Skift Take
You can't really blame people who live in and around a popular city for wanting to enjoy the attractions that make it special. Their taxes give them that right, after all. It needs to be factored into overtourism calculations that locals sometimes outnumber other visitors at tourism attractions.
Busy destinations like Amsterdam and Madrid know that their cities face threats from overtourism, and want to find solutions.
But, at a time when many destinations invoke the importance of getting locals involved in tourism to help them understand its benefits, some tourism boards have found domestic tourists — not just international visitors — are also part of the problem.
That's the view of Olivier Ponti, manager of research at Amsterdam Marketing, the city's tourism board; and Miguel Sanz, tourism for Tourism Madrid. Both said their organizations study the impact of all visitors to their cities, nationals of their countries and international visitors alike.
Skift coined the term overtourism and has spent the past two years covering every related angle, including the backlash, policy changes, and new strategies. The concept is increasingly understood throughout the travel industry, and has spurred discussion on how to manage tourism growth.
This week, the World Travel & Tourism Council joined the debate and released a report, co-authored by consulting firm McKinsey on solutions for overcrowding in destinations. The report offers recommendations on how to include locals in tourism planning, build public/private partnerships, balance sup
