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Tourism

A Perfect Picture

Overtourism is a growing phenomenon throughout the world. Cities from Barcelona to Venice to Dubrovnik are trying to curb the impact tourism is having on their communities and the people who call those communities “home.” Encouraging  economic growth while also preserving local ways of life is a tricky balance. 
 

For DUMBO, finding that balance has become challenging for a number of reasons. We’ve had an unchecked boom in development, are in the throes of construction (to address our lack of infrastructure), and have a subway station with one entrance and exit. 
 

Tour buses attempt to weave through our streets and idle in non-parking zones, litter piles up on our sidewalks and in our parks, illegal vendors pop up and spew noxious fumes, panhandlers wander at will, and the subway platform is dangerously crowded.  All of which make living here tough. 

The ever-growing flood of tourists wanting to secure their photo for social cache has been encouraged under the guise of “business.” Yet empty storefronts line our sidewalks, and our local BID, which has encouraged tourism to the extreme, hasn’t provided proof that tourists are indeed bringing dollars to our local businesses beyond a slice of pizza. In fact, their budget has increased by $1M without any oversight or accountability for how this money is being spent. 
 

Our challenge is how to work with law enforcement, government officials and the BID to find that balance so that everyday life for those of us who live here isn’t the afterthought it currently is.

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©2024 by DUMBO Action Committee

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