rehabilitating the city cannot be done in 6 months or even six years.
Together, let us remind our officials and make them aware of the costs of overtourism so that they can make better decisions and policies for the good of our dear city of Baguio.