Home no more

I am used to sharing my home. For most of my life that has been the norm. Growing up in the Canary Islands, tourism was just part of everyday life.

Belonging to a top holiday destination oddly made me feel desired, important and lucky.

But tourism is based on a very fine balance of mutual respect, so when you reach tipping point, a narrative emerges of us vs them and it can get very ugly. 

Being priced out of your own home is a bitter pill to swallow, and trying to find an affordable flat in the current market is a daunting challenge.

But the impact of mass tourism isn’t just economic – it’s deeply personal. It risks turning communities into shadows of their former selves. My partner is from Inverness, a music aficionado shaped by the legacy of the Ironworks. For him, growing up near The Highland’s much-loved music venue was a badge of pride. But three years ago, that feeling was snatched away when the council approved a plan for the site to be demolished and replaced by a 155-bed hotel, despite significant local backlash.

“I felt like I had lost a part of who I am”, he often tells me. Earlier this month plans for the hotel fell through, sparking a debate over a community buy-out – perhaps a chance for leaders to make amends.

But even if they do, it’s hard to ignore the fact that it’s come years too late. The damage has already been done. This too-little-too-late pattern seems to repeat elsewhere.

In January, Spanish president Pedro Sanchez proposed a 100 per cent tax on property purchases by non-EU buyers, describing the measures as “unprecedented” but necessary to fix the housing crisis. His decision came two years after tourist numbers were seven times the population of the Canary Islands.

Similarly, Edinburgh City Council’s five per cent tourism levy came six years after the Edinburgh Tourism Action Group, the main lobby for tourist business, called for “collective intervention” to protect historic areas and residential life.

Unsurprisingly, tourism firms argue the levy decision isn’t a well-thought-out solution, but rather a quick fix to a crisis that has been allowed to spiral out of control. Fiona Campbell, chief executive of the Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers, said: “In the rush to be first, rather than getting it right from the get-go, their slapdash approach risks undermining the levy before it has even started… a badly implemented policy will do more harm than good”. She highlighted the burden it would have on visitors and businesses, citing that the former will have to pay the extra tax plus VAT, which is unheard of in Europe.

Both are instances of delayed action that have left locals and businesses to bear the consequences. Both are band-aid solutions for an issue that needs systemic change. Both are short-term political wins that lack any realistic long-term solution. Higher taxes won’t tackle the housing emergency or protect key infrastructure.

Had both governments addressed the issue when first raised, perhaps tourists, locals and businesses could’ve faced a fairer outcome.

The ‘tourist go home’ movement isn’t driven by hatred but by tiredness of feeling like an afterthought for politicians who were supposed to fight for locals. And when calls fall on deaf ears, it is no surprise it leads to the proliferation of loud and often confrontational actions against tourists – the fastest way to make some noise.

Tourism isn’t the enemy. Poor management is.

Since last time…went to the Big Apple…lost at pool multiple times…ran a half marathon