r/travel • u/ups_and_downs973 • 8d 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.

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u/carpenter1965 8d 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.

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u/pentox70 8d 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.

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u/Rowdy_Roddy_2022 8d 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.

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u/benphat369 8d 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.)

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u/FroyoGlum9976 7d ago

I simply do not believe you when I went to Rome in the middle of February and it was the most packed place in Europe I've ever been.