SUN JOURNAL • September 1, 2024
From Provincetown to Portofino, locals are angry about the impact of mass tourism on their daily lives. Too hot in Rome? How about Bar Harbor, Maine, with its cooling breezes? That thought has already occurred to the multitudes. Not long ago, mega cruise ships were disgorging as many as 4,000 passengers a day into this small town of about 5,200. The voters subsequently capped the number of cruise visitors to 1,000 a day — over the howls of local tourist-dependent businesses. We get that tourism is the main source of income for many of these places. But residents should get a say. The travel industry is hustling us. Don’t let it. ~ Froma Harrop