Whether you’re a seasoned adventure traveller or an occasional long-weekender, it’s likely that overcrowding is one of your bugbears. When hundreds of people are simultaneously trying to be enchanted by an epic view, artistic masterpiece or ancient archaeological site, no one gets the chance to feel the magic.
When da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa, he couldn’t have imagined that future viewers would be able to look at it for only 15 seconds before being shuffled on by the next visitors in the queue. And if you want to get in touch with your spiritual side, forget about heading to Bali – you won’t get a minute’s peace.
What is overtourism?
When a destination’s infrastructure can’t cope with the volume of visitors it receives, it’s considered to be suffering from overtourism. No parking spaces, a shortage of hotel rooms and inadequate public loos are basic symptoms. When things get really bad, the visitor experience can be reduced to shuffling along in a crowd, staring at the backpack in front of you rather than seeing what you came to admire.
With no controls to manage how many visitors might arrive, cities with narrow streets, including Barcelona and Dubrovnik, can reach the point of virtual gridlock during the high season. UNESCO warned that Venice was in danger of suffering ‘irreversible damage’ if the tourist load isn’t lightened.
When more and more visitors pile in, the results are predictable. The fabric or environment of the destination is damaged by excessive footfall or irresponsible behaviour; prices rise; waste heaps up; residents and tourists come into conflict; locals experience poor quality of life and lose access to affordable accommodation. Places such as Koh Samui in Thailand struggle to maintain an adequate water supply and are suffocating under the weight of discarded plastic.
What draws the crowds?
Overtourism can strike particular places for one reason or be caused by a combination of factors. Persuasive marketing can open the tourist floodgates – this is what happened in Iceland, which benefitted from boosted revenues at first, but is rather regretting it now.
Cheap travel that can be accessed by a dense population has caused problems in European cities, while increased access to temporary accommodation via sites like Airbnb makes spontaneous travel easier. Then there’s bucket-list culture, social media and the scrabble to get the perfect selfie in front of everything from the Eiffel Tower to Niagara Falls. Visitors on a mission to see one attraction often follow the pack on a well-worn track straight to it, without exploring anything else in the area.
In recent years, the impact of cruise ships has been felt in small-but-appealing locations such as Shetland or the towns on Italy’s Amalfi coast. Although cruise tourists don’t put pressure on accommodation, they descend like a flash mob and overwhelm local services for a brief spell before returning to their ship.
Measures to manage overtourism
Tackling overtourism is a thorny dilemma for governments and local authorities who have to balance the lure of tourist income with the needs of local communities and the preservation of ancient sites. So far, no one-size-fits-all solution has been found.
- New Zealand and Amsterdam are among destinations that have imposed tourist taxes, with last-minute visitors incurring higher rates. Japan plans to hike accommodation tax in Kyoto up to a maximum of over £50 per person per night.
- Venice has introduced an ‘access contribution’, which is essentially an entry fee for day-trippers.
- Curfews that limit the hours during which visitors are welcome have been enacted in South Korea and Spain.
- Barcelona has suspended permits for tourist accommodation, while Dublin and Florence regulate Airbnb within certain zones and Penang in Malaysia has banned the platform outright.
- Timed ticketing at Machu Picchu gives you a 4-hour time slot to whizz around the ruins.
- Greece plans to cap the number of cruise ships allowed to visit the islands.
- Tackling antisocial behaviour is a major focus – it’s now illegal to go shirtless in Rome and night-time pub crawls are banned in Prague.
- Beaches in Thailand and the Philippines have been closed for set periods to allow them to recover from damage and contamination.
Taking the responsible route
Here at STC Expeditions, responsible and sustainable travel are at the top of our priority list. We keep our footprint light and never leave anything behind. If visitors pose any risk to a destination, we don’t go there, in the sure knowledge that there’s always an alternative. That’s why, if you fancy going to Iceland, we might suggest Finland instead. Or if you’re travelling at a time when Machu Picchu will be packed, we’ll steer you towards Choquequirao.
Want to learn more? Read about our commitment to responsible and sustainable travel here.