In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Hi Marc
Surely not yuppies......just plain old NIMBYs........LOL
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
I don't think that "thousands of backpackers" would present a great problem. They'd help fill the agritourismi at either side of peak season, thereby helping the econnomy, and the type that would aim for Siena would in the main have some respect for the culture & traditions of the place. They also tend to expand gently to fit the available space well - so the city cafe's would swell pleasantly, but the more 'independant' of travellers always disperse to the surrounds, leading to a dilution of the efffect of an influx.
Moreover, backpackers are the very people who ALREADY visit places like Siena, as they're curious by nature and not scared of a bit of travel. Making it easier for them to get there doesn't really alter the balance IMO. Speaking as an ex-backpacker, the rich experience gained bumming around on a shoestring budget and absorbing the cultural influences as you go, converts you into one of the future generation of mature independant travellers who help sustain and cherish the identity & viability of gems like Siena.
However I do believe that the other class of budget airline tourist - the family who go wherever there is a cheap route, but who have little or no desire to visit the actual destination in & of itself, does present a real problem to a small place lilke Siena - as that market (in general) requires lowest common denominator standards & pricing in accomodation, food, entertainment etc., served up in a central location that saves them from having to travel/explore at all during their holiday.
That would pressurise the local tourist industry towards an inevitible lowering of standards overall, concentrated in or adjacent to the old city. End result would be the "supermarket effect" i.e. gradually squeezing the life out of the traditional small independant businesses which maintain the soul & character of the place.
You can't stop people being able to travel where they wish, and its a good idea to make that travel as cheap and easy as possible - to suggest otherwise is just elitism - but you must seek to preserve the character of the location such that there is still some point to the visit.
For me, the big problem with budget airlines opening up routes to smaller places is the risk of homogenising the areas they serve by pandering to "the wrong kind of tourism". What's needed is more active marketing of the destinations such that anyone (rich or poor) who is inspired by hearing about the palio, renaissance art ... or can just visualise themselves chilling out in the square with a slice of decent pizza & a cold beer (rather than a gallon of coke and a big mac ... I reccomend Florida if you want that) can get there and see for themselves.
Unfortunately I don't have any answers for who would fund such marketing ... Ryanair do now send out email promo's on behalf of some of the regions served by their airports but that mainly preaches to the converted I think ... my nightmare tourists aren't reading those emails and saying "Ooh! medieval pageantry! let's go there!" ... they're just going on the website and saying - "right, where can we go for ten quid a head for some sun & a good old piss up?" ... and to paraphrase Little Britain, if "computer says 'Siena'" then thats where they'll head.
I'm scared to proof read this post before submitting it, as I suspect I may come accross as having too much in common with Rollo & his mates ... it's crertainly difficult to take a firm stance on the issue without straying into very dodgy elitist ground. I know how I'd hate my little part of Umbria to get hit by a wave of mainstream tourism (at present it just has the cycling/walking outdoorsy types and the odd family doing a villa holiday or cultural pilgrimidge) - but I first arrived there by courtesy of budget flights making it possible to go explore, so who am I to deny others the opportunity?
Ultimately I think it's down to strong local governance to prevent any fundamental alteration of the place purely as a concession to tourism. So, expand an existing airport to accomodate more travellers if the community agree, but don't alter the place that the tourists will find when they get there. If you stick with that strong governance, the volume/demographic of tourists will quickly find its own level, i.e. those who want to experience Siena will come (and those on a tight budget will come out of season, which is A GOOD THING; those who want a theme park experience will look elsewhere.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
I think that is a very balanced response Pigro, it seems it is the Sunday Times that are screaming elitism, had it been you or I protesting against expantion, it probably would not have got a mention.
A
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
I definately think this is a case of the "nimby's" wanting to keep the best for themselves.
I'm sure that even the £10 tourist would look to see what was there for the kids/oldman/missus before booking a flight. I think its great that those on a fixed and often lowly income get a chance to see these beautiful places too. My mum loves visiting historic cities but as a pensioner couldn't afford to. Now thanks to the expansion of budget airlines she can get to see Venice/Rome etc before she pops her clogs.
Jackie
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
I'm afraid that I find the tone of some of this a little bit patronizing.
It isn't only those who are on low incomes who use budget airlines (and at many times of the year budget airlines are anything but cheap). I use them extensively because they give me access to a wide range of destinations, which prior to the advent of the low cost carrier, involved multiple flights for those of us who are not in close proximity to London.
But maybe because I am an academic* & therefore not a high earner I also count as one of the "undesirables". Some of those on low incomes are students who might be studying a range of subjects for which a visit to Siena would be educational (art, history, architecture, tourism, Italian etc etc) or maybe they are on a low income but still have aspirations to learn more about the world and to expand their experiences.
I don't think that hoards of larger louts are going to be interested anyway as Italy isn't cheap enough for those who are only interested in cheap food and drink (they can get it far cheaper in Eastern Europe or Spain).
Chris
*my subject is tourism so I have some knowledge of market trends, custoemr segments etc.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
I don't know Siena airport at all so cannot comment on the possible environmental impact, which I guess could be huge. However, on reading the original article and the subsequent posts there seems to be a common assumption that the traffic will be UK to Italy. Whenever I fly from Ancona there are usually more young Italians, I presume students, and Italian families than British passengers of whatever type - presumably the same would apply to expanded Siena routes. Having a local airport served by 'budget' airlines opens up travel opportunities to many Italians who may otherwise not be able to afford to travel outside Italy. Surely, for them, this is a good thing. What do the true locals think of the expanison plans? Protests by rich, young jet-set Brits with romantic memories of childhood holidays will surely be taken with a pinch of salt?
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
[quote=anne2;80524]............................ Protests by rich, young jet-set Brits with romantic memories of childhood holidays will surely be taken with a pinch of salt?[/quote]
Pinch of salt? - I doubt that.
More likely the local 'interested parties' will wish to give them 'concrete overcoats' and use them as fill for any runway extension [I think its called 'recycling']
.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
Just out of interest, does anyone know the name of the airport at Siena - I used to know but I`ve forgotten. We`ve actually got some very good friends that live close to it (I presume there is only one). When I say they live close to it, I mean they can walk to it within 5 minutes! I can`t imagine the impact expansion would have on the area.
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
[quote=Marc;80450]
Lambton, 22, heir to the Earldom of Durham and stepson of Jools Holland, the musician and television presenter, said: “I spent a lot of time out there when my grandfather was alive and I have seen what the airport would do. The site is completely surrounded by a national park and has a delicate ecosystem. Building an international airport would be disastrous on so many levels.”
[/quote]
This is the plot line from a movie called A Good Year ............LOL
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
[quote=The Smiths in Puglia;80530]Just out of interest, does anyone know the name of the airport at Siena - I used to know but I`ve forgotten. We`ve actually got some very good friends that live close to it (I presume there is only one). When I say they live close to it, I mean they can walk to it within 5 minutes! I can`t imagine the impact expansion would have on the area.[/quote]
It is called "Ampugnano" or at least it is located there. You can have more information through this link: [url=http://www.aeroportosiena.it/eng/index02.html]Siena Airport[/url]
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
[quote=Gala Placidia;80541]It is called "Ampugnano" or at least it is located there. You can have more information through this link: [url=http://www.aeroportosiena.it/eng/index02.html]Siena Airport[/url][/quote]
Thank you, yes that`s the one!
In reply to A newbie all over again! by Annec
[quote=jepsonclough;80521]
I don't think that hoards of larger louts are going to be interested anyway as Italy isn't cheap enough for those who are only interested in cheap food and drink (they can get it far cheaper in Eastern Europe or Spain).[/quote]
You know, Chris, I used to think the same. And then early last summer a neighbour of mine who splits her time 50/50 here and Rome told me about how the city was being overrun with drunken foreigners and it really wasn't a very nice place to be in the evening because of this. I honestly didn't believe her, thought she was just sounding off as she tends to, but then read an article in a UK paper confirming the same and placing the "blame" on the increase in budget flights.
The problem as I see it with Siena is that there simply isn't the room for that many more visitors. It's really only a one very narrow street town with smaller alleys leading off it funnelling everyone down in to il Campo or up to il Duomo. It's already utterly insufferable in summer. I go to shop when I have to (tho' never in July or August). But even knowing the back roads, knowing where to park, slipping in and out of the side streets, as soon as you hit the main Corso you encounter this swarming mass of humanity as early as 9 o'clock!
As Pigro rightly says, more visitors will be great for the growing number of agriturismo places. It may also extend the season. But I seriously doubt that the infrastructure is capable of coping with many more tourists in the already stretched to capacity high summer period. V
And there I was.. making salmon paste butties, rolling up my trouser legs and knotting a hankie in anticipation of a penny flight!