European destinations where tourists still bring benefits to locals
4 min readMany travellers now want to avoid contributing to problems of overtourism and are looking for alternative destinations where they still bring benefits.
ADVERTISEMENTOvertourism has been plaguing European destinations since travel rebounded post-pandemic, exacerbated by low-cost flights and a surging cruise industry.
Once hailed as a golden opportunity, the popularity of digital nomad visas has also turned sour as foreign workers price out local residents, drive gentrification and put a strain onlocal services.
This year has seen a slew of new regulations to mitigate the effects of out-of-control visitor numbers, from tourist taxes to selfie bans.
Some places that once welcomed digital nomads have removed incentives – Portugal no longer offers its non-habitual tax residency (NHR), which facilitated a flat income tax rate of 20 per cent.
In many destinations, overtourism measures have not been deemed effective enough. This year has seen residents across Europe from the Balearics to Venice protesting against unsustainable tourist numbers.
In response, many travellers now want to avoid contributing to overtourism by looking for alternative destinations where they still bring benefits to the economy and residents.
Here are places in Europe that are enthusiastically welcoming tourists and digital nomads.
Extremadura lures digital nomads with €15,000 grants
Extremadura, an autonomous community bordering Portugal, is one of Spain’s lesser visited regions despite being home to lush nature reserves, wild mountain ranges and a capital scattered with Roman ruins.
The regional government began offering digital nomads up to €15,000 this year to move to the area.
The autonomous community has one of the lowest populations in Spain and is one of the least-developed regions. It has one of the country’s lowest GDPs per capita and one of the highest rates of unemployment at 17.6 per cent compared to the national average of 11.9 per cent.
To bolster both the population and the economy, authorities in Extremadura have earmarked €2 million that will be used to aid the relocation of 200 remote workers and digital nomads to the region.
Find out more on who is eligible and how to apply here.
Spain’s rural communities are ‘reinvigorated’ by digital nomads
Depopulation is threatening the survival of many small villages and towns in Spain, as younger generations especially migrate to larger cities.
“Spain is one of the countries in Europe with the biggest demographic gap,” founder of co-living experience Rooral Juan Barbed told Euronews Travel. “Half our villages are dying, like in the terminal stage.”
He and co-founder Ana Amrein created an association that partners with small villages suffering from population decline to welcome remote workers.
ADVERTISEMENTRooral now has a permanent base in the Andalucian village of Benarrabá and residents say they are delighted by the newcomers.
Spain’s villages want to lure tourists away from the cities
Spain’s rural villages are also keen to tempt tourists away from hotspot cities and the busy coastline.
Los Pueblos Más Bonitos de España is an association of 116 of Spain’s most beautiful villages and towns celebrated for their architecture, cultural heritage and green spaces.
Among them is Anento, lying in a limestone valley in the province of Zaragoza.
ADVERTISEMENTA decade ago, the village had just 100 inhabitants and welcomed 2,000 visitors a year. Now some 45,000 tourists arrive annually drawn by its cobalt-coloured natural spring and striking Gothic church.
The 114-resident-strong village of Libros is leveraging its name – meaning books – to rebrand itself as the literary capital of Spain.
A social media post from a Spanish writer asking why the community had no library prompted more than 50,000 books to be donated from all over the world to Libros.
There are now plans to construct a hotel-library and redevelop the former mining district that halted work in 1956.
ADVERTISEMENTStreets in the town have also been renamed after famous writers, and there are plans to create a literary avenue with lampposts bearing quotes from books.
Greenland opens new airport to boost tourism
Greenland is looking to welcome an increasing number of tourists by opening a new airport in the capital.
Nuuk airport, which opened on 1 December, offers routes connecting the city with nearly all towns in the country and some international destinations.
There are also plans for a second international landing strip to be constructed in the popular northern city of Ilulissat in 2026.
ADVERTISEMENTGreenland is seeking to boost year-round tourism. While visitors flock to the country in the summer months to enjoy adventure sports and nature tourism, it is harder to encourage trips during the cold, dark winter.
Facilities like aurora cabins and igloos are popping up to tempt visitors to lesser-trod northern regions in search of spectacular astronomical experiences.
‘In some cities they don’t want you, but in Romania we love you’
Romania became part of the Schengen Zone this year, making arrivals from within the free travel area smoother and swifter.
It coincides with a push by the country and its tourism operators to boost visitor numbers.
ADVERTISEMENTSeveral campaigns have been launched to put the country on travellers’ radars. TouristGo.ro is an initiative that is calling on music lovers to attend the Electric Castle festival in July 2025.
In a promotional video, the event organisers say they are trying to help Spain’s fight against overtourism by sending tourists to Romania instead.
Slogans on their website read “In some cities they don’t want you, but in Romania we love you” and “While some places struggle with too many visitors, others would love the attention”.
As part of the campaign, the website also shares lots of tips on what to see, do and eat in Romania.
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