European holiday destinations are troubled by the surge in RVs
2024-08-19
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Liu He, our correspondent in Germany
According to Germany's Die Welt on the 17th, the surge in the number of RVs in Europe has put tremendous pressure on the local environment and infrastructure, and has also caused community conflicts and tourism management problems. Many holiday resorts are facing unprecedented troubles.
The Algarve region in southern Portugal is famous for its fine sandy beaches, towering rock formations, popular surfing spots and many characteristic towns. According to local Portuguese media reports, hundreds of RVs were parked on the beaches of the Algarve in April this year, and in the summer, the number reached thousands. A local resident recently expressed his dissatisfaction with RV campers on a social platform: these tourists start their travel life for several months in the southwest end of the Algarve from February to March every year. Although this lifestyle is full of romance and freedom for campers, it means destruction and "invasion" for local residents. They often ignore local legal prohibitions and even drive their vehicles off the road, crossing bushes, bird breeding areas and other fragile ecological areas.
Similar situations have also occurred in Spain, Denmark and other places. In Alicante, Spain, local environmental organizations reported that hundreds of RVs often illegally enter protected beach wetlands, and campers not only leave a lot of garbage, but also discharge wastewater directly into the sea.
To meet this challenge, many European countries and regions have introduced new regulations on RV tourism and strengthened supervision to ensure the sustainability of tourism resources and the rights and interests of local residents.
In southern France, the government has taken a number of restrictive measures, including prohibiting RVs from parking in certain areas, raising the fees for RV parking lots, and increasing penalties for illegal parking. Some areas have also set up special RV checkpoints and increased patrols by police and environmental protection personnel to ensure that RV tourists comply with environmental regulations, focusing on combating illegal parking in nature reserves and other sensitive areas.
Italian resorts have also begun to strengthen RV management. Some municipal governments have stipulated that RVs can only be parked in designated parking lots and reservations are required in advance. These designated areas are equipped with sufficient garbage disposal facilities and sewage treatment stations to minimize the impact of RVs on the environment.
Spain's Balearic Islands have adopted even stricter restrictions. The local government has not only designated areas where RVs are prohibited from entering, but also requires RV tourists to pay environmental protection fees when entering the islands, in order to increase local environmental protection spending and reduce the negative impact of RV tourism on the local environment.
The Automobile Club of Europe (ACE) has also issued a warning about RV camping. Its report pointed out that among the 37 countries and regions listed, most countries and regions prohibit RV camping in the wild, and only a few countries and regions allow such camping under certain restrictions. If RV travelers do not comply with local regulations, they may face police inspections or even heavy fines.#Deep Good Articles Project#
