Porto Portrait

I’ve been thinking about this dilemma since I started travelling overseas in the early 1970s: how to reconcile our endless curiosity about other places and cultures with the recognition that, over time, we travellers are contributing to the spoliation of our destinations through the inevitable onslaught of mass tourism? An easy example is Bali, which I visited back then.

Distinctions between travellers and tourists can de debated, and the relative negative impacts on local cultures and environments judged accordingly. But essentially we’re all part of the problem when we travel. So, I have concluded that we can’t in fact reconcile that basic contradiction. It’s the inbuilt excess baggage. So, try to tread lightly.

In Europe tourism has rebounded above pre-pandemic norms! We visited Portugal’s biggest cities, Lisbon and Porto, last October, normally outside peak season, but they were buzzing with tourists. Of course we all go away to have a soupçon of local customs, architecture and arts, drink their wine, eat their style of food, and hopefully even get to talk to a few locals who don’t work in bars, restaurants, public transport and cultural institutions.

Both cities have densely-settled old city quarters around their river fronts, still full of ‘charm’ despite the rapid gentrification, and the flow of foreign tourists. The ubiquitous multinational stores have taken root of course, and in Porto a new subway station is being carved under the hilly city centre of narrow streets. 

Note how well-behaved tourists are queuing to take selfies in front of the Porto sign near the town hall!  OMG, WTF….probably a sign of the times (pun intended). And the graffiti push-back against the ‘branding’ of Porto. Nevertheless the locals remain so welcoming and tolerant.