On this site we cater to speakers on cruise ships – and those who want to be one. We’ve blogged about the state of the ports that ships are stopping at. They unload tourists who partake of up to ten “excursions,” aka tours done by locals. Many of those destinations are getting tired of all the visitors.
You can add Montenegro to that list – along with Venice, Bacelona, Mallorca, Santorini and Dubrovnik.
Montenegro yacht harbor
The main town of Kotor is ripe with history and a charm found only in medieval times. It was sheltered from “invaders” by a wall that provided a strong defense. Today, that same wall needs to keep tourists out!
Can you believe that this World Heritage site has over 400 cruise ships arriving a year. 400! – most come during the summer and shoulder months. Like most destinations, things slow down during winter; thus the crunch is concentrated into just a few months.
About 90 souvenir stores now populate the village. With ships getting bigger and bigger, it will only get worse. These “cute” destinations fear when the mega-lines begin to arrive. Giant ships are a major source of concern. The Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas, holds 5,518 passengers. Yikes.
READ our latest post about Mallorca and its problems. The mission of SpeakOnCruises is not to entertain you with stories like this…we do…but to get you interested in taking our program to help get you free cruises by giving lectures. The HIRE US page tells it all.
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Mallorca (sometimes spelled Majorca) is an island that is an “autonomous region” of Spain – since 1983.
Mallorca lies off the eastern coast of Spain
The capital is Palma. It’s a favorite destination for cruise ships in the Mediterranean.
Because of its history, many – I mean many – people have it on their list of places to visit. Unfortunately, too many are coming. Mallorca was hit with 10 million visitors last year. With over 1,000 flights to the island A DAY, most come via airplane. But cruises can bring 17,000 people a day!
Like Venice, Barcelona and Dubrovnik, Mallorca residents are seeing their quaint town turned into an “amusement” area. While ports love the revenue visitors bring, the quality of life is deteriorating for residents. Many cannot go to the bank or market without hordes of lookie-loos wandering around.
Catch up this problem Read about Dubrovnik
Recently, protestors stood in the terminal of Palma de Mallorca International Airport, hoisting signs bearing slogans saying: “One Airline Every Minute is Not Sustainable.” Another read: “Tourism Kills the City!”
Protestors are running a “Summer of Action” to counter the flood of tourists.
My friends, there are just too many people on earth – nearly 8 billion. Favorable economies mean the middle class are able to travel. What we need to get used to is a deterioration of favorite places. How can you help? Don’t go. Well, that isn’t happening, so I say go NOW before it gets worse…..and it will.
Stay tuned to this channel for Monday blogs to help you navigate the press stories on cruising.
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Surely you have heard about the Texas-sized pile of garbage that is floating out in the Pacific. But it’s not the only one. Mega-tons of our discarded refuse heads out to sea daily.
The ocean is huge. 70% of the surface…so what’s it matter if you toss a bag, or wrapper or STRAW into the drink. Well, it must matter with 7.5 billion people doing it. OK. Not that many live in access of ocean water..but you get the idea.
So the plastic degrades to little balls, the balls look like plankton, creatures eat the balls and are caught, then we eat the fish. Duh. We try to digest the plastic and it doesn’t work….we die. Ipso facto.
READ: Venice combats litter in this gorgeous city.
Millions of plastic straws go into the trash daily. They can last 100 years or more in the ocean. Enter the cruise industry. Gosh, with the thousands of passengers sailing, a lot of straws are used. I’ve been on ships where when you get a can of soda, you have to ask for a straw. Soon paper straws will be given – like in the 1950’s. One line is going to use metal straws.
The plastic ocean – you can;t vacuum it all up!
I never us a straw. Here’s the real reason, Eco aside. I’m part Italian and when I talk I wave my hands a lot. Often I will hit the straw and toss over the contents. Sooo, I now go straw-less ….. and it works! I’m no longer the guy who spills the drink over a woman’s dress.
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