Efforts to limit the negative impacts of tourism on cities, towns, nature, and their resident’s quality of life are gaining ground.

Portofino, Italy is fining tourists ($300. USD) taking selfies in its most congested tourist spots. Venice, Italy is charging tourists a daily entry fee (the more tourists in a day the higher the entry fee). Peru is protecting Macha Picchu by limiting tourists on the Inca Trail to 200 tourists a day, a maximum 4-hour stay at the Inca ruins, and guides are required.

Here in the states, it takes a year or more to get a pass to hike Mount Whitney (the highest mountain peak in the continental U.S.) In Montana and Wyoming, private landowners have cut off access to wild lands and open space around them. Reservations are required to camp in the most popular locations in several National Parks. In California, high parking fees are imposed along much of the coastline. Santa Monica and Venice have limited street parking to one hour. Other cities are reducing the size and number of public parking lots. Parts of the Appalachian and Pacific Crest trails are getting so crowded, passes are required.

Like a Disneyland adventure, several countries are creating tourist locations that “appear” to be real places (e.g. Mexico, China, Thailand, India, and some countries in South America). In other countries, including America, whole towns have been transformed into tourist spots.

Obviously, charging money will shut out the poor, and make these places even more attractive to the ever demanding rich. Teddy Abrams figured out how to solve this problem. Space was limited, so he held a raffle for tickets (one dollar) to see Yo-Yo Ma and the Louisville orchestra concert in Mammoth cave.

As far as I’m concerned, the days of travel are long gone.