Roberto Fumagalli, president of the Circolo Ambiente “Ilaria Alpi” speaks on the topic of overtourism on Lake Como in the province of Lecco and Como
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“Lake Como: overtourism is bad for the environment”
Overtourism on the Lario is bad for the environment. Or, better said, the territory of Lake Como is not able to support large flows of tourists. We are seeing it, with ever greater intensity, in the current situation. This concerns the capacity of the historic centers of tourist towns to accommodate a large number of people, but it also applies to travel by car on the roads of the Lake, or for navigation by boat or ferry.
But above all it concerns the environmental and landscape impact that the new structures hypothesized in the territory could have. I am thinking of the project for new ski facilities with artificial snow at low altitude on Monte San Primo. And I am thinking of the project for a new mega tourist resort in Torno. Both of these projects would have a high impact on the natural environment and on the road system.
The territory of Lake Como is very delicate from a hydrogeological point of view, as we have been able to verify in recent years and also in this last period. A territory that presents us with the bill at every cloudburst.
How to get out of overtourism? We need more sustainable forms of tourism which, to get around, rely on public transport (which, in any case, must be strengthened as a priority for the benefit of commuters), but above all it is necessary not to provide any new tourist infrastructure. A limited number of people could be introduced in the most sensitive historical centers and short-term rentals could be regulated, while at the same time favoring forms of widespread quality (and not quantity) tourism, which focuses on culture, the environment and the recovery of old abandoned buildings. in ‘minor’ centres, promoting the local and youth economy, for the direct benefit of local communities.
