Spontaneous trips to the beach are about to vanish from the landscape in some of the Mediterranean’s most sought-after vacation spots. The Italian island of Sardinia is currently promoting a revolutionary technological solution that will require beachgoers to plan their visits to popular beaches in advance.
The spectacular sandy strip of Tuerredda, located in the southern tip of the island and famous for its crystal-clear waters, is at the forefront of the battle against tourist overcrowding. Despite its impressive length of about half a kilometer, the site has become so packed that in 2020 authorities were already forced to limit the number of daily visitors to 1,100. Now, the policy is taking another step forward with the development of a digital reservation platform, set to launch ahead of the 2025 summer swimming season.
“The situation has reached a breaking point,” explained Angelo Milia, head of the regional council of Tuerredda, at a recent emergency conference attended by representatives of over 25 Italian cities facing similar challenges. “We must strike a balance between our desire to welcome tourists and the need to preserve our natural resources for future generations.”
Sardinia is not the only place seeking creative solutions. On tiny Capri, which spans just 10 square kilometers in the Bay of Naples (compared to Sardinia’s 24,090 square kilometers), officials are considering a mechanism to regulate ferry traffic during peak hours. “It’s time local authorities are given the power to determine the frequency of sea links to the islands,” argued the local mayor. “This is essential if we want to provide visitors with a quality experience rather than a nightmare of overcrowding and congestion.”
Tuerredda, described in travel guides as a “tropical gem in the Mediterranean” with “soft sand and intoxicating Mediterranean scents,” has become a case study of a broader issue. The gap between the marketing image of a “Caribbean paradise” and the reality of throngs of people fighting for a piece of beach grows wider each year.
“We arrived at nine in the morning and already felt like we had stumbled into the middle of a festival,” reported one visitor who went there last July. “Even though the number of vacationers is supposedly limited, the experience is far from peaceful,” he added in a review posted on TripAdvisor. Another visitor described how, by ten in the morning, “complete chaos” reigned despite the discouraging €10 parking fee.
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Details of the new digital system are still in the planning stages, but conflicting opinions are already being voiced by locals and tourists alike. While supporters view it as a necessary tool for protecting the coastal environment, critics like user Luisa claim that “commercialization and bureaucracy are ruining the natural experience,” and that the current restrictions have already “turned paradise into a mass brawl.”
Whether vacation experiences can truly remain spontaneous in the era of mass tourism remains an open question, as more and more destinations are forced to find the delicate balance between accessibility and preservation.