Portugal warns UK tourists over holidays but says ‘it’s not their fault’

Lisbon: Portugal has joined Spain in warning UK tourists NOT to holiday in Madeira. Locals in the European Union holiday hotspot have hit out in a viral Reddit thread, as they flocked to slam UK tourists and passengers amid allegations the region was overcrowded.

A Redditor typed: “Good morning everyone. First of all, I know this is going to seem like a hate post, but it’s nothing more than a rant about the situation of tourists overcrowding public transport services. I’ve lived abroad and been a tourist in Europe, so I know and sympathize to a certain extent with the fact that people have to use public transport to get around.

“But now the impact of tourism is already having a negative impact on the people who live here on a daily basis. For those who live here and take buses, it is no surprise that the buses are overcrowded with tourists, both within the city and also starting to leave the city. It is increasingly common to see buses full and not stopping to pick up Portuguese people who have left work because there is no space.”

They went on: “I know it’s not the tourists’ fault, there should be an increase in the frequency of the service due to the increase in people, but I’m already starting to feel a sense of hostility towards tourists who take up seats, forcing locals to travel in unpleasant conditions, or arrive late for work because the bus can’t stop, something I’ve seen happen several times. I myself missed 2 buses yesterday after a tiring day at work.

“I don’t want to blame them directly for the problem, but it’s starting to become annoying and impact the lives of a local who has no alternative but to use public transport…” Another moaned: “I don’t understand how they want to encourage the use of public transport if we don’t even have a quality public transport service…”

“I understand what you’re saying, but I think the problem isn’t just the tourists, because about 7 years ago the SAM bus that left Machico station for Funchal at 7am was already completely full and with people standing up! And this was even though the bus was going on the expressway… And at that time, perhaps one hand was enough to count how many tourists were on that bus.”

It comes after MONTHS of protests and demonstrations across Spain as locals become increasingly fed up with Brits visiting. Another Reddit user said: “Tourism is extremely important for the economy of our island. You can’t just want to make money and not have to deal with the problems it creates. Although tourists who travel by bus aren’t the ones who bring the most money into the local economy. “

“I completely understand everything you write, but the blame lies with the public transport companies and not with those who use them as they are supposed to,” another said as they rushed to defend the influx of holidaymakers from the UK.