Overtourism

Overtourism refers to situations where the presence of tourists is disruptive or damaging to the area being visited. Many popular tourist areas see crowds of visitors that far exceed the local population. Too many tourists in an area can overwhelm its infrastructure and resources. It can also make it difficult for locals to get around their own neighborhoods, impact the environment, and drive up property costs for locals.

The problem of overtourism has been steadily growing since around the middle of the twentieth century. Its consequences are leading some tourist destinations to take steps to limit the number of visitors. Tourists can also take steps to limit their impact by choosing their travel destination carefully and acting more like a local while on vacation.

Background

The human population on Earth has more than tripled between the 1950s and the 2020s. Even if the rate of tourism had stayed the same, more people would be travelling, simply because there are more people. This population increase coincided with a growing interest in travel. As a result, the population rate and the percentage of people interested in travelling grew at the same time.

The increase in disposable wealth—the amount of money people have beyond what they need to meet everyday expenses—means more people have the resources to travel. Improvements in travel technology, such as larger and faster planes, bigger cruise ships, and specialized vehicles that can reach the most remote locations, also contributed to the number of people travelling. These improvements have helped reduce the cost and increase the convenience of travel.

The development of the internet coupled with the growth of social media have also made more people aware of interesting travel destinations both at home and abroad. The internet and social media technology have spawned the “sharing economy,” where sites such as Airbnb make it possible for people to connect with others willing to rent a home or apartment for a short time.

While the problems associated with an overabundance of tourists have been growing for a number of decades, the term overtourism only came into use in the 2010s. Some sources list its origin as coming from a 2012 Twitter hashtag, while others claim later writers came up with the term independently. The word surged in popularity in 2017 when residents in some locations—most notably Barcelona, Spain—held active protests against the tourists in their cities.

Overview

Tourism is a significant source of income in many parts of the world. In most cases, countries actively encourage people to travel to their areas because of the income tourism generates. However, the unintended consequences of large numbers of visitors have prompted some countries to begin changing their policies towards tourism.

Many of the most traveled tourist destinations are in cities with centuries-old street layouts, leading to heavy congestion when large numbers of visitors arrive. In numerous instances, the number of tourists far exceeds the numbers of residents. Roads and transportation systems, sanitation systems, and other infrastructure may be stretched well beyond their planned capacities. This limits the resources available for the people living in the area. When areas become popular with tourists, demand for places to stay also increase. This can lead to shortages of land for local homes when hotels take over the available space. The increase in home-sharing sites has also resulted in developers taking over apartments and homes to use for short-term rentals. The practice can drive up prices to the point where locals are forced to move out to find affordable rental housing. In addition, businesses that cater to tourists can push out the grocery stores and other businesses that local people need for everyday necessities, requiring them to travel further away to find these things.

In some cases, communities suffer from overtourism without reaping any economic benefit. Cruise ships dock in some areas and send thousands of tourists into a local community. However, these tourists spend only a few hours there and may only buy a snack or a souvenir before returning to the ship to eat and sleep. This situation may also occur when busloads of tourists travel into an area for a day trip before returning to another city for meals and accommodations.

Other problems associated with tourism may include cultural issues and inappropriate behavior by tourists. Different areas of the world have different cultural norms. Tourists can violate these norms either without realizing it or simply because they do not care. For instance, they may be dressed too casually or immodestly for areas with religious significance, or may insult residents with their conduct. Tourists who leave trash are also a problem in some areas. In addition, the influx of large amounts of people has caused excessive wear and tear on many ancient sites. Overtourism also affects the experience for the traveler, who may find some areas too crowded to be able to see and enjoy the sites.

Locals in some areas have protested against the presence of tourists, or have hung signs indicating the problems tourism has caused for the community. In other areas, local and national governments have taken steps to limit the impact of tourism. Some have begun imposing taxes on travelers, or limiting the number of hotels that can be built. Others have required permits for travel that are limited to a specific number per day. Some communities have also required incoming tourists to view a video outlining their expectations. Some require visitors to sign a pledge promising to adhere to the local rules and imposing fines on those who break those rules.

With the boom in tourism not expected to slow down, experts believe that such measures will increase in the coming years. The World Tourism Organization estimates that by 2030, as many as 1.8 billion people will travel internationally. In addition, travel experts recommend that individual travelers can help improve the situation by travelling to lesser known sites and travelling in off-peak seasons, taking care not to leave trash behind or harm the environment. Visitors can also learn local customs and at least a few local phrases. Staying outside of tourist hubs allows visitors to live like the locals and become a less obtrusive presence.

Bibliography

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