Beautiful part of UK social media has turned into a 'densely crowded theme park'

Andy McTaggart has learnt to avoid driving on weekends. He's keen to enjoy the stunning nature right outside his door but refuses to jostle with the throngs of tourists who jam the roads and hog all the parking spots. Even weekday excursions can be a hassle during peak season.

"We know what times to go out and when not to go out," he explained. "So when we went to Cardigan Bay last week, we didn't head out until after 5pm. Social media has turned parts of the [Snowdonia] national park into a densely crowded theme park."

This sentiment resonates with many in north-west Wales. On weekends, major thoroughfares such as the A55 and A494 are often packed for miles or congested, leaving residents of small villages overwhelmed by the influx of visitors.

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In Abergwyngregyn, car lines to Aber Falls disrupt daily life. Nearby, Newborough on Anglesey has become an infamous example of overtourism, with beach parking fees doubled to tackle the queues that frequently transform the village into an impromptu car park, according to North Wales Live. The areas around Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) and Dyffryn Ogwen have long suffered from illegal parking.

But perhaps no place better illustrates the problems of overtourism than Andy's hometown of Bala. As one of the entry points to Eryri (Snowdonia), it boasts breathtaking views upon entering the national park, centred around Llyn Tegid, the largest natural lake in Wales.

Since the Covid lockdowns, Bala has firmly established itself as one of Snowdonia's top attractions. The area has always been a favourite, particularly among watersports enthusiasts, but in recent years it has escalated to an entirely new level.

Parking data from 2021 provided a glimpse into the future. That year, car park usage soared by 70.5% compared to the pre-Covid year of 2019.

Since then, the town's influx of visitors has continued to rise, fuelling local tensions. In some ways, this has been beneficial for the local economy. Llyn Tegid is now encircled by campsites and caravan parks.

"The lake attracts hundreds of cars and visitors every day," said Andy, a senior partner at relocation firm ALS World Movers. "We're left with huge mounds of litter. Benches are vandalised - one was set on fire - and access for locals becomes almost impossible for part of the year. Campervans park illegally and empty out their chemical toilets - and no one ever does anything about it.

"Tegid is only an hour-and-a-half from places like Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham, so within easy reach. I can understand the attraction: life is tough for many people in the cities, so the idea of travelling to the hills of north Wales is appealing.

"Yet these visitors park up, fire up a BBQ, admire the scenery, then go home. Even many of the campsite visitors bring their own food, or place deliveries with Tesco and Sainsbury's. Occasionally, they come into the town and strip the shelves bare. Otherwis,e there are few benefits for the local area."

Bala isn't the only place buckling under tourism pressure, he explained. Destinations such as Dolgellau and Barmouth are "under siege" throughout the summer months, frequently struggling with insufficient amenities.

Northeast Wales isn't escaping either. A fresh national park is being planned for the area, focusing on the Dee Valley, while visitor numbers to Wrexham have surged 20% following the Hollywood acquisition of its football team.

Andy believes that inadequate infrastructure to handle these demands is letting down both residents and tourists alike. Having relocated to Bala from West Sussex seven years back, he understands both perspectives.

"Some places, like Bala and Barmouth, have relatively large car parks, but elsewhere parking is either small or non-existent, like in Capel Curig. I don't think many visitors realise that Eryri is just mountains, lakes and bogs, with small communities and very little else.

"The signage is poor and the pubs are all shutting. Toilet provision is awful. The few facilities are poorly policed, so it becomes a free for all. If you're not into walking, there's little to do. You see people descending on Bala at 11am-12pm and wandering around before realising there's nothing for them there.

"And it's very expensive - £4 for an ice cream, £15 for fish and chips. For families, it becomes unaffordable. Visitors themselves deserve much better, never mind the locals."

Cooler holidays

Despite soaring staycation prices and weather that doesn't always live up to the social media hype, some experts reckon areas like north Wales should prepare for an influx of tourists.

Trainline figures show rail bookings to the UK's 12 most beloved seaside destinations jumped by 25% this month. One reason could be the stable British weather we've been enjoying.

Research company Place Informatics reckons traditional favourites like Spain, Italy and Greece are losing their shine, especially with families and older holidaymakers, as scorching summers become more unbearable, dangerous or simply impractical.

Mintel research from 2024 revealed that over half of British holidaymakers say they're inclined to pick a staycation for climate reasons, with 28% claiming warmer UK summers are making domestic getaways more attractive. Demand is also expected to climb from European tourists seeking refuge from the sweltering heat.

Place Informatics is already witnessing changes across Britain's tourism magnets. The firm reports that people are venturing to alternative and unconventional spots, hidden gems and rural locations, or eco-retreats away from the bustling coastal favourites.

Clive Hall, chief executive of Place Informatics, warned that UK destinations must evolve by controlling numbers at packed hotspots or boosting facilities in quieter, overlooked areas.

"We're witnessing a climate-driven shift in how and where people choose to holiday," he said. "The UK is no longer simply a backup option - it's fast becoming a destination of choice."

Airbnbs under fire

Yet there are still few indicators of an obvious decline in continental tourism. Throughout southern Europe, locals are rising up against the masses of visitors. Recent weeks have seen anti-tourism demonstrations sweep across Spain, Italy and Portugal.

"Tourism steals our bread, our roof and our future," declared the banners of protesters in Barcelona, a city housing 1.7m residents that welcomed 15.5m visitors last year. Demonstrations also erupted in Venice, a city designed for merely 250,000 people that attracts around 30m visitors annually.

Tourists being told to "go home" might be heading to the UK instead. With the proliferation of Airbnbs also in protesters' crosshairs, Spain introduced a new register last week requiring all hotels and short-term holiday rentals to obtain a mandatory registration code for legal operation.

Thousands of properties could be withdrawn from the short-term rental market. This development, experts warn, could drive up holiday costs for travellers by up to 20%, making overseas trips more expensive.

Harry Goodliffe, director at HTG Mortgages, said Spain's decision could trigger a "domino effect" throughout the EU, with Italy likely to follow suit.

"The combination of overtourism and local housing pressures is pushing governments to act, and short-term lets are the obvious target," he said. "If Italy tightens the rules, expect thousands of listings to vanish, hitting both owner profits and tourist affordability. For landlords banking on Airbnb income, this should be a loud wake-up call to diversify. The golden days of 'easy Airbnb money' are fading fast."

Airbnb entrepreneur Kundan Bhaduri, of The Kushman Group, said hosts are being portrayed as "moustache-twirling villains". However, he understands the worry.

"This is not really about national security," he said. "It is really about political survival in countries where locals are priced out of the very postcodes they were born in. In Florence, over 30% of flats are listed on Airbnb. In Rome a staggering 35 million tourists arrived last year occupying a huge swathe of the housing stock.

"The backlash is brewing and it is property owners that are in the stockpot. Spain's move to demand a national registry for short-term lets is just the opening salvo. Italy is clearly next. France, Portugal and even the balmy Balearics have all flirted with similar measures."

The 'tourist tax'

After this week's final green light for Wales' new visitor fee, the nation will begin creating its own register of accommodation providers from October 2026.

The Wales Tourism Alliance (WTA) is concerned about the potential expense but views the register as an essential step before introducing the visitor levy (commonly dubbed a "tourist tax" despite Welsh residents also being impacted). The organisation argues that the levy should be postponed until a national registration is complete, allowing for a proper evaluation of its advantages or disadvantages.

WTA chair Rowland Rees-Evans has calculated that the levy could increase costs by over £35 per week for a family of four holidaying in Wales. He commented: "The winners will be civil servants employed to process and administer the scheme at a cost to the taxpayer, whilst the losers will be locals employed in the tourist sector."

He also highlighted concerns about the distribution of the levy funds: "There is also no guarantee that local authorities will receive any of the levy once administration costs are taken into account."

Despite these worries, there's significant backing for the levy in regions overwhelmed by excessive tourism. With tourist taxes now a global norm, arguments that Wales will suffer a competitive disadvantage are largely ignored.

Amidst the current warm weather, few tourists are grumbling about the potential extra charge of £1.30 per night in hotels and Airbnbs, or 80p at campsites for those over 18. The main concern remains the allocation of the collected funds.

'Charge £10 to drive into National Park'

Local resident Andy McTaggart fully supports the tax, on the condition that it leads to tangible improvements, stating Eryri desperately needs better infrastructure to benefit both residents and visitors, including car parks, roads, footpaths, beaches, visitor centres, and activities.

The Eryri National Park Authority (NPA) has recognised the urgent need to enhance parking facilities in areas like Bala, which is already better served than many. In a move to address this, late last month they greenlit plans to upgrade the Llyn Tegid car park and expand the east shore Llangower car park from roughly 60 to 90 spaces.

This decision comes in the wake of problematic parking along the lakeside B4403 by scores of cars and campervans, creating obstacles for emergency services. To combat this, the B4403 has been designated a clearway, opening up the possibility of fines or towing for offenders.

Andy remains sceptical about the enforcement of traffic rules around Bala, yet he proposes a more drastic measure.

"As a small business partner, it upsets me to see the revenue being lost at the town's car parks through lack of enforcement. On a low visitor day, it might be £500, on a good day £3,000."

He suggested: "Perhaps we should be looking at a gantry entry system on gateway roads such as the A5 and A494, like they have on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge (a toll bridge carrying the M25 motorway over the River Thames) or even a permit system for residents."

Andy believes that "Charging £10 for entering the National Park would raise significant funds for reinvestment. I accept there are flaws with the idea but we need to start a conversation. Wales is always short-changed when it comes to investment - the Welsh tend to be non-confrontational and settle for too little."

Interestingly, Eryri NPA is set to install APNR cameras and new gates at its lakeside car parks in Bala. This move is likely to generate more revenue and may help alleviate the overtourism issues that are causing distress for many locals.

Eryri NPA has already taken significant steps to tackle overtourism concerns, both across the wider park and specifically on Yr Wyddfa, with a revised management plan for the mountain unveiled on Tuesday.

Its enlarged fleet of Sherpa buses, providing public transport around Yr Wyddfa and Eryri, has been widely praised as a win for sustainable travel, helping to reduce local traffic and parking pressures. The issue of plastic waste has also been a key focus.

In collaboration with Gwynedd and Conwy councils, the NPA is also spearheading the Gwynedd and Eryri 2035 strategy, which is dedicated to fostering a sustainable visitor economy in the region. Alongside transport, this will tackle matters such as housing and environmental protection.