Combatting Overtourism with Responsible Travel Solutions

What is Overtourism?

For as much as you see Frost’s famous phrase about taking “the road less traveled”, it sure seems like we all are on similar paths. Finding too many tourists in the same locations is a growing problem. So what really is overtourism, how big is the issue & how does it relate to responsible travel?

The definition of overtourism is when “tourism has moved beyond the limits of acceptable change in a destination due to quantity of visitors, resulting in degradation of the environment and infrastructure, diminished travel experience, wear and tear on built heritage and/or negative impacts on residents.” ~ Center for Responsible Travel, CREST

The UN projected that in 2017 international tourist grew by 7% to be over 1.3 billion visitors a year. This far exceeded the UN World Tourism Organizations 201-2020 long-term projections of 3.8% growth per year. Rapid growth of global travel has ignited a new problem, too many people visiting places that can’t handle the crowds. Many have labeled “overtourism” as the 2018 word of the year and while it seems like a new phenomenon, the pressures of tourism have always existed.

 

How & Why People are Traveling More

Middle Class growth is participating in the rise of the traveler. More people are making more money, which in turn means more disposable income spent on travel. Not only do people have more money, but there are more travel options to fit a range of budgets.

Emerging new travel markets mean that off the beaten track destinations want a piece of the travel pie. With improved connectivity (think instafamous) places can experience rapid growth. How much is too much of a good thing? Tourism provides jobs, and the travel industry can provide economic, environmental & sociocultural value but at what cost?

There are a range of issues associated with tourism management and there isn’t a one size fits all solution. The principles of responsible travel and educating visitors are most paramount. Good tourism management practices & strategic planning are the keys to success & many in the industry feel that it is easier to prevent than recover from overtourism.

What are the Issues

How can tourism be such a bad thing? Here are just a few examples about the common issues destinations face. The issue can be sliced into four sections, Historic Cities, National Parks, Beaches & World Heritage Sites. Within those four sectors, there are three problems that arise.

1. Sharing Economy

A benefit to services like AirBnB is that tourism wealth is spread throughout the destinations & “local living” becomes more popular. The negative impact is that locals can be pushed out of residential neighborhoods & hotel and B&Bs have called for fairness in terms of taxes & safety regulations. Rent increases can be an issue, with companies buying properties and using them for short-term rentals. What is the solution for this? Be wary about renting apartments from large corporations and if you do use an AirBnB or home share, you can rent a room as opposed to a complete apartment so you know that the money you spend is going back into the community directly.

I tend to look for local B&B or smaller boutique hotels which give back to the local economy and keep from rental cost inflation. You can find destinations that are GREEN (Genuine & authentic, Responsible, Economically sustainable, Environment & climate friendly, Nature & animal friendly). Find sustainable destinations on the global top 100 presented by Green Destinations.

2. Environmental Impact

Busy places can have a global effect. The poor infrastructure in cities can create hastily built roadways that lead to less green space & larger carbon footprints. More feet on a trail in a park can mean erosion and a domino effect to a change to the ecosystem. From the Arctic to the Amazon nature based tourism is on the rise. This type of tourism can threaten protected areas & hinder potential conservation efforts.

3. Effecting Visitor Experience

How many times have you heard a friend who visited Europe in the summer talk about how crammed it was in front of the Mona Lisa at the Louvre? Is it often that you listen to someone complain that they shared a sunrise view with hundreds of people at Angkor Wat in Cambodia? For as much as the crowded tourist trails bother locals, it isn’t the best way to spend a vacation for travelers either. I talk about the visitor experience or “travel let down” in a previous post, discussing expectations versus reality. 

Historic Cities

Amsterdam is an example of major city with major tourism issue. Amsterdam is using data to help plan a geographic spread of tourists across the city and the Amsterdam City Card is chip enabled, providing access to public transit & key attractions. This allows the city to track movements of tourist & then identify congestions. Visitors outnumber residents by the millions so implementing a few new laws to combat overcrowding could be beneficial. Hotel room taxes are higher, short-term rentals are banned in the historical city center.

Dubrovnik recognized that cruise ship passengers arriving every day may defeat  pressures within the walled city. Staggering ship arrivals can ease infrastructure issued during peak travel times. Soon, they will launch an app that will give users real-time information about which areas of Old City are overcrowded. This may help to disperse tourists more evenly around town.

Venice has 30 million visitors a year & local population has dwindled to around 55k. A cruise ship could bring in the same number as population & locals are finding it too expensive to continue living in the city. Not only is the city slowly sinking over time, they are drowning in guests. Barcelona has experienced over crowding from tourists since the early 2000’s so the trend is not new to this city. They have routinely been the prime example in the case of overtourism & a clash between residents & visitors.

Charleston is often ranked #1 city in the US which creates buzz for travelers. New regulations on sharing economy accommodations in the historic city can assist with overtourism. Short term rentals must be classified as accessory use to a principal residence and owners must be on the property overnight while guests are present. No meals other than breakfast can be served. The owner must keep general liability & comply with business license & revenue collection laws.

Historic City Issues Have A Common Theme

If you notice a theme here, several of these cities are near bodies of water which allow cruise ships. Cruising heavily contributes to crowded locations. The solution sounds easy, just don’t have as many cruise ships dock in town. Not so easy. Ports & Airports are often not controlled by the city so they are not in control of flow or public planning. A good example of this are Caribbean islands that have over crowding from cruise liners. Federal & National government officials guard these locations fiercely for funding opportunities. Basically, countries make $$$ so they aren’t willing to let them go so easily.

National Parks & Protected Areas

About 46% of the natural UNESCO sites (many are national parks or wildlife reserves) have no plan for tourism management. It is important for these places to set priorities for influx of travelers in this Instagram obsessed world.

Iceland is another prime example of overtourism in nature. The social media campaign “Inspired by Iceland” created stop over craze and small sights on the tiny island have become increasingly popular. The Tourist Site Protection Fund was created by the Icelandic government to act as an advocate for the island.

Visit Canada had successful management of a major campaign in 2017 for the celebration of the 150th birthday. They handled congestion issues by having registration for entry, even though visitation was still free. They educated less informed visitors and managed places in advance that they thought would see an influx of visitors. Things as easy as traffic management or wildlife management can make a major difference.

Kayaking in the Grand Canyon is another example of how you can appreciate the fragility of nature without ruining a location. In the late 60’s around 10k people could go kayaking and by 1972 the number doubled. The change from the drastic increase of visitors made kayaking almost impossible. The park created regulations and slowly the river and surrounding river beds became pristine once again.

World Heritage Sites

Iconic landmarks are the most booked trips according to TripAdvisor. By their research, things like the Vatican Museum, Eiffel Tower, Empire State Building and Sagrada Familia tickets were the most booked attractions.

Machu Picchu has busloads of visitors but the surrounding communities don’t see much of wealth. Many of these tour operators aren’t locally run or they don’t pass down to the local population. Regulations for visitors have long been in place, but here is a perfect example on how thinking locally can help with conflict.

Beaches and Coastal Waterways

Major negative impacts on the climate and eco system are the prime example of over crowded beaches and coastlines. Places like Boracay in the Philippines and Maya Bay in Thailand have closed either indefinitely or for an extended period of time to try to reverse some of the effects of overtourism in these beautiful destinations. Keeping the coral safe, the water clean, the wildlife abundant are just a few of the many problems that tourist run beaches like these experience.

The Philippines have over 7,000 islands. Thailand’s 1000 islands are just as stunning and the mainland is just as hospitable. Thinking of going to Boracay or Ko Phi Phi? Check out different, less popular and equally beautiful islands or explore more cultural regions instead.

 

Is the Answer Don’t GO?!?

The first thought that may come to mind is, don’t travel. Not visiting these places seems like a quick fix. When you have cities that are increasingly less hospitable the easy answer is stay away, but it’s more complicated. Most of these destinations rely heavily on tourism for their economic growth, so we’ve put cities in a precarious position. Aside from the monetary gains from tourism, we as people benefit from visiting destinations unlike our hometowns. Travel can broaden your experiences, can make you more a compassionate global citizen & an overall better person. I strongly believe that saying just stay home is the wrong answer.

The better answer is to find a happy medium, where tourists can coexist with locals. Tourism can be a growing threat if we let it, but it is also a growing economic opportunity. Communication, management & education seem to be the effective tools that some of these destinations are using to appeal to residents and travelers.

 

Ways We Can Be a Better Tourist

More and more, vacationers are looking for ethical & authentic travel experiences. There are several ways that we can do little things to make a major impact on over tourism. Being more mindful travelers is far and away THE BEST thing we can do to be better visitors. Curious about how to take a first step? I’ve created a few key action points to help combat overtourism & being a more responsible traveler.

• Shoulder up to Shoulder Season – Visiting a place right on the heels of peak season can be a reasonable way to see a famous city without contributing to the crowds.
• Stay in “Second Cities” – This could be one of my favorite suggestions. Skip the major city or more touristic city all together and dig deeper to find other reasons to love visiting a new place. Don’t succumb to FOMO and find the second or third largest town in the country to explore. The capital of a country or the tourist driven town isn’t always the best part of a place. I’ve found I much prefer the smaller, lesser visited places. For example I love Salzburg over Vienna or Siena over Venice. Distribute tourism benefits so all destinations can all thrive.
• Choose Your Digs Wisely – Instead of renting an apartment on Airbnb or other short-term rental sites, rent a room from a local OR check out boutique local owned & operated hotels.
• Leave No Trace – The concept is simple, leave places of nature as good or better than you found it.

 

Where to Look for Credible Information

Curious how to learn more about responsible travel? I routinely look to these organizations for advice, studies and what is on the horizon in sustainable tourism. Stay involved with groups like these to make your choices for better travel easier. There is a lot of talk about responsible or sustainable tourism when looking for answers to these problems. What exactly is responsible tourism? Here are two simple definitions as well as links to find out more about mindful travel.

Responsible Tourism “Tourism that maximized the benefits to local communities, minimizes negative social or environmental impacts and helps local people conserve fragile cultures and habitats.” (UN)

Sustainable Tourism “Tourism that leads to management of all resources in such a way that economic, social & aesthetic needs can be fulfilled while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, biological diversity, and life-support systems.” (UN)

Center for Responsible Tourism (CREST)

Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSCT)

World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC)

World Wildlife Fund (WWF)

Impact Travel Alliance (ITA)