The notion of Overtourism is something that has crept up in the news frequently as of late, although it is not a new phenomenon, just something that has perhaps reached breaking point in a lot more locations as of late. For many locations, it seems the bubble is close to popping, and they cannot accommodate tourism anymore, for others, that ship has already sailed.
Iceland, a sparsely populated country of under 400,000 people sees more than 300,000 people arrive via cruises every year, a number they say they cannot accommodate with infrastructure, and have charged a tax of 2,500 krona (approx €16) per person on board docking cruises to either deter visits, or help fund better infrastructure. Either way, it’s a win/win for Iceland.
Similarly, Venice has placed an entrance fee tax for day trippers of €5 (or €10 if not paid in advance), but it seems Venice has lost its battle with overtourism as 20 million people are estimated to visit the city annually, which 110,000 people live there – on Venice’s busiest days, only 5% of the people there are residents, seeing businesses cater solely to tourists, and accommodation becoming increasingly scarce, with many of the properties converted as short term rentals, and most of the employment opportunities in the city and geared towards tourists, and paying wages that can’t accommodate living due to the scarcity of accommodation – and what accommodation is available, isn’t affordable on low hospitality wages.
Some locations have started to fight back against this. Florence has instigated a lockbox ban, fining people that don’t remove them, so short term rentals will be more of an inconvenience for those renting out, with them having to meet renters face to face to exchange keys, rather than simply messaging a code for people to access their accommodation. Florence has also banned new listings of short term rentals in its centre, so prevent the accommodation problem reaching the problematic levels it has in Venice, but whether this will be enough remains to be seen.
Whilst some regions of Italy have seen protestors physically remove said lockboxes, anti-tourist protests do not seem to have reached the level they have in Spain, where scores have taken to the streets in the Canary and Balearic Islands, Seville, San Sebastián, Barcelona, Alicante, and many other tourist hotspots. Protestors Barcelona also famously fired water pistols at tourists as part of their protests. As they strive to remain in the locations they grew up in, and not continue to be priced out by the evergrowing tourist industry.
It is estimated that 30% of Lisbon’s population have been priced out in the past decade to accommodate tourists, and they push to prevent new short term lets in residential areas.
I had met a Croatian, an educated mechanical engineer, who stated that young Croatians have no choice but to emigrate as the country, is now unaffordable to live in. 20% of the economy is based around tourism, but the tourism jobs rarely pay enough to live an enjoyable lifestyle, and housing is scarce due to short term rentals in the tourist hotspots, with Dubrovnik being a prime example after its Game of Thrones Fame.
Masses of tourists visiting somewhere due to media isn’t a new phenomenon either, with the beach from The Beach closed in 2018 due to damage caused by swarms of tourists, and only reopened recently, with rules in place to limit the number of visitors, and there are fears Koh Samui will be overburdened due to the filming of White Lotus there.
But swarms of tourists aren’t solely inspired by media, adventure can be a factor too, with visitors to Mount Everest seemingly reaching record numbers every year. Whilst Nepal has increased its tax once again to limit how many people can attempt to climb Everest at once, the amount of people there isn’t the only issue. At the peak, the human body starts to shut down due to oxygen deprivation, and there are queues of people, in line waiting to reach the top, whilst fatalities were common with people attempting to reach the top of the world, it’s increasingly dangerous for people waiting in line whilst their bodies are physically dying at such an altitude. This strain isn’t just felt by the daring tourists (who are increasingly just a wealthy elite who can afford to make the trek, with limited mountaineering experience), but also by the Sherpa guides who have little job options outside of assisting tourists, at least not jobs that pay well by local standards.
John Krakauer’s experience climbing Everest when tragedy struck (in his book Into Thin Air) is a phenomenal deeper dive into the issues surrounding the Overtourism of Everest if this is of particular interest to you.
Whilst my own personal experience of Overtourism (actually feeling like a culprit, rather than being priced out) was the result of travelling to Porto during a wildfire, where we were on a multi-stop trip, and already boarded our flight to Porto when we learned of the fires, I was conscious of the fact we’d be an additional burden on emergency services should the fire spread to the city proper, and felt guilty of it. Thankfully nothing of the sort happened, but Porto felt like a city completely different from descriptions online when it was described as a hidden gem. The tourists had discovered the gem, and they had mined and extracted it long before we arrived. A beautiful, fun city, but not a location hidden from the public eye that it may have once been.
And onto my last example, Dublin. I can’t describe Dublin as ever being a hidden gem, but instead, it’s a city that has sold its soul in pursuit of tourist’s cash. Many of the institutions that once gave Dublin the charm that tourists wanted to experience have been torn down and replaced with hotels to accommodate the number of tourists.
Whilst Dublin hasn’t seen as stark a change in businesses solely catering to tourists, with local butchers closing for boba tea shops, it is happening, and the housing crisis in Dublin has seen exorbitant prices charged for shared rooms with strangers, but it seems Dublin is still a bit off breaking point. But once the charm of these locations dies, it doesn’t tend to come back. And if you visit somewhere for a vibe, and that vibe is long gone, the tourism will dry up soon afterwards.
So, what is the solution? Sustainable tourism.
But how is that achieved?
Well, first of all, it should go without saying that locals should not be displaced to accommodate visitors, but with many cities pricing the next generation out already for graduate employees, they’ll do so for tourists as long as it is profitable. Government legislation should ensure there is adequate housing to suit local needs before ensuring there is adequate hotel numbers to accommodate tourists, and then, there needs to be intervention to ensure the money generated from tourism remains in said location, which means limiting multinational chains (whether hotels, cafes, or fast food joints) at the expense of local businesses, and lastly, wages. Staff catering to tourists should be able to afford to live near their jobs, and be able to afford a decent quality of life.
But, as we’ve seen with capitalism, the view is always that something doesn’t need fixed until it is broken, and it’ll only be considered broken when it doesn’t work anymore. Overtourism has broken lots of these locations, but the money continues continues to pour in, so the powers at be won’t address it until there’s large scale local protests, or the tourists vote with their feet.
Many of these locations are dependant on tourism, but not at any cost. Infrastructure to accommodate tourists needs created, but not at the expense of locals.
Let’s hope something is addressed soon, to ease the worries of locals, encourage tourists to seek out sustainable tourism, and to save great locations around the world before they go beyond breaking point, because travelling and experiencing different cultures and worldviews is one of the best things a person can do.