en 
“The neighbourhoods have become ‘Disneylands’, they have too many people. The cruise terminal, for example, in Lisbon, unloads thousands of people into the city on a weekend who do not consume, leave nothing behind, except trash and pressure and pollution, due to the cruises themselves”, warned Mariana Mortágua, in statements to journalists in the Alfama neighbourhood, in Lisbon.
The BE leader visited this neighbourhood with the aim of raising awareness of phenomena such as “excessive tourism”, the construction of new hotels or the increase in local accommodation in the capital but also in other parts of the country, including Porto and the Algarve.
“There comes a time when we have to look at people's reality, how they live, how they can't afford housing, how the economy is excessively dependent on tourism, how tourism puts pressure on our cities, causes pollution, and is I need to say that there is a limit and that tourism must have rules. There must be a limit to the number of hotels that can be built in Lisbon and there must be a limit to the number of local accommodation that a neighbourhood like Alfama can accommodate”, she argued.
With several criticisms of the president of Lisbon City Council, Carlos Moedas (PSD), Mortágua stated that since the beginning of the social democrat's mandate, in Lisbon, “hotels have been opened at a rate of two every month”.
“Don't tell us that the housing problem is a problem of lack of construction, because construction for hotels, for local accommodation, for luxury condominiums, has continued. The problem is that more and more houses are being sucked up for tourism, for luxury housing, which is aimed at the foreign market, and there are no houses where people can live”, she argued.
English
Nederlands
Deutsch
Français
Español
Italiano
Svenska
Pусский
Română
中文
Türkçe
हिन्दी
Português
Українська
اردو
Polski
عربي
Suomi
עִברִית
Afrikaans
Português (Brasil)
I am all for controlling and limiting tourism, and I fully support the increased tourism tax. But, blaming trash on tourists, especially cruise related tourists, is ridiculous. Look in neighborhoods with bars and fast food restaurants like McDonalds. There is trash everywhere each morning, and it comes from the local young people. They have zero regard for their community, discarding their food wrappers and plastic drink cups everywhere.
By Jeff P from Lisbon on 12 Jul 2024, 11:12
Over-tourism is a real problem, and one that is faced in many cities around the world, including Portugal. There are real efforts being made in many destinations to curb the issue as sustainable and ESG reporting becomes mandated across the world and in Europe.
As a tourism professional for the last 20 years I have since the outset been an advocate of Sustainable Development and have practiced it across 4 continents.
Unfortunately Lisbon, Algarve and Porto have allowed the cruise industry (which has a poor reputation around the world) to dictate and bully local ports and councils into accepting the +10,000 passengers in a day (some ships can have more than 6,000 passengers), where almost all the revenue made is by the port authorities, with thousands of passengers spending very little on-shore on the day-visits.
Regenerative tourism practices have been successful in many locations, especially where Tourism Authorities study and assess the actual revenue contributions made by different tourist 'types'. In the past TA's have focussed on numbers only, with targets to increase the numbers each year - meaning that growth at all costs has been applied. There are good examples around the world where de-growth is being applied, with a focus turning to revenue and quality tourism that contributes and balances out the resident and tourist populations in cities and districts. When properly applied this balance brings about much happier tourists and residents, who then mix easily together and avoids the "us and them" situations unfortunately seen and personally witnessed in Lisbon.
Authorities should not use the usual "big-money" consultants who only instigate the outcomes they wish to see.
By Tony Williams from Other on 12 Jul 2024, 13:08
This is all nothing new. Why build a big cruise terminal when everybody knows the outcome? What is complained about is no surprise, but was planned like that.
By Tom from Lisbon on 12 Jul 2024, 13:57
Too many in some places and not enough in places like Freixo de Espada a Cinta !!
By Denise Pereira from Other on 12 Jul 2024, 17:15
The influx of Americans and other foreign nationals retiring or buying second (and third, and more) homes in Portugal has ruined affordability for locals. Especially as Airbnb and similar sites turn residences and residential neighborhoods into unwanted hotel zones. Vacation rentals have commodified existence, pricing out locals as a small handful of national and international owners siphon up wealth. As a Yank, I see this, and it caused me to cancel any consideration I had for retirement in Portugal, which began a decade ago. Now, I do not want to be part of the problem.
By Andyman from USA on 12 Jul 2024, 22:16
It's hard to take the BE seriously. In my point of view Disney is what the Portuguese parliament has become for years. A country which the economy depends on Tourism cannot attack it without attacking its own economy. Ask the BE Maleficent Mortagua if her party would decrease income taxes so we could all get that extra money to rent. The only goal they have is to make you dependent of social programs.
By Ruy Melo from Lisbon on 16 Jul 2024, 16:32
Mortagua is right. Lisboa has become like the Algarve, you can barely tell that you are in Portugal anymore.
By Henry from Lisbon on 21 Jul 2024, 01:50