How to avoid overtourism?

Slide 1Overtourism
Overview
When we think about places like the Colosseum in Rome, or Salar de Uyuni in
Bolivia, we all know they’re going to be busy. When a place becomes famous among
travellers, they tend to develop new facilities to welcome large numbers of people
and the destination begins to change. The streets become crowded, souvenir shops
appear, and you start to find many photos on Instagram. Problems start when the
amount of visitors becomes way higher than the town or attraction can cope with.
What is
overtourism?
Overtourism describes the situation in which the impact of tourism at certain times
and places exceeds the physical, ecological, social, economic, psychological and / or
political limit.
Limit your time at high-profile attractions
If you're traveling to Paris on business, you'll probably want to take in a few sights in
your free time. While the Eiffel Tower and Louvre might be at the top of your list,
they're also at the top of most other people's lists. However, this doesn't mean you have
to completely avoid all high-profile attractions.
Take the path less traveled
Even when trying to avoid high-profile tourist attractions, you'll want to see what
your destination has to offer. To do this, you will need to conduct research on some
local attractions that are off the beaten path. Often times, visiting less-traveled places
can be even more rewarding, as you do not need to battle large crowds or vendors.
Learn about the local culture
Going to a new destination uninformed can lead to uncomfortable situations. For
example, if you're traveling to Singapore, you will want to study up on local customs
and ordinances. Singapore prides itself on being one of the cleanest cities in the world,
which means that littering is strictly forbidden.
Support local businesses
A major consequence of overtourism is a consolidation of profits. As tourism grows in
a given destination, larger companies move in, effectively pushing out many smaller,
locally-owned businesses.
To combat this, you can stay at family-owned hotels and inns, eat at local (non-chain)
restaurants, and buy souvenirs or gifts from local vendors, rather than corporate-
owned gift shops. Aim to support as many local businesses as possible. Rating them on
social media and recommending them to colleagues can also be helpful.
Schedule your trip during the off-season
While you won't always have complete control over your travel schedule, you may
be able to rearrange a trip if it coincides with the peak tourist season. One less
person traveling to a given destination during peak travel season doesn't sound like
much, but every bit helps.
Pick Destinations Carefully
Tourism itself isn't the problem. According to figures from the World Travel & Tourism
Council, in 2018 the tourism industry contributed $8.8 trillion to the world economy
and employed 319 million people (roughly one in 15 of the workforce worldwide).
Tourism - in moderation - is a force for good, redistributing money to places that need
it and promoting cross-cultural engagement and understanding. Become an
undertourist by thinking through where you travel to.
Adapt your Mindset
To really become an undertourist, you have to rediscover the art of travel, the
childlike excitement of being immersed in an entirely different culture. Pocket you
phone and travel in the present, taking it all in with your eyes instead of filtered
through a camera lens. Question why you want to go somewhere. Are you aching to
visit Valletta to wander the whisper-quiet backstreets or because a trendy friend of a
friend went there?
Be a Responsible Traveller
As travellers, we have an important role to play with it comes to tackling the issue of
overtourism. We need to respect the places we're visiting and take the time to learn
about the local culture and customs. We need to reduce out impact on the
environment by planning eco-friendly holidays and embracing Slow Travel.
Some suggestions that tourist destinations can follow to
counter the phenomenon of overtourism
•Encourage the dispersion of tourists within the city, and even beyond the territory,
suggesting the visit of lesser-known destinations and less touristic areas.
•Promote tourism in different periods (for example out of season) and at different
times from the most popular.
•Create new and different itineraries and tourist attractions.
•Review and improve regulations, such as closing some overcrowded areas to
traffic.
•Attract more responsible types of travelers.
•Develop and promote experiences in the city or territory that benefit both
tourists and residents.
•Involve the local community in tourist decisions and choices.
•Educate travelers and tell them how to be more responsible and respectful of the
place.
Tourism numbers are growing
Tourist arriving from China and India are helping stoke this steady rise.
How the success of tourism is measured
A country’s tourism success rate has always been measured in the number of arrivals
rather than local employment or the amount of money generated by tourism. The
ease of data collection makes this the measurement of choice, but importantly it
doesn’t tell you how the locals are benefiting from the steady influx of new arrivals.
National holidays
When a country like China has a national holiday, a mass exodus often follows. This
puts a strain on host countries, especially if these dates coincide with an international
holiday of a country with limited holiday allowances e.g America.
Limited popular destinations
Popular spots, views, historical sites, and beaches are where the majority of tourists
want to visit causing a strain to the infrastructure
Marketing
When a tourist spot becomes fashionable companies jump on the bandwagon
to heavily market this destination. Cuba saw a huge rise in tourism as visa restrictions
were relaxed, causing many problems for locals. Although, this condition can be the
result of a ‘destinations’ marketing strategy. Iceland is an interesting case study, if you
are interested in investigating further.
Dangerous destinations and travel advice
When a popular country becomes a ‘no go zone’ e.g Egypt, Turkey and Tunisia, a
funnelling effect is formed causing a steady stream of tourists to flow to limited and
already oversubscribed destinations.
Accessibility
Holiday bookings, flights and connections have all become a lot easier and cheaper
and so the destinations’ popularity increases. Furthermore, tourism has been called
the biggest freeloader since many of the must-see destinations are free e.gVenice’s
Piazza San Marco, Dubrovnik’s old quarters and the Amalfi Coast.
Destination’s natural capacity
When there is no route for visitor overflow, numbers can boil over in historic sites
likeVenice and island destinations.
The summer holiday season
People travel to Europe during their summer months because it’s the best time to
visit for warm weather. With visitors from around the world visiting popular ‘must
see’ destinations in a short time frame, crowds will grow.
Destruction of natural ecosystems
The flora and fauna are usually the first to suffer overtourism in the most popular
natural tourist destinations. In some natural destinations, environmental issues led to
the destruction of entire ecosystems. Among these problems, we can mention
deforestation, exploitation of the soil and pollution. But also, no policy of raising
awareness and protecting natural environments.
Consequences
Increase in the amount of waste
Another consequence of mass tourism is the large accumulation of waste that people
don’t differentiate. Inevitably, it creates a major environmental problem of disposal and
pollution. Boracay Island, in the Philippines, has been closed to restore the ecosystem
after years of uncontrolled tourism.The waste problem is also very important on
the island of Bali, which is trying to combat it thanks to the thought of Zero waste Bali.
Escape and malaise of residents
Too much tourism affects mainly the locals.Across Europe, in cities like Barcelona or
Venice, the phenomenon of overtourism has unleashed strong tensions from the
inhabitants. Residents complain about the rising of housing prices and rentals. In
effect, they inflated them due to the spread of online platforms such as Airbnb.
It’s time more responsible tourism practices were employed to ensure the local
population reaps the benefits from tourism.
A drastic change in how successful tourism is measured is essential.
Restricted access for giant cruise ships and strong marketing for alternative
destinations.
Restrictions and charges to popular areas would stem the spread of overtourism.