By Kamin Gock in London, ABC
They say cash doesn’t buy happiness, but in Europe’s busiest tourist spots it can bring you peace and quiet.
For example: Greece’s Ministry of Culture has revealed plans to offer private, crowd-free tours of the Acropolis of Athens for €5,000 (NZ$9,017).
A ticket to the ancient site costs around 36 New Zealand dollars, and it’s not the only charm on the continent that offers a distinct experience for those with deep pockets.
Lines at the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel in Rome can stretch for a block, but if you have a personal moment with Michelangelo’s ceiling masterpiece, be prepared to shell out $804.
Even the British Museum, which is free, offers after-hours guided tours for $59.
These types of trips are popular “because of their intimacy, exclusivity and prestige,” according to Laura Jeffrey, director of luxury firm Passepartout Travel.
“It’s like saying to your friends, ‘We watched it without anyone else,'” he says.
“I’m surprised it took so long to announce and offer this concept [on the Acropolis]. I think it’s a wonderful concept if that money is used wisely. “
The luxury market is booming and is estimated to be worth $2. 1 trillion, according to a 2023 market research report by Grand View Research.
The sector is expected to grow by 7. 9% annually between 2024 and 2030, as wealthy travelers spend heavily around the world.
Marina Novelli, a professor of marketing and tourism at the University of Nottingham, says it is unclear exactly what the “main purpose” of the Greek government’s resolution to introduce tours is.
“There’s a very big difference between implementing luxury for mere advertising gain and expanding the flow of government money and introducing anything that will be used on the network and identifying tactics to conserve the other attractions visited,” he says.
A Greek government spokesman has told the media in the past that the injection of money would be “reinvested. “
Overcrowding is also a factor at the historic site, where Greece last year imposed a limit of 20,000 people per day.
The entrance is also timed, which means that a certain number of people are allowed per hour.
“The biggest challenge in many of these destinations is that usability was probably known 20 or 30 years ago, but advertising interests caused it to be ignored,” Novelli says.
“The number of visitors to the Acropolis wants to be reduced so that the Acropolis can be maintained in the long term. “
Overtourism is a challenge affecting many citizens of Europe’s and the world’s most popular destinations, eager to strike a balance between a much-needed industry and the preservation of attractions, the environment and the local social fabric.
Tens of thousands of protesters marched last month in the Canary Islands, off the coast of Morocco, to call for a temporary restriction on the number of tourists.
Residents of the Greek island of Paros have staged several demonstrations over fears that their coastline will be flooded with unsustainable sticks.
Meanwhile, in Venice, Italian citizens protested last week against new fees that visitors must pay to the city.
While the government says the NZ$9 payment is aimed at reducing crowds along the canals during the peak holiday season, locals say the city is turning into a theme park.
Greek media report that personal guided tours of the Acropolis will be held from 7 a. m. to 9 a. m. and from 8 p. m. to 8 p. m. to 10:00 p. m. , which would mean that the opening hours for the general public could be delayed by one hour to nine o’clock in the morning.
Critics have called the move “elitist” and say it could worsen the crowds that throng the venue.
“I think it creates a gap between normal travelers and other people who can do those things,” said Jeremy Sampson, executive leader of the Travel Foundation.
“Especially when you’re talking about ancient sites and grassy spaces, the ones that are meant to be shared within society, so it doesn’t make sense to me that you’re turning this into an elite experience. “
Europe is the most visited region in the world and the United Nations expects foreign tourism to return to pre-pandemic levels this year.
While this has undoubtedly boosted economies and jobs around the world, tourism experts want to reconsider how we measure the good fortune of foreign travel.
“Overtourism is not necessarily the root of the problem; it’s a symptom rather than a cause and underneath the surface is what I would call poor plans or imbalance in tourism,” Sampson said.
“The prestige quo is literally not viable for much longer, if at all. “
Novelli says the challenge is new.
“People suffer from short-term memory loss. Before Covid, we were talking about the fact that those numbers were sustainable. “
Charging wealthy visitors for a premium experience isn’t new either, but it’s on the rise. And it remains to be seen whether the extra money will ultimately sustain the experiences for generations to come.
“The knee-jerk reaction is to say it’s a bad thing and in fact, I think it can be a force for intelligence if the money spent is spent well and if there’s some kind of attempt to balance that for those who can’t,” Jeffrey said.
“In a way, I wonder if €5,000 is enough, but I also think you have to be very careful before setting a precedent, which is that only by having €5,000, €10,000 or €20,000 of reserve can you access those places.
Novelli also said there was a threat that expensive trips would become more popular and crowd out other visitors.
“The challenge is that if those teams become popular . . . It’s possible that they will simply increase the number [of rides] and the elitism factor may persist even more because the desire to prioritize those expensive rides will have an obvious and unnoticed effect on those that are loose or cheaper. “
The Greek Ministry of Culture has been contacted for comment.
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