Free range visitor nuisance
According to UK columnist Tom Welsh, "over-tourism" once referred to the enormous pressure that places like Venice face as they struggle with too many visitors. Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Welsh argues that "extreme environmentalists" have latched on to the phrase to make holidays socially unacceptable, just like eating red meat or driving a car. Ironically, he says, the Spanish resort of Benidorm, lampooned in the British comedy of the same name, is really environmentally friendly. "Concentrated in one place with all the right infrastructure, it can be more efficiently mitigated by the authorities. The real nuisances are those travellers determined to step off the beaten track in search of 'authentic' experiences in places that are quickly swamped because they can't handle the pressure."
The Spice People
The nostalgic euphoria around the chance to see four-fifths of the Spice Girls live next year has been dulled by the fact they have diluted their 90s "girl power" mantra, to something less controversial. Now they're all about "people power". "It's people power. We're about equality and bringing everyone together," Emma "Baby Spice" Bunton said in a new interview with the Sun, after tickets for their comeback shows sold out in a matter of hours. Not all their 40-something lady fans are buying it though; tweets of disgust include, "Stop Right Now, thank you very much".
