What is Overtourism & How Travelers Can Combat It

The word ‘overtourism’ is a term seeping into the travelers' vernacular but some aren’t exactly sure what overtourism is, why it’s a problem, and how they can combat it.

Tourism ushers in myriad benefits to destinations around the world. The Travel & Tourism industry brings in revenue: it drives over nine percent of global GDP - and creates over 10% of jobs directly or indirectly. Statistics aside, visiting foreign countries encourages travelers to discover global cultures, histories, landscapes, and cuisines. This exploration can lead to a richer appreciation of humanity and our planet. 

However, some destinations and tourists are increasingly questioning whether or not it is all worth it. It is not uncommon for popular destinations to quickly become overcrowded resulting in frustrated locals and disappointed travelers. 

And this situation is predicted to become more frequent. The World Tourism Organization estimates that “arrivals [crossing international borders] are expected to reach 1.8 billion” by 2030. With this in mind, it is increasingly important, now more than ever before, to not just talk about the problems of overtourism, but the solutions. 

Tourism must balance a fine line between benefitting the local communities, caring for natural environments, and providing memorable experiences while ensuring overtourism doesn’t negatively impact the locals or the environment.

Read on to learn what overtourism is, what causes it, and why we must take it seriously. More importantly, consider our tips on how policymakers and travelers can combat overtourism. 

What is Overtourism? 

National Geographic summarizes overtourism as “Too many people in one place at any given time.” Practically speaking…

This includes impacts on the natural environment as well as local communities. The repercussions of overtourism arise because tourists and residents share and compete for the same finite resources and space. This can be seen directly as tour groups and residents compete for ‘room’ in small city streets or at neighborhood restaurants. This can also be seen indirectly as hotels siphon water for their lush, picturesque gardens for tourists to enjoy, while residents ration their usage carefully. 

Over the last several years, the term ‘overtourism’ has grown in popularity as local inhabitants protest the number of tourists that crowd their homes. As the number of tourists continues to rise year after year, residents sometimes feel that their communities, cities, and homes cannot support the number of tourists arriving. In other words, they have exceeded their “carrying capacity”. 

Carrying capacity includes the number of people that a destination can support without: 

1. Putting a strain on natural resources
2. Affecting the quality of the tourist's experience
3. Creating a negative opinion among residents towards tourism 

When discussing how to combat overtourism, travelers must remember that each destination has a unique carrying capacity. This means that a “one-size-fits-all” solution will not work long term. Each country should set a specific plan for its regions, communities, and destinations that respond to its specific needs and interests.

What are the Causes of Overtourism?

Overtourism is a growing concern for many destinations around the world.

Harold Goodwin, the director of Responsible Tourism at Manchester Metropolitan University, lists nine of the many different causes for overtourism: 

1. The Emerging Middle Class: An increasing number of people are curious and eager to travel. There’s a desire to experience other countries and cultures around the world. 
2. Budget Airlines: Travel is easier now than ever before due to the rise of budget airlines. This has also resulted in more ‘weekend getaways’ as short-haul flights are increasingly more affordable. 
3. Accommodation Platforms: There is an increase in platforms that have decentralized booking accommodations, driving prices down. The more affordable tourist accommodations can negatively impact the local housing market. Rents can increase, forcing locals to relocate; and an abundance of tourists in residential neighborhoods can disturb locals. 
4. Public Monuments & Attractions: While tourists benefit from and enjoy ‘free’ public monuments and attractions in major cities, taxpayers pay to maintain them, not tourists. 
5. Tourism Dispersal Complexities: Despite efforts to disperse tourists to less-visited areas, this can, sometimes, ‘kick the can down the road’ and negatively impact other, smaller local communities that aren’t well-prepared for increased crowds, queues, and traffic.
6. Seasonal Travel: Traveling during peak times or being restricted to set periods of travel (school breaks, for example), plays a large role in overtourism as it concentrates visitors within a relatively short time frame. However, spreading tourism throughout the year doesn’t solve all, as it can prevent locals from having a break from crowds of tourists. 
7. Job Quality: Even though tourism employs many people around the world, the jobs are often low-paid, temporary, and insecure. 
8. “Honeypots”: Popular tourist attractions are described as “honeypots” - in other words: they’re popular because so many people like them! However, this makes it challenging to demarket them as they are widely known and adored.
9. Transportation Expansion: Whether discussing airlines, coaches, train lines, or cruises, the transportation industry has grown in frequency and capacity. This ability of travelers to easily reach a destination is difficult for the destination itself to control. 

Another undeniable contributor to overtourism is the growth of ‘mass culture’ in the 21st century. Ecobnb defines mass culture as when “people choose the destination based on social media, influencers, television programs, and films.” As we consume more media content, our bucket lists grow longer. 

Why is Overtourism a Problem? 

Overtourism is a problem because it can negatively impact a destination's environment, sociocultural fabric, or economy. Here are some examples of how this phenomenon can detrimentally impact destinations and local communities.

Environmental impact examples of overtourism:

• Increased pollution and waste. 
• Damage to natural sites and landscapes, including forests, trails, beaches, and coral reefs when tourists do not respect local guidelines.
• An increase in the number of invasive species. For example, this happened in the Galapagos Islands due to the rise of inter-island traffic. 

Sociocultural impact examples of overtourism: 

• Overcrowding of popular areas can negatively impacts the experience for locals and tourists alike.  
• An influx of disrespectful tourists. For example, Amsterdam has seen tourists engage in “offensive behavior such as public urination and vomiting, littering, drunkenness, and noise”.
• Infrastructure and facilities challenges, namely coping with the influx of visitors brought by overtourism. This includes roads, restrooms, and even cultural landmarks.

Economic impact examples of overtourism:

• Catering to tourists instead of locals. Using Venice as an example, local businesses from shops to restaurants aim to accommodate visitors rather than residents. In fact, with each passing year, fewer people call Venice ‘home’ due to the increased cost of living and lowered quality of life. 
• Short and overwhelming cruise ship stops. Cruises can bring massive amounts of tourists arriving all at once, which can cause more harm than good as these stops are typically only a few days long (sometimes shorter). This means straining the capacity limits of destinations in fleeting bursts while not providing much time for visitors to support the local economy. 
• Skyrocketing property prices and increased cost of living. In popular destinations such as Barcelona, runaway prices force locals to leave in search of more affordable housing and resent tourists. 

What Are Some Policy-Driven Overtourism Solutions? 

Since the problem of overtourism is unique to each destination, due to variable carrying capacities, solutions need to be assessed and managed accordingly.

5 ways policymakers can combat overtourism:

Here are five ways policymakers can work to combat overtourism and move towards a responsible tourism model where the benefits of tourism outweigh the negative impacts.

1. Design a tailored tourism strategy with local residents at the heart of the solution and involve them in decisions.
2. Promote tourism dispersal by suggesting less visited attractions and towns with excess capacity, while ensuring sufficient transport lines.
3. Tackle seasonality by encouraging tourists to visit throughout the year to distribute visitors and tourism revenue more evenly. 
4. Introduce destination management strategies such as tourist taxes, capping the number of visitors per day, and restricting opening times. 
5. Improve local infrastructure to ensure it suffices for resident and tourist needs. 

Case Studies in Overtourism

Overtourism solutions in Venice, Italy 

Venice consistently allures tourists to its dreamy canals. The romantic gondolas and their charming gondoliers stream countless visitors through the floating paradise. It’s no wonder this popular destination has captured hearts around the world!

Unfortunately, its ballooning fame now leaves local Venitians frustrated and outnumbered. The local population of Venice has dwindled so extremely that the number of tourist beds now outnumbers the city’s population.

In recent news, Venice has implemented a ‘day tripper fee’ to combat overtourism. This daily 5 euro fee was implemented in April 2024. Alongside this effort, tour groups are now capped at 25 visitors per tour and loudspeakers are banned. In previous years, the city also has implemented more crowd control methods and banned large cruise ships in the basin.

Interestingly, not all locals support the tourist tax fee.

Despite these initiatives, the Venetian government is, in parallel, mulling over how to increase tourism by doing these such as relaxing restrictions on cruise ships and Airbnb. This seems hypocritical and ironic to some and paints a picture of how complicated and delicate the balance of managing tourism can be.

Overtourism solutions in Iceland 

Iceland’s popularity has grown significantly over the past 10 years. In 2015 alone, the country saw tourism increase by 76%! After the banking crisis in 2008, Iceland focused on promoting its tourism as a means to recover. It was very effective, however, there are increasing concerns that the country is not physically prepared to manage this boom in tourism. 

In an effort to manage overtourism, officials have implemented an Airbnb regulation to limit the length of stay locals can rent out their homes, while also focusing on adding infrastructure. According to the Tourism Specialist at Iceland's Ministry of Industries:

Overtourism solutions in Dubrovnik, Croatia 

Dubrovnik skyrocketed in popularity due to its association with the TV series Game of Thrones. Even before the popular TV show, people enjoyed Dubrovnik’s historic city streets and beautiful coastal views. Excessive crowds can be directly linked to the high number of cruise ships docking in Dubrovnik and more frequent affordable flights. 

In response, the city capped the number of cruise ships to only two per day in 2019. In addition, the mayor has reduced souvenir stands by 80% and restaurant tables by 30%. Although this brought financial losses, the Dubrovnik mayor has been praised for his long-term approach to the sustainability of the city’s tourism.

How Can Travelers Combat Overtourism?

Although most significant change needs to come from the top down via policy-makers, tourists are also an important piece of the puzzle in combatting overtourism. Travelers can and should do their part to fight against overtourism and promote responsible practices that leave a net-positive benefit on destinations and communities. 

6 key ways travelers can combat overtourism:

1. Choose less-crowded destinations: Consider prioritizing off-the-beaten-path destinations. This is a great starting point for combatting overtourism because visiting less-crowded destinations automatically reduces the strain on whichever more popular destination you could have gone to instead. This also allows for a more unique travel experience.
2. Travel in the off-season travel: If you have flexibility with your travel dates, traveling during the shoulder or low seasons can reduce the strain on destinations. This is especially important for popular places that frequently suffer from overcrowding. Traveling outside of high season also distributes revenue throughout the year rather than concentrating it on peak periods. 
3. Explore secondary attractions: Even in popular destinations during high season, you can disperse the impact of your visit by seeking out lesser-known sites and attractions to visit.
4. Opt for alternative transportation: Instead of flying, renting a car, or taking a taxi, consider using public transportation, trains, ferries, cycling, or walking to reduce traffic congestion and carbon emissions. These options may take longer, but if you consider them part of the journey, they can be beautiful and far less crowded alternatives to your commute. Here’s a quick video about what it can look like taking ferries (instead of flights) between the Greek islands!
5. Stay in boutique, locally-owned, registered accommodations: Choosing boutique hotels, bed and breakfasts, or guesthouses instead of large chain hotels can help support the local economy and reduce the strain on resources. Registered accommodations are typically recognized as official tourist accommodations and comply with relevant regulations. These accommodations calculate total stays, availability of necessary resources, and adhere to quality standards. 
6. Limit social media sharing: Did you find an amazing hidden gem? Great! Consider not sharing it on social media so that it can stay a hidden gem for other travelers to stumble upon. Posting can sometimes drive an influx of visitors that smaller places are not prepared for, and this can have an adverse effect.

4 tips for being a polite tourist:

While these aren’t directly linked to overtourism, these tips are even more essential when traveling in a popular place during the peak season to build a good rapport with locals.

1. Stay longer: Enjoy slow travel, where you stay in a destination longer (ideally 3+ nights). This reduces the environmental impact of getting to and from the destination, gives you more time to immerse yourself, and provides more opportunities to support a greater number of local businesses.
2. Be a courteous traveler: Respect can be shown in many ways. Learn about local customs and be mindful of their culture and traditions. Follow the rules and guidelines when visiting attractions. Immerse yourself in the destination, and support local communities by trying authentic dishes, speaking a few words in their language, respecting their public spaces, and avoiding internationally-owned hotels or brands. 
3. Reduce waste when possible: Be mindful of your waste and footprint. Minimize your environmental impact by using refillable water bottles, avoiding single-use plastics, and properly disposing of your trash.
4. Seek out sustainable tourism experiences: Look for opportunities to support sustainable tourism, such as eco-tours, responsible wildlife watching, and community-based tourism initiatives.

Tourists and policymakers need to play their part in combating overtourism. While we need policymakers to drive high-level change at a greater scale, we, as travelers, should not wait to begin making smarter, more sustainable decisions. 

We understand that tourism continues to rise, and we recognize the excitement that exploring new destinations and cultures brings to people! This makes responsible tourism essential so we can continue to enjoy the cultural, natural, and historical gems the world offers us.

We urge travelers to do their part in any small way they can. From choosing your travel dates differently to visiting off-the-beaten-path destinations, taking small yet effective actions can begin to make a big difference.

Yugen Earthside helps combat overtourism by offering responsible package trips in less-visited destinations, or in less-visited areas of popular destinations, all with our network of locally-owned partners. We highlight the seasonality of each trip and encourage travelers to choose dates outside of high season whenever possible. We also promote slow and immersive travel, outside of major cities, with most trips lasting over one week.