It’s a truth universally acknowledged that tourists across the world like leaving a mark wherever they visit. Barring the Raj-loves-Anjali flavour of vandalism that Indian monuments – like those in Ed Sheeran’s recent video ‘Sapphire’ -- are subjected to, there are superstitious tourist rituals ruining natural and historical travel destinations, too.
From tossing coins into natural water bodies, to tying microplastic-laden threads to trees, these rituals aren’t as innocuous as they seem.
Northern Ireland’s Giant’s Causeway is being degraded by coins
Northern Ireland had to ban tourists from wedging coins between the rock fissures at Giant’s Causeway. For context, this UNESCO World Heritage Site was created by an outpouring of basalt lava 60 million years ago, and there are around 40,000 columns of rock that form the site.
Today, the natural wonder is being ruined by humans placing coins in it to wish for love and luck. One of the tour guides at the destination, Joan Kennedy, told AFP, "Once some visitors see other people have done it, they feel that they need to add to it."
As a result of this, a $40,000 conservation project had to be initiated. Stone masons are attempting to remove as many coins as they can from 10 sites at the causeway, to prevent further damage.
Paris’ Pont des Arts bridge has seen too much love
Paris’ Pont des Arts footbridge is one of the most famous examples of tourist rituals nearly destroying a destination. Also known as the love lock bridge, this was built during Napoleon Bonaparte’s reign and rebuilt in 1984. But during the mid-2000s, the trend of couples adding padlocks to the bridge as a symbol of their love, started growing. By 2014, there were so many locks on the bridge that a portion of the bridge collapsed under the weight of the padlocks. The locks had to be removed, and tourists were asked to stop adding new ones.
Yosemite’s rock cairn concerns
Rituals at historical sites aren’t the only cause of concern. In the United States of America, Yosemite National Park’s authorities are facing issues as well. This is due to visitors building rock cairns that the park’s Facebook post said, “disturbs small insects, reptiles, and microorganisms that call the underside home!”
Traditionally, cairns were made to mark a spot, especially routes, boundaries, or locations. But today, tourists build them everywhere, even though park rangers are the ones who are authorised to do so. Consequently, Yosemite National Park has given guests free reign to dismantle any cairns that they find. This is in keeping with the “leave no trace” code that helps maintain the natural beauty of a place, and is aimed at leaving things the way one found them.
What tourist rituals do to spaces
Even outside these specific spaces, tourists are prone to messing with the ecosystem of numerous regions with their rituals.
A common example is how people throw coins into rivers and lakes, in order to wish for something. The damage this does to the aquatic life that resides in these water bodies, is immense. This is because the metals in those coins react with the water, releasing harmful chemicals that end up destroying the ecosystem in that water body.
Then there’s also the way talismans are tied to trees, like Celtic clouties that people dip into wells and then tie to branches. Once made of natural, bio-degradeable threads, these now contain microplastics, metal, and other harmful chemicals.
So, in the name of connecting with a place through rituals, we humans leave marks that often end up ruining spaces. Not only is it visually jarring to look at, but also causes damage that we may not immediately see. Is the solution to this banning certain destinations and activities, or a more conscious attempt by tourists to look, but not touch?
