Faced with surging numbers of visitors to historic landmarks and natural treasures, France wants to put a lid on the tourist crowds that flood in each year  though officials recognise it won't be easy. Tourism minister Olivia Gregoire unveiled Sunday a plan to regulate visitor flows at the most popular sites and lay out a strategy against "over tourism". She said France, the world's biggest tourist destination, particularly needed to better manage the peak-season influxes that threatened "the environment, the quality of life for locals, and the experiences for its visitors". The issue is urgent for prime destinations worldwide as international travel surges after Covid-19 lockdowns. Many of the most revered French sites, such as the Mont-Saint-Michel abbey in Normandy, say they are being overwhelmed by the number of visitors.

On the famed Channel beach of Etretat -- which saw a tourism surge thanks to the plot of the hit Netflix detective series "Lupin" -- the 1,200 residents see up to 10,000 tourists a day in the high season. "This massive influx ends up trampling and eroding the cliffs and endangers the beach cliffs," said Shai Mallet, co-head of the Etretat Tomorrow residents' association. She also laments the lack of local economic benefits, with visitors staying just a few hours, maybe grabbing an ice cream but not always frequenting restaurants or hotels.

 The government's announcement comes as Paris, which is grappling with a housing shortage in part because homeowners prefer short-term rentals to tourists, said last week it expects 37 million tourists this year, just short of the pre-pandemic level of 38.5 million in 2019. Limits are already being set, with officials capping day visits to the gorgeous Brittany island of Brehat at 4,700 during the peak summer months.

 
Credit : Independent News Pakistan-INP