This is What You Must Know About Overtourism in Europe

Just lately, protests and walkouts have outlined a few of Europe’s hottest cities.

Workers on the Louvre Museum in Paris walked off the job, inflicting it to shut. Protestors gathered en masse in Barcelona, cheering and holding indicators that mentioned issues like “mass tourism kills the town,” and wielding water weapons—the photographs have turn into synonymous with the motion in opposition to overtourism. In Lisbon, folks staged an “eviction” from a church as a strategy to spotlight the dramatically elevated price of residing attributable to the short-term rental market that springs up in common vacationer locations.

For vacationers who’ve been planning, saving, and eagerly awaiting their European summer time holidays, the demonstrations really feel like the alternative of a heat welcome, they usually could make a trip seem to be an moral dilemma. This framework, native versus vacationer, is nothing new, although. It is why some folks strive to attract the excellence between being a “vacationer” and a “traveler.” Attending to the underside of those protests, and the sentiments behind them is significant—for vacationers, locals, and the cities on the middle of the dialog.

This is what you’ll want to learn about overtourism.

What’s overtourism?

“Overtourism is sort of like an excessive amount of of a very good factor,” mentioned Katy Nastro, a journey professional at Going, to Journey + Leisure. “We are likely to neglect as vacationers that these unbelievable locations we love to go to have locals who reside their day-to-day lives there. Communities have been cemented right here lengthy earlier than these locations gained recognition.”

As soon as a location turns into a “can’t miss” vacation spot, it may be onerous to organize for simply what meaning. “Within the case of those well-known cities and websites, they sadly weren’t arrange centuries in the past to deal with the kind of visitors 12 months after 12 months,” Nastro mentioned.

The adverse results of a metropolis turning into common to go to will not be as apparent as it’s in pure environments, the place you possibly can see traces of trash or decimated wildlife. Whereas seashores and forests could be clearly affected by a scarcity of correct conservation, it may be more durable to identify the stress that too many guests could cause in cities. Helene Møgelhøj, a sustainable journey and regenerative tourism professional says that whereas locals will really feel the impacts first, they may have an effect on everybody—together with vacationers.

“In large cities, the consequences of over tourism will not be essentially instantly apparent to the customer, other than maybe congestion and overcrowding,” Møgelhøj mentioned. “Nonetheless, for native folks, a big improve in customer numbers can result in a scarcity of reasonably priced housing and basic value will increase at, for instance, native eating places.”

Along with elevated prices and a decreased capacity for locals to get pleasure from their very own cities, overtourism places an added burden on public infrastructure, which is often funded by taxes. So, locals find yourself footing the invoice for upkeep of a spot they aren’t in a position to get pleasure from absolutely as a result of it’s too costly and too crowded to take action.

Nonetheless, locals typically get messaging that tourism is nice for the native economic system, so they need to be grateful, in a manner. That’s not inherently true—oftentimes, multinational firms are the first beneficiary of tourism spending, explains Møgelhøj.

“In at this time’s world economic system, many tourism and hospitality companies are owned and run by multinationals,” she mentioned. “The overwhelming majority of individuals don’t profit instantly from a rise in customer numbers. Nonetheless, they could profit from tourism not directly by the so-called ‘multiplier’ impact, which suggests elevated spending within the native economic system total resulting from tourism.”

None of because of this tourism is inherently unhealthy. Asier Basurto, a member of the “tourism degrowth” group that helped set up among the protests in San Sebastián, Spain, informed The Guardian in a June 2025 article that vacationers aren’t the enemy.

“Individuals who go on trip to 1 place or one other will not be our enemies, nor are they the goal of our actions,” Basurto mentioned within the article. “Let me be clear: our enemies are those that speculate on housing, who exploit staff, and people who are profiting handsomely from the touristification of our cities.”

Vacationers aren’t the unhealthy guys.

Møgelhøj believes that tourism can even have a robust, optimistic affect on native communities. “I’m an incredible believer in tourism as a drive for good,” she mentioned.

However she additionally thinks that accountable tourism can not relaxation solely on the person shoulders of tourists.

“It’s essential to have an efficient vacation spot administration group in place that represents the pursuits of native folks in addition to massive multinational stakeholders,” Møgelhøj says. “The native authorities needs to be a part of this, in addition to the nationwide authorities, which has an necessary position by way of making a optimistic and useful tourism coverage and strategic framework.”

There are examples of efforts like this, even in Spain, the place among the greatest anti-overtourism protests have taken place.

“Right now in our most visited cities and resorts, we want measures in place in order that we are able to preserve the stability between a thriving tourism trade and the wellbeing of residents, guaranteeing that tourism stays a optimistic drive for good for all,” Manuel Butler, director of the Spanish Vacationer Workplace in London, informed T+L in a press release. “Proposed laws corresponding to Barcelona’s clampdown on privately let vacationer residences and … changes to vacationer taxes exterior of the winter months, mirror Spain’s ongoing efforts to construct a accountable and sustainable tourism mannequin.”

Nastro agrees and says that tourism must be a “a superb stability of supporting the native economic system, (and) protecting locals in a position to function of their native economic system.”

This is what vacationers ought to learn about overtourism.

Making extra intentional decisions as a traveler not solely advantages locals—it additionally means you’re much less prone to spend your journey in sweaty crowds and lengthy strains. Listed here are Møgelhøj’ and Nastro’s suggestions for thoughtfully vacationing in ways in which will not contribute to (or be ruined by) overtourism.

Avoid protests and demonstrations.

“Keep away from any protests and demonstrations in order to not worsen the state of affairs,” Møgelhøj mentioned.

Take detours and go to much less common sights.

“Usually, stroll or cycle round and take the chance to discover the lesser-known areas of any vacation spot that you just go to,” Møgelhøj mentioned. “Probably the most memorable experiences are usually least deliberate and sudden.”

Act responsibly.

This one is fairly self-explanatory, however being courteous and respectful of native tradition and customs can go a good distance in bettering the expertise of each vacationers and locals.

Keep knowledgeable.

One of the best ways to not be stunned by protests is to maintain up with the information within the locations you’re touring to.

“Before everything, remember if the town you’re touring to has deliberate or has had protests just lately,” Nastro mentioned. “… Observe native information organizations to remain essentially the most up-to-date on when and the place they could happen. (That is) going to offer you extra correct and well timed information than U.S.-based retailers.”

Know who to contact in the event you run into hassle.

It is all the time a good suggestion to have some emergency contacts readily available in case issues go improper in your journey—and it is by no means a nasty concept to know the place the native U.S. embassy is.

Keep away from touring within the excessive season.

Each Nastro and Møgelhøj advise planning journeys within the “off season” of your vacation spot. “Touring within the shoulder season, and even higher, within the low season, will be a good way to reduce the probability of encountering lengthy strains at among the world’s most iconic websites,” Nastro mentioned.

Plan journeys to common sights neatly.

Should you’re planning on visiting a preferred attraction, strive visiting throughout much less busy occasions. Or, if you wish to go to a preferred vacationer vacation spot, Nastro recommends staying in a close-by city and making a day journey to the town to see the sights.

Purchase native.

Maybe one of many direct and most impactful methods which you could be a “good” traveler is being intentional about the place you spend your cash. Nastro recommends staying in domestically owned and operated resorts, shopping for from small distributors and artisans, and venturing exterior of busy metropolis facilities to extra rural, off-the-beaten-path locations.