Curfew for tourists

• One of the most popular areas of the capital will be closed to visitors during the afternoon and evening

• The measure has been adopted following complaints from residents who endure intense rush of tourists daily.

If the post-pandemic scenario is demonstrating something, it is that for large tourist destinations there is a greater danger than rising prices, rising housing prices or even extreme heat waves that threaten to redefine the map and the dynamics of the territory. The biggest danger that awaits them is to die of success. This happens in Barcelona, ​​Venice or Amsterdam, cities where residents clearly show their discomfort with overcrowding. And it happens in Seoul where, to prevent hordes of visitors from choking one of its most popular neighborhoods, they have decided to impose a radical measure: curfews.

And this is not the only strategy they will follow.

The essence of Seoul. Seoul is a cosmopolitan, modern city, whose skyline is made up of skyscrapers up to 550 meters high, but that does not mean that it does not have places where its past and traditions emerge. A clear example of this is Bukchon Hanok Village, a neighborhood where it is possible to walk among the typical houses of the country, known by the name of hanok. Enochwhich traces its history back to the 14th century. Bukchon also sprawls over a central district, not far from the royal Jongmyo Shrine and the popular Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung palaces.

A traditional…and busy destination.Its landscape and attractions have turned Bukchon Hanok Village into a magnet for tourists who come daily to marvel at its streets. Enoch. And in this case the tide is exactly in line with reality. It is estimated that 6.4 million tourists pass through the region each year and that the number will reach 6.6 million in 2023, including tourists from other parts of South Korea and abroad. In practice, this means about 18,000 visitors per day.

The thing is that Bukchon is not just about tourism. If the neighborhood retains its charm it is mainly because people continue to live there. About 6,000, according to data handled by CNN. The area also has shops, inns, craft stores and cafes. Coexistence among each other is not always easy.

Newspaper Korea JoongAng Daily Last year, district officials received 202 complaints from neighbors upset by visitor behavior, ruckus, dirt and improperly parked vehicles. The problem is not new. In fact, in 2018, several signs in four languages ​​were already installed to ask visitors to reduce noise during their visit.

A step forward. Now the local government has gone one step further. Or several, depending on how you look at it. CNN explains that aware of the discord among locals and the huge influx of tourists, they have decided to use the Tourism Promotion Law and designate the neighborhood a “Special Management Zone,” a first in the country.

It may seem like a bureaucratic process, but the measure will be accompanied by a series of movements aimed at controlling the flow of visitors: buses hired by tourists will be prohibited from passing through certain areas and the area will be divided into three zones of different colors, red, orange and yellow, so that officials can manage activities and focus on the busiest streets. The imposition of fines is also being considered to make the plan effective.

centering focus, Korea JoongAng Daily Specifies that the Jongno District Office, to which Bukchon Hanok belongs, has already taken a step: a few days ago it included an area of ​​279 acres – equivalent to about 113 hectares – which parks parts of the neighborhoods of Samcheong-dong and Gahoe-dong into a “special control” zone.

In its specific color code, red is assigned to the surroundings of Bujechon-ro 11-gil, the area where most of the Enoch And supports the biggest tourist pressure. The idea is to start testing the new rules in October, although it will still take several months before residents see them fully implemented. For example, it plans to eliminate some bus stops in January.

Curfew (for tourists), However, the most drastic measure will be the second one. As part of their program, Seoul authorities plan to implement a strict visitation schedule starting in March in the “red zone” of Bukchon Hanok Village, the busiest and most popular among visitors. Visitors will be barred from entering this environment between five in the afternoon and ten in the morning.

And it will be done strictly. Those who ignore the veto risk paying a fine of 100,000 won, or about 72 dollars. Given the unconventional characteristics of the standard, there are already many national and international media that talk about a “curfew” for tourists. Time controls will not be applied in the orange and yellow zones, although there will be technicians in charge of controlling the activity.

The “curfew” has generated enthusiasm, but there are those in Bukchon Hanok Village itself who view it with suspicion. The reason: When setting the schedule, officials have followed the customs that tourists already have, so closing the neighborhood between late afternoon and early morning will not cause major changes. “In winter, visitors leave at five in the afternoon and in summer at six because the days are longer,” Lee Eun-hee, a cafe owner, told CNN Travel.

The big problem with mass tourism. Seoul is not the only city that has decided to take action in the face of the huge influx of tourists, this is a common practice in large international destinations that want to combine their success among visitors with the daily lives of their inhabitants. In Amsterdam they have also launched a campaign to keep the most annoying visitors away, in Venice they have decided to introduce a new tourist tax, in Kyoto they have banned “paparazzi tourists” from the area where geisha work and Japan itself will start charging a fee to climb Fuji from the most popular route.

Images | Domenico Convertini (Flickr), ROFAD (Flickr) and Tom Page (Flickr)

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