[jimbokun]

Seems to me most Europeans are sincerely torn between the flood of dollars Americans bring into their economies and the staggering crowds making it difficult to enjoy their own cities and vacation spots.

Which is the feeling this article is trying to capture.

[daveshistory]

Yeah, but that's always been true. The other poster seemed to suggest something had changed more recently.

[jimbokun]

From what I’ve been reading the number of foreign tourists coming to Europe has risen rapidly in recent years, putting strain on hotspots and even places that were not popular tourist destinations in the past. I’ve read similar things about Japan.

I’m not as clear on the cause. Whether people are richer and can afford to travel more? Or travel costs have gone down?