Tourism is shattering records worldwide. Last year, Europe received 747 million visitors.
Here in Mexico City, protests against tourists and digital nomads in general, and American visitors in particular, started on the 4th of July, and have been taking place every weekend since. But while Mexico City, with a population of 22 million, got fewer than 6 million tourists last year, the City of Barcelona, with a population of 1.6 million, received 26 million tourists in 2024.
Anti-tourism protests have become a common sight in Europe, especially in Barcelona, Venice, Lisbon, Genoa, Palermo, Milan, Naples, Paris, Palma de Mallorca, Ibiza, San Sebastián, Valencia, Granada, Bilbao, Menorca, Sevilla, Tenerife, Málaga, and Bologna.
Protesters claim that foreigners rent Airbnbs, spend too much in bars and restaurants, tip too much and, in general, drive up the local cost of living.
Meanwhile, tourism has been denigrated in the over-tourism hotspots. On Barcelona’s main street, called La Rambla, some 80 million people per year (locals, Spanish visitors and foreign tourists) set food on this street. It can take 20 minutes to get from one side of the street to the other, with a sea of humanity blocking the way.
Over-tourism crushes authentic local cultures. As the tourists pour in, looking to spend money, businesses are transformed to satisfy the demand for large-scale simulacra — a make-believe version of the culture. Savvy businesses spend big to create Instagrammable scenes and experiences, (investment that must be recouped through high prices) which wannabe travel influencers line up to capture. In many locations, thousands of people per hour take the same photo in the same spot all day, every day.
Nobody’s happy. Locals feel overrun. Tourists can’t find authenticity. Prices are soaring. And it can feel impossible for anyone to escape the crowds.
Finding beauty, peace and tranquility
As you know by now, The Gastronomad Experience is a magical culinary travel adventure that transcends tourism by immersing you in authentic local cultures, bringing you together with passionate food artisans, visionary chefs, and kindred spirits to celebrate life, food, wine, and human connection in the most beautiful places on Earth.
Gastronomad Experiences are the opposite of over-tourism. We avoid tourism and the tourist hotspots, opting instead for the wide-open spaces and real culture.
While conventional tourists exploit, Gastronomad Experiences nurture the places we frequent. We support local artisans, indigenous makers and growers, organic and sustainable agriculture and our local friends who are doing the hard work of traditional food and wine making.
Instead of Airbnbs, we stay in beautiful restored farmhouses and delightful boutique hotels.
Instead of fake, staged faux culture, we participate in the real culture with our local friends, often in their homes.
Instead of cramming into the same old restaurants everybody knows about, we delight in discovering the truly undiscovered gems, rising star chefs and hidden, family-owned spots — in addition to some of the greatest and most renowned restaurants that we deem Gastronomadworthy).
Instead of crowding into a popular tasting room at highly commercialized wineries, we drink vastly superior wines, often at the homes of the winemakers, or at little tables in the cellars.
Instead of seeking out backdrops for Instagram and using locations as merely a slightly novel place to drink (as so many tourists do), we learn about food culture from cooks, cheesemakers, winemakers, food experts and farmers, who happen to be our friends. We immerse ourselves and participate in the authentic culture.
And we love dining al fresco, under the sky and stars. We love tasting wine in the vineyard. We love the wide-open spaces where the nearest tourist is many miles away.
Even in Venice, during our Prosecco Hills & Venice Gastronomad Experience, guests enjoy that city’s authentic gastronomy in an exclusive 800-year-old dining room and the wide-open spaces of its quiet neighborhoods and outlying islands.
And you won’t even believe how peaceful, tranquil, and idyllic our Barcelona & Cava Wine Country Gastronomad Experience is.
Get away from the noise, crowds, and chaos of over-tourism. Experience the simple pleasure of sharing the world’s finest food and wine in a moon-lit vineyard under the stars.
Mike
