Overtourism protests are rising throughout Europe, as the peak of the journey season approaches. This is what vacationers ought to take into account earlier than they guide their subsequent flight.
Lately, protests and walkouts have outlined a few of Europe’s hottest cities.
Staff 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 stated issues like “mass tourism kills the town,” and wielding water weapons—the photographs have change into synonymous with the motion towards overtourism. In Lisbon, folks staged an “eviction” from a church as a approach to spotlight the dramatically elevated price of residing brought on by the short-term rental market that springs up in widespread vacationer locations.
For vacationers who’ve been planning, saving, and eagerly awaiting their European summer season 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 attempt to attract the excellence between being a “vacationer” and a “traveler.” Attending to the underside of those protests, and the sentiments behind them is important—for vacationers, locals, and the cities on the middle of the dialog.
This is what that you must learn about overtourism.
What’s overtourism?
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“Overtourism is sort of like an excessive amount of of an excellent factor,” stated Katy Nastro, a journey knowledgeable at Going, to Journey + Leisure. “We are likely to overlook as vacationers that these unbelievable locations we love to go to have locals who dwell 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 arduous to arrange for simply what which means. “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 site visitors 12 months after 12 months,” Nastro stated.
The unfavourable results of a metropolis turning into widespread to go to will not be as apparent as it’s in pure environments, the place you’ll be able to see traces of trash or decimated wildlife. Whereas seashores and forests is perhaps 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 knowledgeable says that whereas locals will really feel the impacts first, they may have an effect on everybody—together with vacationers.
“In huge cities, the results of over tourism will not be essentially instantly apparent to the customer, other than maybe congestion and overcrowding,” Møgelhøj stated. “Nonetheless, for native folks, a big enhance in customer numbers can result in a scarcity of reasonably priced housing and normal value will increase at, for instance, native eating places.”
Along with elevated prices and a decreased capacity for locals to take pleasure in 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 capable of take pleasure in totally as a result of it’s too costly and too crowded to take action.
Nonetheless, locals usually get messaging that tourism is sweet for the native economic system, so they need to be grateful, in a manner. That’s not inherently true—oftentimes, multinational companies are the first beneficiary of tourism spending, explains Møgelhøj.
“In at present’s world economic system, many tourism and hospitality companies are owned and run by multinationals,” she stated. “The overwhelming majority of individuals don’t profit instantly from a rise in customer numbers. Nonetheless, they might profit from tourism not directly by way of the so-called ‘multiplier’ impact, which implies elevated spending within the native economic system total as a consequence of tourism.”
None of which means that tourism is inherently dangerous. 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 at least one place or one other will not be our enemies, nor are they the goal of our actions,” Basurto stated within the article. “Let me be clear: our enemies are those that speculate on housing, who exploit employees, and people who are profiting handsomely from the touristification of our cities.”
Vacationers aren’t the dangerous guys.
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Møgelhøj believes that tourism can even have a strong, constructive influence on native communities. “I’m an excellent believer in tourism as a power for good,” she stated.
However she additionally thinks that accountable tourism can’t relaxation solely on the person shoulders of holiday makers.
“It’s essential to have an efficient vacation spot administration group in place that represents the pursuits of native folks in addition to giant multinational stakeholders,” Møgelhøj says. “The native authorities ought to be a part of this, in addition to the nationwide authorities, which has an necessary position by way of making a constructive and useful tourism coverage and strategic framework.”
There are examples of efforts like this, even in Spain, the place among the largest anti-overtourism protests have taken place.
“Immediately in our most visited cities and resorts, we’d like measures in place in order that we will preserve the steadiness between a thriving tourism business and the wellbeing of residents, guaranteeing that tourism stays a constructive power for good for all,” Manuel Butler, director of the Spanish Vacationer Workplace in London, informed T+L in an announcement. “Proposed laws comparable to Barcelona’s clampdown on privately let vacationer flats and … changes to vacationer taxes exterior of the winter months, replicate Spain’s ongoing efforts to construct a accountable and sustainable tourism mannequin.”
Nastro agrees and says that tourism must be a “a advantageous steadiness of supporting the native economic system, [and] retaining locals capable of function of their native economic system.”
This is what vacationers ought to learn about overtourism.
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Making extra intentional selections as a traveler not solely advantages locals—it additionally means you’re much less more likely to spend your journey in sweaty crowds and lengthy traces. 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.
“Steer clear of any protests and demonstrations in order to not worsen the scenario,” Møgelhøj stated.
Take detours and go to much less widespread points of interest.
“Basically, stroll or cycle round and take the chance to discover the lesser-known areas of any vacation spot that you just go to,” Møgelhøj stated. “Essentially the most memorable experiences are typically least deliberate and surprising.”
Act responsibly.
This one is fairly self-explanatory, however being courteous and respectful of native tradition and customs can go a good distance in enhancing the expertise of each vacationers and locals.
Keep knowledgeable.
One of the simplest ways to not be stunned by protests is to maintain up with the information within the locations you’re touring to.
“In the beginning, bear in mind if the town you might be touring to has deliberate or has had protests not too long ago,” Nastro stated. “… Comply with native information organizations to remain probably the most up-to-date on when and the place they might happen. [That’s] going to offer you extra correct and well timed data than U.S.-based retailers.”
Know who to contact should you run into hassle.
It is all the time a good suggestion to have some emergency contacts available in case issues go improper in your journey—and it is by no means a foul thought 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 an effective way to reduce the chance of encountering lengthy traces at among the world’s most iconic websites,” Nastro stated.
Plan journeys to widespread points of interest neatly.
If you happen to’re planning on visiting a well-liked attraction, attempt visiting throughout much less busy occasions. Or, if you wish to go to a well-liked 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 you can be a “good” traveler is being intentional about the place you spend your cash. Nastro recommends staying in domestically owned and operated inns, shopping for from small distributors and artisans, and venturing exterior of busy metropolis facilities to extra rural, off-the-beaten-path locations.