Paris residents fight overtourism and ‘Disneyfication’ of beloved Montmartre neighborhood
By Thomas Adamson
Paris (AP) – When Olivier Baroin moved into an apartment in Montmartre about 15 years ago, I felt like I was living in a village in the heart of Paris. No more.
The stores for residents disappear, as well as the friendly atmosphere, he says. In their place are hordes of people who take selfies, stores selling tourist trinkets and cafes whose seats spill in the narrow and paved streets while overchurism is wreaking havoc.
Baroin has enough. He put his apartment on sale after the local streets were designated only for pedestrians while welcoming the growing number of visitors.
“I told myself that I had no choice but to leave because, as I have a handicap, it is even more complicated when you can no longer take your car, when you have to call a taxi from morning to night,” he told the Associated Press.
Oversion in European cities
From Venice to Barcelona to Amsterdam, European cities are struggling to absorb the number of tourists.
Some residents of one of the most popular tourist districts in Paris are growing up now. A black banner has died between two balconies in Montmartre, in English: “Behind the postcard: the inhabitants mistreated by the mayor”. Another, in French, says: “The residents of Montmartre resist.”
At the top of the hill where the Basilica of Sacré-Cœr crowns the horizon of the city, the residents deplore what they call the “disneyification” of the former Bohemia of Paris. The basilica says it now attracts up to 11 million people a year – even more than the Eiffel Tower – while daily life in the neighborhood has been exceeded by Tuk -Tuks, travel groups, pictures of photos and short -term rentals.
“Now there are no more stores at all, there are no more food stores, so everything must be delivered,” said Baroin, 56, a member of a protest group of residents called a Montmartre, or living in Montmartre.
The disorders echo tensions through the city of the Louvre museum, where the staff in June organized a brief wild strike on chronic overcrowding, the lack of personnel and the deterioration of the conditions. The Louvre recorded 8.7 million visitors in 2024, more than double what its infrastructure was designed to manage.
A Pressure Postcard
Paris, a city of just over 2 million residents if you count its sprawling suburbs, welcomed 48.7 million tourists in 2024, an increase of 2% compared to the previous year.
Sacré-Cœ, the most visited monument in France in 2024, and the surrounding district of Montmartre have become what some inhabitants call a theme park outdoors.
Local staples such as butchers, bakeries and grocers disappear, replaced by ice stands, bubble sellers and souvenir t-shirts.
The Paris authorities did not immediately respond to requests for comments.
Visitors seemed to appreciate the packaged streets on a sunny Tuesday this week.
“For the most part, all of Paris was quite busy, but full of life, for sure,” said American tourist Adam Davidson. “Coming from Washington, DC, which is also a living city, I would say that it is really full of life to another degree for sure.”
Europe’s breakdown
In Barcelona, thousands of people came down to the street this year, some water pistols that have limits to cruising ships and short -term tourist rentals. Venice now invoices entry fees for day excursions and visitors. And in Athens, the authorities impose a daily limit on visitors to the Acropolis, to protect the old monument against record tourist crowds.
Urban planners warn that historic districts are likely to become what some criticisms call “zombie cities” – picturesque but lifeless, their residents moved by short -term visitors.
Paris tries to mitigate problems by repressing short -term rentals and licensed properties.
But tourist pressures are increasing. By 2050, the world’s population is expected to reach almost 10 billion, according to the United Nations estimates. With the expansion of the global middle class, low -cost flights in full swing and digital platforms guiding travelers to the same viral landmarks, many other visitors are expected in emblematic cities like Paris.
The question now, according to residents, is whether a space is left for those who call it at home.
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