The attitude towards domestic tourists in Russia has become clear: they do not like and are afraid

Crimeans are annoyed by their disdainful attitude towards nature

A recent public opinion poll conducted in the tourist regions of the Russian Federation brought unexpected results. It turned out that the famous resorts of the Krasnodar region are crowded in the summer not only with sunbathing bodies, but also with irritation of local residents. 38% of Kuban admitted intolerance towards ill-mannered and arrogant tourists. What Crimeans don’t like most is the garbage from the “ponaekhs” and the disdainful attitude towards the nature of the peninsula – 28% of residents admitted this. Altaians are also annoyed by garbage – 29%, and in this they are in solidarity with the residents of Kaliningrad.

The survey from the recruiting agency was conducted in 7 regions with the participation of 2,100 respondents. It’s interesting that the first thing sociologists asked was what exactly irritates locals about tourists (the option was “nothing irritates”). The second issue was an analogy with the governor of Bali, who once proposed closing the paradise island to tourists for 100 years. And a “trick question”: “Do you think protected areas should be closed to tourists in order to protect the environment?”

Residents of Kamchatka rank first in terms of tolerance – nothing about tourists there irritates 74% of the population. Next comes Dagestan with 60% of not irritated locals, the Stavropol Territory closes the top three with 53%. But the Kaliningrad region is also on the way to the absence of xenophobia – nothing irritates 47% of the population about tourists.

Disrespect for local residents and service personnel also causes noticeable rejection in tourist regions. 29% of Kuban residents, 28% of Stavropol residents, and 20% of Gorno-Altais residents do not tolerate such treatment. Also on the list of main reasons for dislike: the appearance and inappropriate clothing of tourists, violation of traffic rules and traffic jams. And only then those same crowds on the beaches and embankments – Krasnodar and Kaliningrad residents are most dissatisfied with the invasion, but this is the “more” – only 3% each.

A special question from the governor of Bali about preserving the pristine local nature from tourists caused more unanimity among Altai residents – 39% were in favor of limiting mass tourism (versus 42%). Crimea is in second place – 38% voted for this idea (against 48%). In the Kaliningrad region, 37% are in favor, 49% are against. Krasnodar Territory, Stavropol Territory, Dagestan and Kamchatka – affirmatively equally, 33%.

It is interesting that, despite the expressed desire to preserve the ecology of the region, Kamchatka turned out to be the only resort with “zeros” when asked about irritation with the number of tourists and their violation of road rules and traffic jams. Apparently, most travelers do not travel such a distance in large numbers and by motor transport.

In the Krasnodar region, which, according to ATOR, was visited by almost 16 million tourists this year, there was a garbage collapse on some beaches. Especially after the storms that abounded this summer, hummocks of garbage washed ashore: plastic bottles, bags, cups, cigarette butts and other things. “Tourists are pigs,” local residents shared among themselves, and hung warning posters with images of this unclean animal near private houses.

And Kaliningrad and the surrounding resort towns of the former East Prussia are stuck in traffic jams due to the influx of vacationers. The highway capacity and public transport there are simply not designed for the “arriving hordes” (again, local terminology). And the same goes for the power grid: along with the visitors, local residents while away the nights without light in some castle hotel. However, everywhere there is its own, but somewhat similar, homespun truth and pain. “Tourists have gone wild,” Altai residents complain. “This is all: masks, bags, gloves and condoms – a gift to the mountain spirits, or what?” Well, in Dagestan, of course, they look askance at shorts, T-shirts and other summer frivolities. Okay, still in Makhachkala, but “the higher you go in the mountains, the longer the skirt should be,” tour operators joke.

However, residents of our resorts are not the only ones who have been bothered by annoying tourists. Venice, one of the most popular tourist cities in the world, has long suffered from mass tourism. Therefore, in 2017, the city hall seriously thought about introducing restrictions on the number of visitors. And this is generally relevant for Italy – Pisa, Burano or Chianti, and Rome all dream of living among their own people. Barcelona, ​​Amsterdam and Dubai also planned to guard against “overtourism” by introducing tourist taxes or restrictions on rental accommodation through electronic bookings. But they were not very successful in this.