Skift Take
It took years for overtourism to happen in some destinations and the problem won't be solved overnight or this year. But to start, destinations could begin paying tourism workers more fairly and give locals more access to programs and services that tourism revenue supposedly helps to fund.
Destinations are starting to take some measures to address overtourism for this summer season following protests across Europe last year that shined a light on the problem of overcrowding and costly disruptions to local economies.
Governments for years had neglected overtourism and treated travel like any other industry. That complacency in cities like Barcelona, Dubrovnik, and Venice left many residents railing for answers and accountability.
The lack of effective tourism planning, regulation, and investment caused residents' anger to spew over last year in some destinations like Barcelona. Organized street protests in Barcelona and other cities demanded action from elected officials.
With peak tourism season about to kick off in much of the world, much of the travel industry is probably wondering: what, if anything, has changed since last year?
Angered residents will likely still feel crowded this year, but more destinations have demonstrated they know they have a problem. Dubrovnik announced that this year it will start limiting the number of tourists that can enter its city center on a daily basis, which could impact some cruise lines that call on the city.
Barcelona hosted the Barcelona Global Summit last month that included discussions between policymakers and tourism officials from global destinations on their common challenges and learnings from overtourism.
The event also proposed solutions for how to address Barcelona residents' concerns and spread tourism throughout the year to reduce crowds in the summer.
Skift has extensively covered overtourism trends during the past few years and recently talked to tourism officials and companies to get their take on what to expect this year.
How Did We Get Here?
The pressure to grow tourism arrivals weighs on every destination marketing executive to show their work is effective, said Justin Francis, founder and CEO of Responsible Travel, a UK-based booking site that offers tours around the world that educate travelers about how their behavior impacts local cultures and environments.
"How many times have we heard, 'I’m a new tourism minister or CEO and I’m going to double tourism numbers in the next 10 years?'" said Francis.
Francis said the travel industry isn't reacting to the full problem. "I think overtourism is misunderstood by industry leaders," he said. "If we just better address the crowds, I don’t think that that will fully address the questi
