How to get off the beaten track at major tourist destinations – try an ‘anti-tour’
- From Canada to Portugal, tourists hoping to live ‘like a local’ or find ‘hidden gems’ are exploring disused factories and down-at-heel backstreets
- Tour companies find their offbeat offerings are equally popular with locals keen to see another side of their city
“From this point on, we’re going to be trespassing,” announces Margarida Castro casually. “Everyone comfortable with that, right?”
Our group follows her across the threshold of an abandoned house in central Porto, Portugal’s second city. This once-sleepy, cobble-paved place is turning into one of Europe’s hottest tourist destinations, thanks in no small part to sweetener deals with low-cost airlines and a sophisticated government marketing drive.
But being the darling of the 48-hour city break comes with its costs. Old cafes are starting to make way for Starbucks. Locals are finding themselves outpriced by the boom in short-term rentals. While Porto has yet to see anti-tourist protests as in Venice or Barcelona, there is a growing sense of disquiet.
And if locals are souring on tourism, so are some tourists. Porto’s sightseeing hotspots can be covered in a day or two, and middle-class city-breakers are looking for something different. A 2016 study by the online travel firm Expedia, for example, found millennial travellers are especially anxious for experiences that involve “living like a local” and finding “hidden gems” off the beaten track.
That suits Castro just fine. A 36-year-old Porto native, she is one of a trio of architects who set up The Worst Tours five years ago. They show people around the city’s disused factories, old railway lines, empty lots and down-at-heel backstreets. The highlight? A downtown shopping centre that went bust in the mid-1990s, now offering cheap rent to cafe bars and practice studios for local bands.
