Enough ! Funchal is full

Madeira tourism has expanded since the pandemic. The island became known as a safe and welcoming place and attracted lots of people new to the island. This year, hotel occupancy has rocketed to the highest levels for years and the cruise ships  have kept on coming, in greater numbers and with even bigger vessels.

Today there were four cruise ships, with three of them very large, bringing about 10,000 extra tourists (plus the crew).  Monday is changeover day for the British and the new arrivals head for the capital.

They have never known such a boom in car rental and the roads are gridlocked in some areas. Pico d’Ariero, the second highest point, has been featured as a perfect place to view the sunrise (BBC2 were also guilty) and there are stories of roads being blocked, cars parked (or just left) anywhere, meaning a couple of kilometres hike to reach the popular points.

The queue for the famous cable car looped round the area twice, and then stretched along the grass to the farthest point of the old town. New drop off points for coaches were full, with dozens descending and dozens climbing back on for the next journey.

It is good news for the island’s economy…… but there are potential problems. Just think of Venice, Dubrovnik, and other destinations where they are worried that the tourism boom has gone too far.

Madeira is still wonderful. Get away from the city centre, the harbour and the Old Town, and it’s still peaceful. The locals still welcome tourists and treat us very well.

But the danger signs are there……

When this statue was erected near the port, it was more like a reference to King Canute. Maybe today, the message is different.