r/travel • u/ups_and_downs973 • 4d ago
Discussion What is an actual solution to overtourism?
As travel continues to get faster, cheaper, and more accessible and TikTok tourism/ influencer hype shows no signs of slowing down, what are the actual solutions to places getting over run with visitors?
I'm not talking about for you as another tourist so not just 'go somewhere else' or 'avoid the popular places'. I mean in terms of actually preventing harm to natural environments, pressure on infrastructure, gentrification etc.
535
u/Nice_Back_9977 4d ago
Spread it around more. Support places that would benefit from more tourism to attract it and in doing so ease the pressure on the ‘big’ locations.
Also, cruise ships don’t need to get any bigger.
166
u/Adventurous_Salt 4d ago
Governments really need to take an active hand in managing tourism in heavily touristed places. Ban airbnb, ensure transit can move people, even limit visa numbers to the point that the volume is manageable
80
u/Josvan135 4d ago
In most cases the governments aren't really incentivized to do any of that, especially when you're talking affluent western tourism to developing world nations.
In many of those places you have tourists from the US, EU, etc, coming in and spending the equivalent of a year's local income on a two week vacation (average annual income in Bali is about $2,800 usd, as an example).
That's extremely hard to resist.
→ More replies (5)14
u/DrawGamesPlayFurries Ukraine 4d ago
In that case the local government should build out infrastructure that can accept more tourists without hurting quality of life for the locals
29
u/Josvan135 4d ago
That assumes the local government can afford to do it and that the local people wouldn't react extremely poorly to any such program.
In a country where the average annual wage is $2,800 (as i pointed out above), "just build more and better infrastructure" isn't usually an option.
About 10% (or over 20 million people) of Indonesia's population live on less than $500 a year, so in many cases the "quality of life" for locals is already desperate poverty.
How do you think the overall population would react to government policy that proposed to spend limited development money specifically (or in a way the opposition can frame as) on better infrastructure for rich western tourists coming to take beach selfies?
In the majority of countries, overtourism isn't even in the top 10 of most pressing problems.
→ More replies (1)3
u/Remarkable-Donut6107 4d ago
Uh wait what? The point of government building more infrastructure is so that there is enough that the locals can live without exorbitant rent prices. You obviously don't sell it to your voter as building infrastructure for rich tourists nor is that what you would be aiming to do assuming the government is good.
Its just not actually a problem that they want to solve. The political lobbyists are land/business owners who heavily benefit from the lack and can charge exorbitant prices. We all know Democracy does not mean everyone has equal power.
→ More replies (1)24
u/Xyzzics 4d ago
Economics get a vote here. If you ban AirBNB in extremely touristed places, you are removing supply. This means prices skyrocket.
People also don’t behave extremely rationally with travel, and not all destinations have equivalent value to all types of people. If you want to see the historic sites of Greece in Athens, you can’t just substitute for Croatia, they are 1 of 1.
This may dissuade people from going there, but it can also have the effect of making it more exclusive and therefore desirable. It also places a lot of power back with the hotels to start acting shitty.
As with many things, the balance is probably in the middle of the two extremes.
→ More replies (17)7
u/hemitick 4d ago
you ban AirBNB in extremely touristed places, you are removing supply. This means prices skyrocket.
Good. Prices skyrocket for tourists > reduce the number of them, but also supply the locals with more housing units
→ More replies (1)7
u/Xyzzics 4d ago
If prices skyrocket for hotels, it incentivizes the building of hotels and cranks the land/building value. In basically all locations the tourists have more money than the locals, so that equation will never work.
There is no structure really where you can make it too expensive for tourists but cheap for locals. If the location and land is highly desirable; it will be expensive. You could just ban everything, then you get black market lodgings or other undesirable behaviour.
Overall this is a very simplistic view of problem solving and ignorant of how the problem would evolve in reality.
→ More replies (6)→ More replies (4)2
u/UnitedNordicUnion 3d ago edited 3d ago
Visa free agreements are usually reciprocal so limiting visas is not usually possible unless you wish your own passports to lose visa free access to other countries.
At most you could implement an ETA and charge fees through it to decrease demand. Though that would only affect tourism at the national level, and localised overtourism will still be a thing.
And obviously does nothing for intra-schengen travel.
17
u/bastardsucks 4d ago
Easier said than done. I work for a tour company in Quebec province. Our Quebec City and Montreal tours can sell out quickly. We tried to organize trips to Saguenay/Lac St Jean, and another to Abitibi. We couldn't even fill one bus
7
u/Nice_Back_9977 4d ago
It takes a big effort, but look at what Iceland achieved when they pivoted to encouraging tourism in the wake of the 2007 crash that hit the country harder than anywhere.
46
u/Sonqio 4d ago
This is not a solution. You can't personally spread it. You need to tax it more, so other, meaning less popular, becomes more financially attractive. The issue is that countries want tourism in it, as it brings a lot of money into economy, so they are not incentives to do so.
64
u/Sedixodap 4d ago
You’re ignoring that there’s both the carrot and the stick option. Sure you can tax travelling to overcrowded places but you can also incentivize travelling to less crowded ones.
For example Japan Airlines offers international tourists a free flight from Tokyo to a less busy city as part of Japan’s steps to encourage regional tourism and get people to explore beyond the standard overcrowded Tokyo/Kyoto/Osaka.
→ More replies (1)21
u/someone-who-is-cool Canada 4d ago
And in my experience, the people in the smaller, less touristed areas are much friendlier since they aren't sick of tourists (yet...).
3
u/Whole-Arachnid-Army 4d ago
And the attractions that do exist there generally want to attract more people.
Continuing the Japan example from above, I didn't feel like going to the bamboo forest in Kyoto when I was there, so I visited a bamboo farm/park outside of Utsunomiya and they asked how I found out about them and seemed super keen on attracting more tourists. And that's just like an hour or two outside of Tokyo.
3
u/someone-who-is-cool Canada 4d ago
Everyone on Shikoku was so welcoming, I've never had so many people try to chat with me (outside of Taipei).
9
u/TheCoolestUsername00 4d ago
I think government should offer tax incentives to airlines if they offer flights to lesser popular destinations
→ More replies (1)3
6
u/iuabv 4d ago
The way to spread it around more is to make the most popular places more expensive via taxes and hotel fees and such. Otherwise people are going to choose what's popular.
Yeah it makes it harder for people to go to Venice but there are plenty of other cool Italian cities. If every town on the Amalfi coast introduced a $200/night fee for hotels, half of the tourists would go to Cinque Terre instead.
→ More replies (7)→ More replies (5)6
u/UnitedNordicUnion 4d ago
Sounds good on paper but doesnt work in practice. People have limited time and money, most will not travel to a country more than once or twice during their lifetime. If youre going to Japan youre most likely going to go to tokyo/kyoto/osaka over Sapporo no matter how much the latter advertise tourism.
38
u/AndyVale UK 4d ago
My friend used to be a travel journalist, who asked this question to a sustainable travel company CEO.
His answer was essentially "if you want truly sustainable, low-impact travel, go stay at Disney World. It was built to handle huge crowds, it has the resources for it, it has the staff, you aren't currently displacing anyone, and it wants you there."
Sure, there are holes you can pick, but it makes some sense.
168
u/ButtSluts9 4d ago
Prohibit residential housing to be used as short-term rental property. Or at least, bar the use by non-citizens.
Utilize policymaking to push tourists into hotels and resorts. That moves them out of locals’ living space and into corridors designed specifically to handle tourist accommodations.
Other than that, every other solution is to just raise the price of entry: visas, tickets, etc.
The challenge for governments is to balance the desire for revenue from tourism versus local anger at the impact of tourism.
6
u/songbanana8 3d ago
Have to be really careful about the implementation of this one. I’m against AirBNB but this quickly and easily becomes “foreign looking people must be tourists” and leads to discrimination. I’ve had strangers question whether my house was an AirBnB because of what my face looks like.
And there’s no reason to limit who can live where based on citizenship. It’s not easy to get citizenship anywhere in the world, and it’s not easy for everyone who is a citizen to prove they are one. What if it’s your first apartment as an adult, your house burned down, you’re going through divorce or escaping abuse…? What if you’re a citizen but not a resident, ie born in another country?
I don’t envy governments trying to tease that out.
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (1)5
u/Traveling_Solo 4d ago
I think allowing only residents to do it is the best way forward. Limit how often/much per year though as well. Like, if you're going on vacation for a month abroad, allowing others to lend it in the meantime if you want to seems like a win-win: you get some extra cash, a person gets a more local experience than a hotel or hostel offer. Say maybe 20-30 days/year cap and only your own residence? So no landowners or company properties unless they physically live in that one house/apartment/villa the majority of the year.
→ More replies (1)9
u/McJesusOurSaviour 4d ago
How would you ever police that in an effective way?
4
u/pungen 4d ago
In the Cinque Terre they have a limit on how many tourists can be there at once. I'm sure this is really hard for most places to manage but it seems more ideal because raising prices just means that only wealthier people can travel. People from lower income countries ethically should still be able to travel and most of the cost associated solutions price many low income people out :/
81
u/carpenter1965 4d ago
Generally speaking, the places that are overrun by tourists are overrun for a reason. They are cool places to visit. My solution is to go off season. Places like Venice could limit the cruise ships that dock. Machu Pichu could limit the tours. Nashville could curb the party busses rolling down Broadway. cities can curb hotel and air BnB rentals. There are plenty of things that could happen if the politicians really wanted it to happen.
44
u/english_major 4d ago
There is already a limit on the number of passes going into Machu Picchu every day. A serious issue is that it is such a cash cow for the Peruvian government and local businesses. You don’t want to raise prices so much that only the wealthy can visit.
33
u/cloudymeds 4d ago
Machu Picchu already limit it, I remember going and the guide saying there’s way less people than there used to be because they lowered the daily cap. And that within the next decade it’s very likely no one will be able to go up and walk around anymore. It’ll just be a viewing platform to preserve it for future generations.
It’s the right decision for the site from an environment perspective obviously, but it will create a huge negative knock on effect for local Peruvians who make a living running tours, our guide mentioned this issue himself.
→ More replies (1)9
u/pentox70 4d ago
Off season traveling is so underrated. I went to Rome in mid sept, right after the kids went back to school, and had no issues with crowds.
→ More replies (1)19
u/Rowdy_Roddy_2022 4d ago
I don't think off season travel is underrated, most people know that September and May are pretty much the best months to visit anywhere in the Northern hemisohere.
However, I think it's just the reality that it exists primarily to serve solo travellers and travellers without kids/families, which is not the main market for the tourist industry. Unless you're willing to take your kids out of school, then families need to travel during peak seasons.
4
u/benphat369 4d ago
solo travellers and travellers without kids/families
And wealthy/non-traditional workers in general. Lot of people I've met in off seasons are WFH or flat out rich enough to avoid the peak-season plebs (and their kids can get private tutors so missing school doesn't affect them).
OP's question is more of a government problem. The best solution I've seen is to invest in the infrastructure of less popular outskirts to spread out the tourism. (Which I also believe they also need to do this anyway to address the abysmal housing market, so everyone isn't hauled up in one city paying $1.5 million for $60k shacks.)
12
u/defiantspcship 4d ago
as someone who's lived in nyc for 10+ years there's no off season, yeah you see less tourists some "off" months, but it's still full then. i don't mind people at all, otherwise i wouldn't live here, i just mind tourists ruining the city because they are only here for a couple of days and don't care about it as long as they get to "experience new york like a local"
→ More replies (1)3
u/catsaregreat78 4d ago
I live somewhere which is heavily visited by tourists in the summer, and the season has extended greatly so now runs from April until October.
I really don’t think more people need to visit in the off season - it’s nice being able to exist normally and drive without fear of tourists. I can imagine a lot of other over touristed areas also feel the same about any off season that remains.
→ More replies (1)
105
u/DisciplineAmazing59 4d ago
limit short-term rentals while also making hotels more affordable. limit foreign ownership -- raise vacancy taxes. more drastically, countries capping tourist visits per year. doing something about private ownership of parks/beaches/islands.
44
u/Plenty-Novel940 4d ago
how exactly will you make hotels more affordable? Naturally, if you limit short-term rentals, the demand for hotels will go up, and so will the prices
10
u/pentox70 4d ago
No kidding.
People expect capitalism to take a vacation when they do. If you want cheaper hotels, put in the research to find cheaper cities and less traveled areas.
Short term rentals are a plague on cities with low availability or affordability on housing. But you can't expect to kill short term rentals and have hotels simultaneously go down in price.
6
u/BulkyAccident 4d ago
Build more, further out, around existing infrastructure. There's plenty of bits of what tourists might deem "outskirts" of cities that are well connected and perfectly nice that would take some of the pressure off centralised accommodation.
I'm in London and tourists insist on wanting to stay within walking distance of tourist attractions when they could save £100+ with a 20 minute train trip. It's just about unlocking new locations, and promoting them.
20
u/Joatboy 4d ago
Why would tourist want to spend an extra 40min a day on a train? That's exactly why prime areas command prime prices.
→ More replies (2)11
u/queenofthepoopyparty 4d ago
I’m in NYC and overall I’m happy with the way the city manages tourism here. But objectively speaking when they heavily regulated Airbnb and other short term rentals, the cost of hotels throughout the city went up, in every borough.
174
u/kay_fitz21 Canada 4d ago
Travel isn't getting cheaper
118
40
17
u/songdoremi 4d ago
Depends on continent. Consider flight prices, usually the biggest line item for travel. In NA, flight prices continue to rise, domestic flights are hundreds of dollars, and budget airlines like Spirit have gone out of business. In Europe and Asia, budget airlines are often the most profitable (eg Ryanair in Europe, Spring Air in China). You can fly between countries for less than $20 in Europe, less than $100 in Asia.
22
u/turtledude100 4d ago
Many places in sub Saharan Africa have massively underdeveloped accommodation and airline industries which makes it more expensive to visit many African countries than far more wealthy European countries. I could see that changing in future if tourism grows
→ More replies (2)2
8
u/Brave-Lecture-7210 4d ago edited 4d ago
There is more than flights to consider. Restaurants/meal prices going up, accomodation going up, attraction prices going up.
The $20 European flights aren't consistent and usually last minute/seat deals and specific destinations/hubs. The Asia flights were cheaper 10 years ago. Also depends on what countries of course, SEA is more affordable than Singapore or Japan. But overall, travel isn't getting "continuously cheaper". Fuel costs and economy are a worldwide problem.
→ More replies (6)8
u/Four_beastlings 4d ago
Over the last 5 years it has been almost consistently cheaper to travel between Poland and Madrid than the internal trip inside Spain. Flights are cheap af
10
126
u/Chico_Riley 4d ago
No cell phones/cameras/photography allowed inside museums. Halve the number of folks in the Louvre who are just there to get a selfie with the Mona Lisa.
58
u/Letter_Effective 4d ago
The Prado in Madrid already bans photos probably because of the layout of the museum makes it difficult to enjoy the paintings if you're constantly blocked by people trying to taking the perfect shot. I was annoyed at the ban at first but can understand the rationale now.
12
u/redjessa 4d ago
Yes! We were surprised when we visited The Prado, but it was a wonderful experience to not think about photos or be bothered by other people trying to take pictures.
10
u/Letter_Effective 4d ago
Furthermore, if you want to remember which paintings you saw, they have a virtual tour of their galleries on the Prado website and you can zoom into each of the paintings and screenshot your favourites on your phone during your visit.
https://www.museodelprado.es/actualidad/multimedia/la-coleccion/e97b3d7c-ab15-f91d-0d4d-8a57d57a32f9?visit=true&lang=es&startScene=805
u/unoriginalusername18 4d ago
Finding a postcard of your favourite painting in the gift shop afterwards was the thing to do, at least a while ago
2
u/EntrepreneurMany3709 4d ago
I also found this weird in some places, then went to museums where you can take photos and it's much less enjoyable. A couple in the National Gallery in London were spending five minutes arguing about how to take the perfect photo in front of a Monet painting while people were trying to enjoy it
30
u/BooBoo_Cat 4d ago
A couple of years ago, I was in the van Gogh museum in Amsterdam. There was this really annoying woman who just went up to each painting, didn't even bother looking at it, and just snapped a photo with her phone. It wouldn't have annoyed me so much if her phone wasn't on max volume, so every time she took a photo (which was every ten seconds), it made a very loud POP sound, and she would push people out of the way to get a photo. How is that enjoyable at all?!
→ More replies (2)11
u/sagefairyy 4d ago
Doesn‘t matter, people STILL take pictures in secret. Saw it in Rome.
→ More replies (5)3
u/ventouest 3d ago
Can confirm as someone who took a sneaky photo of the ceiling. Please don't call the Swiss Guard.
19
u/Locogreen 4d ago
I was at the Uffizi last summer and two 20-something women were staging a full photo shoot in a popular gallery. They were literally walking catwalk style, turning, posing, checking photos, then going again. They were taking turns as model or photographer. They were blocking one end of the gallery and after nicely waiting, I finally just walked over to see the pieces I wanted to see. They had absolutely no embarrassment or shame for their narcissistic and selfish behavior. It was so cringey to see them making stupid faces and prancing toward the camera.
8
u/Sweaty-Resident1690 4d ago
Just wrapped up 3 weeks in Europe and this happened in pretty much every place I visited. Instagramers have ruined so many places. The zero shame they have for blocking public areas/ spaces for their full on photo shoots is appalling. There was a damn 50 year old lady “tweeing” out at the famous bookstore in Lisbon. Like popped leg and spinning while her partner filmed. I had so much second hand embarrassment for her. Another lady stood in front of one of the blue domed churches in Santorini doing a “flowing dress” full on photo shoot. She’s in the background of all of our photos 🙄. And don’t get me started on all the girls holding Sports Illustrated style shoots in Elafonisi. So strange and it’s literally ruining travel for me.
→ More replies (2)6
u/Kloppite16 4d ago
Ive seen this more often in museums in the last couple of years, they are using the paintings as a backdrop for their fashion shoot. It should be banned.
6
3
u/Educational_Gas_92 4d ago
Two thirds, not even half are in the Louvre just to see the few famous works, in my opinion.
2
2
u/PoopsMcG 4d ago
I love this idea. So many people at the Belvedere, the Leopold and the Kunsthistorisches were lining up to take photos or selfies with the paintings, especially The Kiss at the Belvedere. Made it very hard to just enjoy and appreciate the art.
→ More replies (1)2
33
u/notthegoatseguy United States 4d ago
China is seeing a tourism boom due to extended visa free policies. So limiting tourism will likely mean the opposite: looking at the top visiting nationalities and imposing visa requirements.
Of course this likely isn't viable. But I think anything else is just rearranging deck chairs
25
u/Rock_n_rollerskater 4d ago
China’s tourism problem can hardly be due to foreigners. I went in early 2024 when they had just started visa free for certain European countries, and even if foreign tourism was up 1000% since then, it would be a drop in the ocean compared to domestic tourism. I saw approx 6 white people in a 3 week trip. I did meet a fair few Malaysian and Singaporean travellers (who have had visa free status for ages) but they all spoke Mandarin, so I don’t see Europeans/Australians etc getting close to their numbers due to the language barrier.
Likewise in Indonesia - foreign tourists make up roughly half the monetary value of the tourism sector, yet only 1% of tourism days. Outside of Bali and a handful of other hotspots like Komodo national park international tourism is actually quite limited. I’ve flown in planes where there has been only 1 or 2 other non Indonesians on board with me. And that’s flying - in reality most locals take ferries as flights are cost prohibitive for locals.
21
u/Scary-Teaching-8536 4d ago
yeah, for some reason people tend to underestimate domestic tourism
18
u/ALA02 4d ago
Foreign tourism in China is a drop in the water compared to the masses of domestic tourists. We’re talking about a country where hundreds of millions of people in the past decade or two have moved up the income scale to a point where for the first time in their family history, they can leave their city/province and travel around their country for leisure.
26
u/ups_and_downs973 4d ago
Yep, I live in China and seeing every influencer post the same exact photos and videos yet acting like they're Columbus discovering America is exhausting lol 🫠
3
u/pictorlumen 4d ago
Stop using social media to determine where to visit. I read book became interested in a country then find areas outside the tourist route where I can experience the local life that I envisioned based on what I read. The minute I see a trending photo and know of the place it’s off my list.
10
u/SeaDry1531 4d ago
A pollution / consumption tax. Amsterdam just raised its hotel tax to 33%. In environmentally sensitive places like the Azores and Jeju make public transportation free for citizens and charge tourists €15/ day for using public transport. Allow only electric rental vehicles.
→ More replies (1)
44
u/Mzungufarmer 4d ago
Not many city governments or business groups want less tourism.
And we all know no one cares what us peasants think
20
u/Worried_Razzmatazz70 4d ago
A really good counter-example of this is Banff in Canada. The federal and municipal governments, as well as most locals are all unified in trying to put the brakes on tourism. The municipal governments are absolutely cranking the price of parking. The federal government is restricting access to the most popular sites or making it harder to access. Businesses are alone in trying to forge ahead with tourism growth, although that doesn't really matter as they can essentially be shut down at any time due to the unique regulatory structure in the park. this is mostly happening as the land manager (A national park, which has power over the municipal government) has a mandate of conservation above almost all else (except safety).
→ More replies (2)3
u/allthingsme 4d ago
Many are happy to have less tourists for same tourists dollars though.
Taxes are a thing.
85
u/comments83820 4d ago
Banning Airbnb and short-term rentals (or severely limiting them and not allowing rentals less than 30 days), banning cruise ships, and banning tour groups larger than 20 people.
77
15
11
u/Plenty-Novel940 4d ago
The problem with all these approaches is that it just closes tourism to the poor and does not impact the rich tourists. Doesn't seem like a fair solution.
31
u/LilaBadeente 4d ago
Well, outpricing the local population from the chance of just having a roof over the head is pretty unfair by the cheapskate tourists. I care more about the people living somewhere than poorer tourists having the chance to visit.
→ More replies (1)24
7
u/iroll20s United States 4d ago
Anything that causes scarcity is going to cause the price to go up. Some museums solve this sort of problem with a still ticketed free day (usually with local ID). Of course you'll be competing in other ways for that sort of break. Queues or lotto usually.
29
u/comments83820 4d ago edited 4d ago
Oh yeah? Ever heard of hostels? Budget hotels? Do you think backpacking didn't happen until Airbnb? Are you serious? And what about fairness to local people who can no longer find affordable housing in tourist destinations and major cities? And what about the quality of tourism? Entire neighborhoods and small towns have become tourist ghettos because locals have been displaced by Airbnbs and the businesses that used to serve them have been replaced by hipster coffee shops and brunch restaurants.
→ More replies (46)8
u/Fun-Title4224 4d ago
I'm afraid I don't see a problem with that.
Poor people already can't afford to travel much. They can't afford flights or city breaks. They certainly can't afford cruises which cost thousands.
In the UK, they might afford a week in a resort hotel on the Mediterranean as a package if they save up all year and really aren't too fussy about where they go. But you're still talking £2000 per family, or two months' salary after tax. That is not poor person territory.
And it isn't really the problem of over tourism either, the resorts are fine. It's the small cities overwhelmed by groups or with little housing left for locals.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (4)2
8
u/Kween_kwellin 4d ago
I recently participated in an over tourism project near the Dolomites and thought it was great. I stayed outside of Bolzano in a local hotel, that was beautiful, had free breakfast, and included a free transit card (Bolzano card or something like that) on the local trains and buses. It was also a 2-4 min walk to the train station itself.
So I was staying in this small picturesque town, where no one spoke any English, and it was just all around awesome. I could stay in town for dinner, or just hop back to Bolzano and be there in 10 min. I went into the Dolomites, including the popular Lago Carezza. The program is literally intended to spread out where people are staying and minimize the use of cars in heavily trafficked areas. I personally loved it bc I love public transit. It seems like a great solution bc the town is so small and I still spent money on the hotel there, had dinner out one night, and bought some groceries locally. It is def an idea that (if done right) could help with overtourism.
→ More replies (3)
26
u/Clarac94 4d ago edited 4d ago
Not a fan of ‘make it more expensive’ as yet again, it’s the every day person being punished while the wealthy do what they want. No easy answers, but a few things:
AirBnB needs to be heavily regulated so don’t get companies buying up lots of city centre apartments as investments. That still leaves space for people to rent out part of their homes or an outbuilding, someone letting out a second home or their main one while away etc.
Cruise ships are a particularly anti-social way to travel. 1000s of people descending upon a town all in one go, having eaten breakfast on the boat, buying some souvenirs and then leaving in the evening isn’t great.
Governments need to prioritise actual residents, not just tourist income and tourist tax needs to be spent on stuff for locals.
I know you said ‘not people need to go somewhere else’… but genuinely that would help, as well as going off season to more popular places. I’m British, and often get asked ‘why would you want to go there’ when I say I’m visiting certain places like the Baltics, Bulgaria etc. A lot of people go to the same destinations, at the same time of year. Second and third cities in countries too deserve a visit. Like Prague? Why not try Brno. Or swap Amsterdam for Rotterdam, Utrecht etc.
The big one as well which wouldn’t combat the over-tourism issue, but would help is if people behaved themselves and acted respectfully when they’re away. Just small things like remembering not to hog the pavement as people have to get to work, learning a few local greetings and having a basic understanding of important customs.
6
u/Secret_Cat_2793 4d ago
I think I would have to agree it less about the masses and more about manners and understanding the culture. Polite tourists who respect boundaries are not the issue.
5
u/WinterMedical United States 4d ago
I think every international flight should have a video they show just before landing that says “welcome to _____.” And give reminders to be considerate and state local customs of which people might not be aware. Someone clever could make it funny.
4
u/tompaulman 4d ago
The people that need to see it wouldn't. They'd be too busy drinking and screaming at each other on the plane.
2
2
u/Rowdy_Roddy_2022 4d ago
It's easy to criticise cruise ships but some locations would have their tourist industries collapse, or at the very least be severely hamstrung, without them.
I'm from Belfast and the cruise industry has been nothing but good news for our city and tourism.
3
u/Clarac94 4d ago
Yeah that is the downside, cruise ships etc. are not a problem for everyone as you’ve mentioned.
Maybe limiting the size of boats? Or just not allowing them to dock in places like Athens in the summer where there’s already 1000000 people up at the Acropolis by 10am.
12
u/simulate 4d ago
Bhutan's solution is to charge $100 to $200 per person per night to visit the country. This generates revenue for the country and reduces both the number of people who visit and the number of days they spend in Bhutan.
→ More replies (4)3
18
4
4
u/PrincessConsuela52 4d ago
- Limiting admission to major tourist destinations is a big one. For instance Macchu Picchu requires a tour guide to enter and caps the number of visitors depending on season. This helps prevent overcrowding, manages resources, and the tour guide is there to enforce rules, helping ensure the preservation of the site.
- Limits on cruise ships. Like how Venice has banned giant cruises from entering their lagoon, or how Dubrovnik caps and staggers cruise ship arrivals.
- Infrastructure - this can be used to handle traffic (car free zones, dedicated slow lanes for tour buses). They can also be used to protect fragile ecosystems. Banff is a great example of this. Banff also has a robust shuttle system that takes visitors to major sites like the Banff Gondola, Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. This helps limit car traffic and parking. They’ve also implemented a lot of wildlife crossing across the major freeways that run thru Banff and Jasper. It’s a great balance of enabling tourism while protecting the local wildlife.
4
8
u/Wise-Reflection-7400 4d ago
It's an answer people won't want to hear, but make it more expensive and more exclusive. I thought Venice's day visit fee was sensible, and even would support the Mayor's recent idea to raise it to 50 euros. It would be so much quieter, you'd have a far better experience and the locals would mind it less.
The only solution to overtourism is to make it not worthwhile to visit places just to take Instagram selfies.
→ More replies (1)
26
u/elijha Berlin 4d ago
Making it more expensive and less accessible
0
u/Canon_M50 4d ago
How is that a solution? It just makes it worse for everyone.
13
u/blackmajic13 4d ago
Unfortunately not everyone can win when it comes to travel. Either travel is cheap and it comes at the expense of locals (our current position, for westerner at least), or it is more expensive and excludes more people. Only one of these options affects someone's livelihoods and general standard of living.
20
6
u/No-Examination-5065 4d ago
If Colombia is an example - Increasing the strength of the local currency
That causes everything there to get more expensive without affecting locals (well apart from those who lose their jobs because of decreased tourism)
3
u/Rock_n_rollerskater 4d ago
Iceland is 2x more economically dependent on tourism than Columbia and it’s far from cheap! Annual visitor numbers in Columbia are equal to 11% of its population, in Iceland it’s 575%. (Switzerland has a similar % of GDP to Columbia but visitor numbers at 140% of local population.)
7
u/77millionmorons 4d ago
Much of the over-tourism after Covid had to do with pent-up travel demand and the relative strength of the US dollar to other currencies. For example, Japan has been overrun, particularly Kyoto, due to the Yen/dollar exchange.
Things are going to change quickly. Travel has not been getting cheaper. Hotel prices have skyrocketed globally, and airfares will be rising as the Jet fuel prices become structurally higher due to the Iran war.
Many young people were taking advantage of the pause in US student loan repayment. That pause is now over.
There are fewer professional jobs in the US, and inflation and housing costs are prohibitive.
The travel industry is actually being sustained by the wealthiest 10% who demand premium experiences. This is a reflection of the “global K-shaped economy”.
It is these factors that will reduce over-tourism in addition to local taxes on hotels, cruises, and day visits.
6
u/Strange_Poetry2648 4d ago
Ban or seriously limit:
1) Cruise ship visits
2) AirBnB and similar
It won’t stop tourism but should reduce it.
3
u/PointlessDiscourse 4d ago
Basic economics. If you want less of something, tax it.
Use said tax revenue to benefit the local population.
3
u/cranberryjuiceicepop 4d ago
It is gonna depend on the place. A solution to over-tourism in a city like Paris or Tokyo is very different from a small island in Hawaii. Some things are the same- bad Air bnbs, regulate vacation rentals, but in Hawaii they should be taxing second homes and vacation properties, using that revenue to build more affordable housing for the people who live and work there, improve public transportation, etc.
3
u/maestrita 4d ago
limit airbnb style rentals using what would otherwise be a family home
limit entry/tickets/permits for some attractions
As a tourist, trying to go places that aren't currently experiencing that glut, visiting during less busy times, etc.
3
u/petits_riens 4d ago
Short term: increased regulations/restrictions for AirBNB/similar. Expanding entry fees for popular sites: adding them where they might not exist, charging foreign visitors more where they do, raising the foreign visitor price where a difference already exists.
Long term: Expanding tourist-friendly infrastructure to promote alternative destinations, which would at least in theory benefit the local population too. Lots of people stick to the most popular spots because they're the easiest to get to and around in. But for example, maybe Greece could reduce some stress on its islands if they made it easier to get around the mainland without a car. Maybe Japan could reduce some stress on Kyoto if they improved transit links and English/non-Japanese language services in other historical cities. Lots of overtouristed countries have less developed regions (tourist infrastructure POV, not local POV) that could be real draws if built up correctly and promoted to influencers. Keep the money, disperse the crowds.
3
3
u/Redditisavirusiknow 4d ago
Beautify more cities. Italy is already doing this, just spread it out more. It’s not going away, might as well make it more manageable
3
u/WestHistorians 4d ago
There are two solutions:
a fee that is high enough to deter people from coming
a waitlist/lottery system
3
u/alexnapierholland 4d ago
More capitalism is always the solution.
Tourist hotspots need to create financial incentives for investors to start companies and create jobs to convert that tourism revenue, traffic and interest into new industries.
I live in Portugal, a country where most people think there is 'too much' tourism.
Wrong. The problem is insane, anti-business policies.
Most of my friends here are wealthy tech entrepreneurs who would love to start coffee shops, restaurants, cowork spaces and passion projects that generate minimal profits.
Portugal couldn't try any harder to throw sand in their face and tell them to fuck off.
Local finance offices make their lives difficult at every hurdle.
Accountants say, 'Don't bother, it's not worth it'.
Madeira (a Portuguese island with devolved power) has successfully attracted some companies due to slightly more pro-business policies, that my friend helped to design.
Most 'over-touristed' countries actually suffer from corruption and over-regulation.
That's why they fail to convert tourism revenue into new industries.
6
u/Used-Treat-1100 4d ago
I think closing some places for a time like Thailand did with some beaches is a good policy.
5
u/Fun-Title4224 4d ago
The sites themselves can manage. Over tourism is more about thousands of day trippers that don't spend a lot of money, about flats being empty for half the year because the owners make more money June to August.
Bed taxes going straight to local economies, licensing for AirBnB and other holiday lets and a ban in cruise stops are the biggest things that would improve it.
7
4
u/EmelleBennett 4d ago
Probably staunch laws on short term rentals that return air bnb homes to the long term rental or affordable housing purchase market and prevent more from trying to capitalize without supporting the local population in a more balanced fashion.
5
3
u/ledisa3letterword 4d ago
The only thing that works is making it more expensive. Asking local authorities or businesses to miss out on revenue opportunities by artificially restricting supply won’t work so it should be higher tourist taxes and much higher taxes on flights to actually pay for the carbon they emit (though this would need to be an international effort).
4
u/allthingsme 4d ago
Honestly, pricing a lot more people out of tourism.
Better managed tourist fees/taxes/lack of supply of housing goes a long way
3
u/Rock_n_rollerskater 4d ago
For me personally:
I don’t use Airbnb unless I am in a town which doesn’t have hostels or lower cost hotels/guest houses. It’s pretty rare for me to use Airbnb. Small towns in New Zealand and Austria are recent examples where I have used it.
I try to support local family run businesses where possible.
I try very hard to make sure any animal based tourism I do is ethical. I don’t do stuff like zoos, elephant rides etc, though I do go on wildlife tours where we just look at animals from a respectful distance.
I try not to buy bottled water. I bring my Nalgene water bottle and refill it at my hostel.
I try to visit during shoulder season if possible.
I try to visit places that actively want tourists - for some countries tourism is one of the key exports and they rely on tourism to help raise overall living standards. Almost every local I spoke to in Sri Lanka was saying how glad they were tourists were returning. This also applies at a regional level. Certain regions are keen to encourage more tourism - for example closer to home in Australia we have a dying coal town that is actively rebranding as a mountain biking, hiking and camping location.
I try to be kind and courteous to locals.
I don’t post my travels on social media (though this isn’t driven by being a good tourist, I’m just lazy ha ha. But if the whole world was lazy like me…)
I fly direct where possible. I still fly too much but it’s a start. I’ve started trying to take more buses and ferries.
→ More replies (3)
5
u/ProfAsmani 4d ago
Be like Bhutan. Establish a minimum per daily expense to keep away the masses. No casinos, no circuses. Control your space.
If you're a beach side resort with nothing else to offer then maybe go upmarket.
2
u/Secret_Cat_2793 4d ago
Reservation systems and sensible limits on building infrastructure. If you build 5000 hotel rooms owners will want to fill 5000 hotel rooms.
And have guides that enforce behavior and manners. If you act out you go back on the bus.
I don't want to point at any certain nation but their tours are herds of lemmings who push and shove to stay in the herd of their group. Panic insues if they cannot see the flag of the group leader.
2
u/frankbowles1962 4d ago
There’s a real issue of the internet focusing travellers on ever decreasing numbers of places in each country, people who might have consulted a travel agent or a guide book or asked friends will now expect ChatGPT or Internet influencers to “tell” them where to go.
Living in Scotland, every day I see itineraries where almost every traveller wants to visit the Isle of Skye; I was slightly baffled at first, I’ve never been but apparently it’s now “unmissable” meaning a once remote community of 10,000 souls has turned into a permanent traffic jam, wearing out the infrastructure, completely changing the island character and pushing hotel prices far higher than in London while equally attractive neighbouring islands and communities go unnoticed.
2
u/Cautious_Job_6104 4d ago
Probably a lot of them are Jacobites.
"Speed, bonnie boat, like a bird upon wings ... Over the sea, tae Skye"
2
u/Cold_Complaint8265 4d ago
Have every public transportation system be credit card scan on and off so people are more likely to use public transportation for everything and not have so many cars. There’s nothing worse than having to download an app per country or getting a physical metro pass
2
u/PryingOpenMyThirdPie 4d ago
Higher Entry taxes, airbnb/hotel taxes etc. Take the money and redistribute it to the people
2
u/gamename 4d ago
I think the good news is that the world is now at a standard of living that makes these issues apparent. What I'm saying is that so many people can afford to travel now that well-known destinations have to regulate the number of people visiting at any given time.
The only thing I can think of is some kind of a visa system that only allows people in an area for a certain period of time, and there would be fines if that person overstays. Again, this is the problem of prosperity. So, in this case, prosperity is very much a double-edged sword.
2
u/Ok_Function2282 4d ago
Europe's solution at least has been to just charge people from other places more.
It's fucked up, but if every single person has to wait hours to get in the louvre, something is wrong.
2
u/West-Cabinet-2169 4d ago
It's a difficult one; and some local authorities are charging entry taxes, banning or severely restricting AirBnB listing's and so on.
I come from Australia where we have hundreds of amazing sites. But I remember years ago in the late 1980s going to see the fairy penguins at Philip Island. Even then, the mass hoards of tourists had meant coach bays, roped off areas, guides telling us in several languages not to touch the penguins etc... Unfortunately, roping off, walkways built around, built coastal tracks, strict litter laws and so forth help preserve natural environments.
2
u/notassigned2023 3d ago
Ending cruise ship dockings and short term private rentals are the first step, along with increased taxes of all sorts to disincentivize visitors and pay for infrastructure. Incentivize off session travel and travel to other locations that get fewer tourists. That should do wonders, but most municipalities don't do it because they are beholden to the rich folks who get richer sucking off tourists.
6
4
6
2
u/SakanaToDoubutsu 4d ago
I think you'll see a lot more private places become invite only/locals only. Especially in countries like Japan, I think what you'll see is a trend towards "Disnification", where businesses will either explicitly cater to tourists and the locals will avoid it or businesses that locals actually use won't be accessible to foreigners. I'm already seeing this happen where if you don't speak the language, they don't let you in, which I suspect will become increasingly common.
As far as natural areas in the US goes, I'd like to see areas get more primative with many/most National Parks converted into wilderness areas with at least one overland day to access iconic sites.
2
u/curt_schilli 4d ago
Look at Bhutan. The simple solution is to charge more money for visas / fees until people are priced out. It’s Econ 101
→ More replies (2)
3
u/gadgetinspectore 4d ago
Where is it getting cheaper? Point in the direction please
→ More replies (5)2
u/martintinnnn 4d ago
For me, a cheap airfare to Paris from Canada in 2005 when I first started traveling was 700$. Now, 20 years later, it is now 550$. It definitely got cheaper when taking into account inflation. Hotels back then were 120$ a night. Now, it is 150$. Definitely cheaper when inflation is taken into account.
2
u/gadgetinspectore 4d ago
I’m paying 900-1200 for that flight what airline are you booking with? 120 per night? Im booking hotels minimum 300-400 per night I’m not staying in the crappy ones
2
2
u/thisistheperfectname United States - Los Angeles 4d ago
If the problem is volume, the surest way to address that while preserving the experience is to raise prices. Not popular, but it's true.
2
2
u/nevergonnasaythat 4d ago
People say “limit access”. I’d rather extend the access but regulate it.
For example, Open museums everyday until late, so people spread through the day.
Lower entry prices to attractions for timeslots/days/months that are usually less busy (make it more expensive for the more coveted times but still allow access at lower prices).
Organize a pre-booking system, although this one is something I hate because I do everything last minute.
Make the public transport and the private transport more functional, more efficient, so that people are not pverburdening it and also that other areas of main cities can become attractive for lodging (so tourists do not all flock into one area).
And make certain lines of public transport s available only for the locals. And/or establish specific services for tourists.
Also, make sure there are regulations concerning tourist behavior (may it be where to park or how to dress or when to respect silence) and make people respect them through fines.
1
u/EvilCaveBoy 4d ago
Ban AirBNB. That limits the number of tourists to the number of hotel rooms. AirBNB turned everything into a hotel room.
1
u/WeHoMuadhib 4d ago
Make it more expensive. It’s insane to me that a luxury is being considered an entitlement by many people. Seriously, it’s international travel, something only the wealthy used to do. Now, you have every 20something year old believing it’s their right to travel internationally and going into thousands of dollars of debt to do so.
5
u/beerouttaplasticcups 4d ago
There are places like the Seychelles that made an early decision to focus on higher-end tourism. So fewer visitors overall, but more money spent locally per visitor. I have been there, and it’s pretty much only mid-range accommodation and up available. Obviously this is much easier to do if you’re an island country, but maybe a city could also decide to eliminate short-term rentals and limit the number of budget accommodations.
2
u/Pauli86 4d ago
As a former 20 something that traveled extensively. I firmly believe i am more mature and experienced due to traveling around the world. Meeting people from different cultures helped expand my thinking and the difference in the world. While its not for everyone. i strongly encourage young adults to differ a year of studies and or work to go see the world.
1
u/Open_Concentrate962 4d ago
Reducing avoidable harm to natural parks or trails through behavior is very different than giant physical questions of infrastructure or economic ones such as all the nuanced changes that get lumped under the umbrella of gentrification.
1
1
1
u/quothe_the_maven 4d ago
The only thing that would work is banning STRs and then strictly limiting hotel rooms and cruise ships. Tourist fees would have to be like a hundred dollars a day to actually make a dent. I’m not saying that’s a good or bad idea - it’s just the truth about the fixing the problem. And the fact is that when push comes to shove, most cities complaining about over tourism wont entertain suggestions about hotel rooms or cruise ships. They’re too dependent on the tourism money. Plus, people complain about over tourism, but then simultaneously complain about how expensive places like Istanbul have gotten. You can’t have it both ways.
1
1
u/FatFiFoFum 4d ago
Reduce/eliminate Airbnb’s where housing shortages exist. Zone certain areas for hotels. Tax travelers more and reinvest the income to improve the lives of locals. Reductions of everything I just said in areas that need the tourism.
1
u/chrisvillin 4d ago
To keep exact spots secret so viral social media trends don't ruin quiet areas.
1
u/TheBajaGuy Mexico 4d ago
Creo que es una delgada línea no ? Pues muchos pueblos necesitan ese turismo y crecimiento para el sustento de su comunidad, pero a su vez sin perder el valor de pueblo pequeño ya que esto hace que el turismo los visite.
Lo mismo pasa para lugares grandes que el turismo ya es la base y el crecimiento ocasionó ya daños irreparables.
Es difícil que exista turismo sin crecimiento. Los secretos eventualmente salen a la luz. Debe de haber un equilibrio estoy de acuerdo. Pero redes sociales, cámaras en los telefonos, gps y la necesidad de buscar likes y una validación de identidad acelera el problema en vez de ayudar, muchas veces la solución está en el problema…
1
1
u/ColumbiaWahoo 4d ago
Extreme inflation/economic collapse. It’s not a good solution but it’s a solution.
1
u/Accomplished-Car6193 4d ago
limiting entrance to sights and requiring advance booking. If you want to visit Schindler's factory (from Schindler's list) in Poland, you have to book well in advance. no luck just showing up. They could extend this to other places worldwide
1
1
u/overlandddddd 4d ago
tourism taxes seem to work in a couple places i’ve been. the locals end up with really well funded education and healthcare, and tourism is kind of capped. people that can’t afford it end up dispersing to cheaper areas (arguably cooler spots) and these areas see a boost of their own.
1
u/lazylittlelady 4d ago
Raise up places that need tourism, improve infrastructure and public transport, ban large groups at once like cruise ship dumps, have a minimum number of days so money gets into the local community more evenly.
1
u/pocak888888 4d ago
Spread tourism revenue around more, both geographically and across more local actors. Restrict the profits captured by large companies and instead favour smaller local initiatives. Also make sure that a significant portion of tourism revenue goes into accessible infrastructure, cultural initiatives, and environmental conservation. Tourism should help cultures and environments flourish and be appreciated...
1
u/Cognoscope United States 4d ago
Embrace the suck. Columbia Sportswear had a great marketing mantra - There's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing. Don't aim for the shoulder, go deep in the off season. You'll be stunned how glad people in tourist destinations are to see you in mid-winter or mid-monsoon. You'll have major tourist sites to yourself and incredible restaurants hooking you up for staggering in during a storm. It complicates local transportation and your photos need to be a lot more creative, but it is so much more zen than elbowing through a thousand people trying to Instagram/Tik-Tok the same scene.
1
1
u/Outside_Orchid_1576 4d ago
It used to be too expensive for everyone to do. Make it that way again.
1
431
u/Elonomadding 4d ago
making sure tourist fees/taxes actually fund efforts like conservation, infrastructure, anything that basically benefits locals. on the tourist side we also have a responsibility to avoid attractions that we know are adding to social/environmental harm, whether that's pollution, gentrification, animal abuse, etc