Cities rethink tourists attraction way post pandemic truce given - The pandemic has caused many European capitals dependent on tourists to redo the type and way in which they receive millions of visitors throughout the year, betting on more cultural formulas and away from drunken tourism.
Cities like Amsterdam had been struggling for years to curb tourism trade, through fines for drinking in public, rent restrictions or banning certain types of shops, until the pandemic hit.
The region went from having 9 million visitors in 2019, that is, 10 per resident, according to Bloomberg, to not receiving any due to the closure of the borders.
Later, when the movements began to reactivate, it was only done in the form of a drip. The same media explains that the commercial establishments of the city have seen 25% fewer tourists since the health crisis began.
Cities rethink tourists attraction way post pandemic truce
This situation has generated that the locals have the opportunity to walk through its streets without having to come across drunken revelers. Thus, although the city's leaders are aware that they need tourism to survive, they have begun to rethink the way in which the city accepts it. A mentality that has been replicated in the rest of Europe.
Localities want to redo the way they receive tourists, being less annoying for residents and more lucrative for businesses. According to Bloomberg, the idea is to replace drunkenness and partying with museum-goers.
Prague councillor for tourism Hana Třeštíková explains that, before the pandemic, tourism had become unbearable, so COVID was a necessary pause to make changes in how cities are represented, how they are promoted and how to focus on quality rather than quantity.
Cities rethink tourists attraction way post pandemic truce
However, the health crisis also showed the economic dependence that many regions have on this sector. For example, almost 13% of Barcelona's economy and 11% of jobs in Amsterdam depend on or are linked to visitors.
The Spanish city is one of the most visited areas within the region and, although the negative effects of tourism in it are less extreme than the capital of the Netherlands, it also faces a reformulation of the sector.
Xavier Marcé, councilor for Tourism and Creative Industries, explains to Bloomberg, that his intention is to attract visitors who are not only focused on the location by the sea, but also attracted by culture or science.
Cities rethink tourists attraction way post pandemic truce
To do this, they have designed a bus network that distributes tourists evenly and, at the same time, they have frozen short-term rental licenses, whose proliferation has been one of the causes of the excess suffered by the city.
On the other hand, there are cities like Venice that are opposed to distributing tourism around the city, as they prefer that visitors stay in a series of points and residents can have the rest for themselves.
Cities rethink tourists attraction way post pandemic truce
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The price of light continues its bullish climb and touches the historical high: tomorrow will be paid to 117,14 euros the megawatt hour
The price of light continues to rise at the same pace as the previous week and is getting closer to breaking a new record. The cost in the wholesale electricity market will reach tomorrow 117.14 euros per megawatt hour (MWh), standing just 15 cents from the historic mark of the previous Friday.
The value of energy has risen another 3.3% in the last 24 hours, chaining the fourth consecutive day of ascents. After the descent that occurred in the festive bridge of August 16, the light has not stopped rising, stretching the energy crisis that Spain is going through.
The difference can be seen if we compare the cost of just one year ago. The wholesale market price on the third Friday of August 2020 was just 33.58 euros per MWh, which is almost four times lower than the current level.
The increase will be noticed at all times of the day, although the biggest impact will be in the band from 21.00 to 22.00 hours, when the rise will reach 126.14 euros. The cheapest time will take place between 17.00 and 18.00 with a value of 104.07 euros.
This phenomenon is already causing Spaniards to choose to shift their expenses at dawn, when the valley schedule designed by the Ministry of Ecological Transition is found. When the last hours of the day arrive, consumption increases by up to 5%, according to data from Aldro Energía.
The energy crisis that Spain is going through is marked by the increase in the cost of gas in the international market, which feeds the country's combined cycle power plants. Rising CO2 emission allowances or strong demand during the summer also condition the equation.
The phenomenon is not isolated in Spain, it also hits the rest of European countries but with less forcefulness. Germany will pay tomorrow a price of 102.18 euros per MWh, while in France the cost will be 101.06 euros. In the case of Portugal, the price is the same, since both countries share the Iberian market.