Is it only the 10 most recommended places in Madeira that are overcrowded with tourists?

Tobi Hughes·
Madeira News

Photo above at 25 Fontes Rabacal.

The issues of ‘excess tourism’ and ‘overcrowding of tourist attractions’ were in focus yesterday in the Legislative Assembly of Madeira, as part of the specialist assessment of the budget proposals and investment plan for 2024. For the regional secretary for Tourism, Eduardo Jesus, Madeira does not have a problem with excess visitors and justified his opinion with the overnight stays/square kilometer ratio established by the World Tourism Organization. “Madeira has times of the day when there is a massive presence of people in the same place, at the same time, but that does not mean that Madeira has too many people in its territory, in general”, argued the minister.

News of this intervention sparked dozens of comments on social media, with most people saying that “Madeira is [bursting] at the seams” in terms of tourists. But some people disagreed and downplayed the problem. In a comment on Facebook, a retired American living in São Vicente said that the congestion of visitors is mainly caused by posts with recommendations such as “10 things you have to do in Madeira”. “To avoid tourists, just don’t go to these 10 things”, he argued. Is that really the case?

To assess whether the American citizen’s theory corresponds to reality, we chose to cross-reference news published this year in the DIÁRIO that indicate problems caused by the large influx of visitors and some lists of recommendations of the ‘top ten’ type of places that tourists cannot miss in Madeira.

Photo Cabo Girão.

In a non-exhaustive search of the online and paper editions of DIÁRIO, in which we crossed terms such as ‘tourists’, ‘tourism’, ‘overcrowding’, ‘chaos’, ‘overload’, ‘excess’ or ‘flood’, we identified 17 news items that report problematic situations related to a high number of visitors.

As for lists of the ’10 activities or attractions’ type, they exist in many channels, operators, publications, newspapers and formats. We selected the lists published by the travel website Tripadvisor and the magazine ‘Time Out’. We also included the selection made by the YouTube channel of the young travel and adventure enthusiast Joel Friend , as it has the most views (1.1 million) on the episode dedicated to Madeira.

Tripadvisor
1. Monte Palace
2. Areeiro Peak
3. Monte Cable Car
4. Porto Moniz Swimming Pools
5. Botanical Garden
6. Cabo Girão
7. Curral das Freiras
8. Ponta de São Lourenço
9. Blandy Wine Cellars
10. Pico Ruivo

Ten routes recommended by Time Out magazine

1. Levada dos Balcões
2. Levada do Rabaçal/25 Fontes
3. Levada do Caldeirão Verde
4. Levada do Fajã da Ama (Ginjas-Ribeira do Inferno)
5. Pináculo-Bica da Cana (Paul da Serra)
6. Levada do Ribeira da Janela
7. Levada do Rei (Santana)
8. Levada do Furado (Portela, Machico)
9. Path from Pico do Areeiro to Pico Ruivo
10. Path from Ponta de São Lourenço

Joel Friend’s YouTube Channel
1. Pico do Areeiro
2. Anjos Waterfall (Ponta do Sol)
3. Ponta do Rosto and Caniçal
4. Fanal
5. São Vicente
6. Downtown Funchal and basket cars on Monte
7. Lombo do Mouro
8. Cabo Girão
9. Ponta do Sol
10. Bridal Veil and Seixal

When this data is cross-referenced, it can be seen that the places where there are the most incidents and situations of tourist overload are indeed on the lists of most recommended attractions. The Pico do Areeiro stands out, followed by Ponta de São Lourenço, Cabo Girão, the trails in the Rabaçal area (such as Levada das 25 Fontes and Levada do Risco), Ribeiro Frio, Fanal, the Porto Moniz swimming pools and Seixal beach.

We have to conclude that the American citizen’s statement is true when he says that the best way to avoid a crowd of tourists is not to follow the lists of ten recommended attractions on websites and publications.

“It seems like everyone who comes to the island does the same 10 things, ‘the 10 things you have to do in Madeira’. To avoid the tourists, just don’t do those 10 things!” – Bobby Boone, on Facebook.

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Tobi Hughes

12 Responses

  1. They may be the worst places but they certainly are not the only ones. Try finding a parking space near Calheta Beach.
    Making new attractions, like the proposed teleferico from Boca da Corrida into Curral das Freiras will have huge implications for transport into those zones, be an environmental disaster for the area and disturb the lives of the Madeirans who live there. It will largely benefit outside investors and I can’t see much money going to the poor locals any more than it has already.
    We can possibly spread out the numbers we already have visiting….but can’t cope with continual expansion. There simply isn’t the infrastructure or space to develop a better one. Please see my earlier post about lack of water in Arco da Calheta.

    1. There is a large car park at the Port of Calheta that is rarely more than a quarter full.

    2. I am sorry Pat, don”t take my comment as offensive but isn’t it ironic that someone called Pat Tyler publishes a comment in a Tobi Hughes blog saying that Madeira island has too many people? I am pretty sure your surname is not from someone born in Arco da Calheta.

      A fundamental problem is that you are an expat speaking in the name of the people from Curral das Freiras. You say they are against the cable car when it has been prooven that is not true, most people born in Curral das Freiras, most people that live in Curral das Freiras (not people who have been in Curral for a couple hours in the last 10 years) are favourable to the cable car.

      The island has had 300,000 fixed residents in the past so it can surely cope with the current 270,000 residents and visitors. It is all a matter of organization.

      1. Very good point, Antonio. I’m not sure my opinion counts as I am from California, though my grandparents were from near Ponto do Sol. We enjoy visiting the less crowded places and it seems that some controls or organization would help remedy the problems being discussed. Obrigado, amigo.

  2. Traffic lights will be the solution . 🤣😂 I wounder how many will manage get to the end and return back of that trail ?

  3. Not that it matters Antonio…(because I do have many Madeiran friends who feel the same)..but my family name is Pereira Branco and we’re originally from Madeira.
    Local people are unable to afford rent, let alone buy houses. I know professional locals who are being forced from their apartment so that it can become an alojamental local). If teachers can’t afford to buy or rent what will happen to schools?
    I have friends who complain it takes over 3/4 hour to cross Funchal to get to work now.
    If I honestly believed that the Madeiran people wanted the teleferico/adventure park into Curral I wouldn’t say a word, but it’s not what I hear in conversation. They are so proud of the beauty of the island and fear it’s destruction.
    I have never heard my Madeiran friends and other locals complain about tourists and ex-pats till fairly recently and would be very sad if they started to lose their famously hospitable welcome…

    1. Don’t ask Madeireans in general what they think of the Curral Cable Car. Ask people from Curral. If you say their the ones who are going to be affected by chaos then their the ones you need to ask if they agree or nor. Curral is literally a dead end. Anything extra that takes people there is great for the locals.

      The remaining problems you mention are common to ALL European cities, they are not a consequence of what is being done in Madeira by itself.

  4. The multi storey car park opposite the saccharum that used to be empty, is now full on Saturdays and Sundays . We have had a house near Calheta for twenty years and there has been a massive change in the last two years. Calheta is now full of parked cars from end to end , under the cliffs and often , all road side official parking spaces full ,even on weekdays . Local residents go to pingo doce at 8/ 8.30 in the morning to avoid the queues in the supermarket.
    Another change is tourists in the supermarket in their swim wear , which I know for a fact offends local madeirans because I speak Portuguese

  5. All it takes is a sign in the supermarket and a bit enforcement, I’m only a regular tourist but would not go shopping in swimwear, if bars and shops make rules and stick to them tourists will learn, hopefully.

    1. Martin
      Complete right the Portuguese should do like the other countries like Spain and Italy or even Greece impose a dress code when going out of the beach and impose a fine .

  6. I totally agree that the residents in Curral should have a say in the decision…not just the businesses and government. The quiet villages such as Terra Cha, Faja Escura and Colmeal will have tourists descending zip wires in the valley above them…unlikely to be a quiet activity. I really doubt that many of the people in those places will be likely to financially benefit and they may be seriously inconvenienced by a sudden influx.
    Access in and out through Jardim da Serra or Eira do Serrado is already challenging.

    In Calheta, where I live, we now have at least 6 jeeps per day speeding up and down a tiny steep lane, often beeping their horns, (because it would be pretty difficult for them to stop), or with the tourists whooping.

    I am simply suggesting that the government tries to avoid the mistakes of all the islands, cities and countries that have already made mistakes and where they really are becoming anti-tourist / ex-pat. It is not easy to go back once they have got it wrong…so rather than make the quick money, (of course they will want to!) why can’t we pause; improve the infrastructure where it is already insufficient (sewers / water /parking / roads etc); try to divert tourists to other PR routes and then consider whether there is space to take more??

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