This article was produced by National Geographic Traveler (UK).
When residents of the pretty Austrian lakeside village of Hallstatt blocked off a major tunnel with signs telling visitors to “Think of the children,” they highlighted what happens when a place becomes overrun with tourists. Hallstatt has just 800 residents, but it receives about 10,000 visitors a day, a population increase of more than 1,000 percent. And Hallstatt is just one of a growing number of places where residents are resenting the influx of tourists.
The term “overtourism” is relatively new, having been coined over a decade ago to highlight the surge in tourist numbers that is negatively impacting cities, landmarks, and landscapes. As tourism numbers around the world return to pre-pandemic levels, the debate over what it means to have “too many” tourists continues. While many destinations that depend on tourism revenue remain open to welcoming visitors, some major cities and destinations have implemented bans, fines, taxes, time restrictions, and in some cases even launched campaigns urging tourists to stay away in an attempt to curb tourist numbers.
What is overtourism?
Essentially, overtourism is when there are too many people in one place at a given time. While there are no hard numbers dictating how many visitors are allowed, an accumulation of economic, social and environmental factors will determine whether and to what extent visitor numbers will increase over time.
There are also wider impacts, such as climate change. Coral reefs such as Thailand’s Great Barrier Reef and Maya Bay, made famous by the Leonardo DiCaprio movie “The Beach,” are being degraded by tourists snorkeling and diving and touching the corals, and by tourist boats anchoring at sea. Also, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), transport-related carbon dioxide emissions from tourism are expected to increase by 25% in 2030 compared to 2016, from 5% to 5.3% of all anthropogenic emissions. More local issues are also affecting locals. Landlords are evicting tenants to convert rental properties into holiday homes, resulting in soaring house prices. As tourists and rental properties outnumber locals, communities are being lost. Also, rising prices, long queues, crowded beaches, exorbitant noise levels, damage to historical sites, and the impact on nature caused by people crowding in and going off official routes are reasons why tourism’s positive aspects can have negative impacts.
Conversely, “undertourism” is a term applied to destinations that are less visited, especially in the aftermath of the pandemic. The economic, social and environmental benefits of tourism do not always flow to those who can afford it, and tourism boards are always keen to encourage visitors to visit lesser-known attractions, which are a more sustainable and rewarding experience for both residents and tourists.
Beautiful views of Lake Hallstatt, the Dachstein mountain range and the town itself are what draw people to Hallstatt.
Photo: Alan Thau, Getty Images
What are the main issues?
Crowding is a problem for both locals and tourists. It can ruin the tourist experience by forcing you to wait in long queues, being unable to visit museums, galleries and sights without booking in advance, increasing costs for basic things like food, drink and hotels, and not being able to experience the splendor of a place in relative solitude. In the absence of real regulations, each region tries to control the crowds in some way, but this means a lack of cohesion and no real solutions.
“Social media is exacerbating the problem by concentrating tourism in hotspots, and while tourist numbers are growing globally, destinations have limited carrying capacity. Unless local people are properly consulted about what they want and don’t want from tourism, protests will continue to grow,” said Justin Francis, co-founder and CEO of Responsible Travel, a travel company focused on more sustainable travel.
According to Murmuration, a French startup that uses satellite data to monitor the environmental impact of tourism, 80% of travelers are visiting just 10% of the world’s tourist destinations, making places less crowded. And the UNWTO predicts that the number of tourists worldwide, which peaked at 1.5 billion in 2019, will reach 1.8 billion by 2030, increasing pressure on already popular spots and potentially increasing opposition from local residents.
Who has been protesting?
Around 100 of the 800 residents of the UNESCO World Heritage village of Hallstatt rallied in August to air their discontent and call for a cap on the number of daily visitors and a night-time curfew on tourist bus arrivals.
Venetians, meanwhile, have been fighting a long and hard battle to ban cruise ships, often with protest flags dangling from their windows. In 2021, large cruise ships of over 25,000 tons were barred from the main part of the Giudecca Canal, allowing only smaller passenger ferries and cargo ships to dock.
In France, the Marseille Provence Cruise Club introduced a flow management system for cruise line passengers in 2020 to ease congestion around the popular Notre-Dame de la Garde Cathedral. “To ensure a pleasant experience for tourists and the safety of residents and local businesses, the Cathedral limits buses to four per ship in the morning or afternoon. This is a voluntary arrangement that cruise lines respect,” a Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, in Scotland’s Orkney Islands, residents are upset about the number of cruise ships that dock on their coast. In early 2023, the local council confirmed that 214 cruise ships were due to dock that year, bringing in around £15 million in revenue for the islands. Following a backlash from local residents, the council has since proposed plans to limit the number of ships that dock in a day.
Large cruise ships have been banned from Venice’s Giudecca Canal since 2021.
Photo: Bruce Hodd, Getty Images
What steps are being taken?
City taxes are becoming increasingly popular, with Barcelona set to increase its nightly levy in April 2023 – the amount was originally introduced in 2012 and varies depending on the type of accommodation – and Venice set to impose a €5 tax on day-trippers from 2024.
In Amsterdam, the city council voted this summer to ban cruise ships and Mayor Femke Halsema launched a deterrent campaign urging young British men planning an “amoral holiday” to stay away, while in Rome authorities have restricted sit-ins at popular sites such as the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps.
Meanwhile, in Kenya’s Masai Mara, the Narok County governor has introduced instant fines for off-road driving and plans to double night-time park usage fees during peak season.
What are the predictions for global tourism?
Tourism has been one of the hardest-hit industries during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the UNWTO, international tourist arrivals fell by 72% in 2020. However, travel numbers have since surged, with twice as many people travelling internationally in the first three months of 2023 as in the same period in 2022. And according to the World Travel and Tourism Council, the tourism sector is expected to reach £7.5 trillion this year, 95% of pre-pandemic levels.
Tourism is predicted to account for 11.6% of the global economy by 2033, but it is also predicted that more people will show interest in traveling more sustainably: in a 2022 survey by Booking.com, 64% of respondents said they would be prepared to avoid crowded tourist destinations to avoid crowds.
Is there a solution?
There are ways to better manage tourism by promoting off-season travel, limiting numbers where possible and enforcing regulations within the industry. Finding solutions that encourage more sustainable travel and reduce friction between residents and tourists could also have a positive impact. Promoting alternative, less-visited spots to reorient travelers could also have some benefits.
Harold Goodwin, Professor Emeritus at Manchester Metropolitan University, said: “Overtourism is not just about visitor numbers, but also about conflicting behaviour, crowding in inappropriate places and privacy. Social anthropologists talk about front stage and back stage. Tourists are rarely welcome backstage. To manage congestion we first need to analyse and identify the causes of congestion.”
Francis added: “But we must be careful not to replicate the same problems elsewhere. What is most important is to have a clear strategy, in consultation with local people about what a place wants and needs from tourism.”
As things stand, overtourism is a seasonal issue in a small number of destinations. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, but it is clear that different measures are an option depending on the scale of the problem. For the majority of countries in the world, tourism remains a positive force, bringing many benefits beyond just economic growth.
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