Overtourism: resistance to mass tourism on the rise
The term "overtourism" has become topical again with the global upswing in tourism following the COVID pandemic, with protests and demonstrations against the negative effects of mass tourism taking place in many places in recent weeks and months. In Palma de Mallorca, Tenerife and Barcelona, for example, thousands of people took to the streets to draw attention to the intolerable conditions. In many affected cities and regions, local governments are trying to counteract this with various concepts and measures. As travelers, we can also contribute to improving the situation.
Growth at any price
Like so many other industries, the travel industry has focused too much on growth and too little on the associated impact on the local population and the environment. The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) calculated that transport-related carbon dioxide emissions from tourism will increase by 25 % by 2030 compared to 2016, which corresponds to an increase from 5 % to 5.3 % of all man-made emissions.
The UNWTO also predicts that the number of global tourists, which peaked at 1.5 billion in 2019, will rise to 1.8 billion by 2030, which will likely lead to greater pressure on already popular places and more protests and frustration from residents.
However, according to tourism researcher Jürgen Schmude (in an interview with tagesschau), the main driver of overtourism is international tourist flows, which have risen sharply and will increase by a further 50% in the next ten to 15 years if the World Tourism Organization's forecast actually comes true. In China, for example, only 10% of the population currently has a passport.
The phenomenon of overtourism
Back in 2019, fears of excessive tourism growth were so great that the UN World Tourism Organization called for "such growth to be managed responsibly in order to make the most of the opportunities that tourism can offer to communities around the world".
Locations/regions affected
- Mount Everest
- Machu Picchu
- Santorini
- Amsterdam
- Barcelona
- Tenerife
- Venice
- Dubrovnik
- Hallstatt
- Maya Bay ("The Beach")
In affected regions and cities, an anti-tourist mood developed in response to the masses of tourists, with the clear message: "Tourists go home." In addition to Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca, frustrations and protests also occurred in other famous cities such as Amsterdam, Venice, London, Kyoto and Dubrovnik.
DerStandard quotes Oliver Fritz from the Austrian Institute of Economic Research (Wifo), according to whom overtourism is defined as "when the quality of life of the population suffers considerably due to a high number of tourists, but also when the tourist experience of guests is impaired by an overload of local infrastructure or a loss of authenticity of a destination".
Justin Francis, co-founder and managing director of Responsible Travel, a tour operator specializing in sustainable travel, says: "Social media has concentrated tourism in hotspots and exacerbated the problem, and tourist numbers are increasing worldwide while destinations have finite capacity. As long as local people are not properly consulted about what they want and don't want from tourism, we will see more protests."
Problems of overtourism
More and bigger cruise ships, far too cheap flights, AirBnB, places that have become legendary through social media and movies, more and more people worldwide who can afford to travel and want to work off certain world-famous hotspots on their bucket list, are turning certain places into mere backdrops.
The Canary Islands, for example, are Spain's most popular tourist destination and yet the poorest region in the country. Tragic. The money that tourists pay does not reach the communities and the people adequately. "This has been accepted for a long time because tourism brings great economic benefits - with the caveat that the revenue often does not remain in the region and not all residents benefit equally," explains tourism expert Fritz.
Another problem is the housing issue: homeowners prefer to rent to tourists rather than local tenants, causing house prices to rise. As a result, many residents can no longer afford the rents and have to move away. As a result, communities are being lost and the affected cities are at risk of dying out, as can already be seen in Venice.
Overpriced prices, excessive queues, overcrowded beaches, exorbitant noise levels, damage to historical sites and the impact on nature when people overrun or leave the official paths are further negative effects of overtourism.
In addition, the excessive accumulation of waste, air pollution and light pollution can disrupt natural habitats or reproductive patterns (baby sea turtles, for example, can become disoriented by artificial lighting when they hatch).
Measures against overtourism
Growing awareness of the consequences of overtourism has prompted local and national governments to protect their assets through sustainable tourism practices and to ensure that tourist behavior does not harm - or even better, benefits - the local environment.
Possible steering measures
- Making travel outside the peak season more attractive
- Making less frequented locations more attractive for tourists - this is used in Amsterdam and also Berlin
- Reduction in the number of cruise ships (e.g. on Santorini and also Dubrovnik)
- Tourism tax and closure of the Giudecca Canal to cruise ships in Venice
- Limitation of daily tourist numbers (e.g. Antarctica)
- Increase in accommodation tax (e.g. in Barcelona)
- Penalties for leaving the designated paths and roads (e.g. in Kenya's Maassai Mara)
- Prohibitions on certain behavior: Penalties for lingering on historic staircases or fountains in Rome, joint-smoking bans in Amsterdam in certain places
- Curbing illegal apartment rentals
"However, we must be careful not to simply repeat the same problems elsewhere. The most important thing is to develop a clear strategy in consultation with local people about what a place wants or needs from tourism," says Justin Francis.
What we can do about it
- If possible, we should plan our trip in the early or late season.
- We should dispose of our waste properly and avoid it as much as possible by taking reusable items with us.
- We take local customs and sights into consideration.
- We look for areas outside the most popular places for our trip.
- We prefer family-run and local companies.
- We organize the arrival and departure as sustainably as possible.
We need to change our travel behavior, says Schmude: "It's actually an educational task to change travel behavior at a relatively young age. To do this, we need to teach schools that not everyone behaves like lemmings - and that everyone travels to the same places at the same time. There is another way."
Left:
UN World Tourism Organization UNWTO
Jürgen Schmude interview in the tagesschau
