From overtourism to no tourism — and back again.
Many cities have come full circle to worrying about too many tourists quite than too few.
The rise of budget airlines, short-term home rentals and cruise ships are a part of the issue, said Lionel Saul, a research assistant and visiting lecturer at EHL Hospitality Business School.
But social media, online influencers, movies and tv shows are too, since they drive many individuals to the identical places, said Tatyana Tsukanova, a research associate at the identical school in Lausanne, Switzerland.
“They only come, take a pleasant selfie, publish them on social media, increase the recognition of this place … and leave,” she said.
The pool of travelers is growing. The United Nations estimates the world population will reach 8.5 billion in 2030. And a further 50 million international tourist arrivals are expected per 12 months — mostly from Asia — between now and 2030, in line with the U.N.’s World Tourism Organization.
What’s being done
Residents of the tiny Austrian village of Hallstatt — rumored to be the inspiration for Disney’s blockbuster “Frozen” franchise — built a wall at a well-liked lookout point after tourism hit fever pitch following the town’s appearance in a South Korean television series, said Tsukanova.
“They faced perhaps around 1 million tourists a 12 months for … 800 residents,” she said.
However the wall didn’t last long. After online backlash, village officials took it down, said Tsukanova.
Signs urged visitors to remain “Quiet Please!” and a driving barrier was installed at Hallstatt’s entrance before the Austrian town built a fence at a well-liked lookout point.
Reinhard Hormandinger | Afp | Getty Images
Other cities and sites are placing a cap on day by day visitors (Machu Picchu in Peru, the Acropolis in Athens, Borobudur in Indonesia, beaches in Sardinia) and restricting large cruise ships (Venice, Bora Bora).
But one city goes even further than that, said Saul: Amsterdam.
Graffiti on a wall within the Spanish city of Malaga. Spain and France attracted more international visitors than some other countries in 2022.
Jesus Merida | Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images
Fines and costs
Some cities are taking aim at travelers’ wallets, leveling fines for bad behavior. Venice fines travelers for consuming drinks or food on the bottom, swimming within the canals and walking around in swimwear.
Tourists who sit or lie on monuments, bridges, steps or walkways in Venice might be banned from the realm and subject to fines of 100-200 euros ($105-$210).
Luca Zanon/awakening | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Starting next 12 months, town is trialing a latest tactic: a $5 fee for daytrippers.
Recent tourism taxes are set to start out in Valencia, Spain; Manchester, England; Thailand; and Iceland, said Ivan Saprov, founding father of the U.S.-based travel tech company Voyagu. Bali, too, will tax travelers 150,000 rupiah ($10) starting in February 2024, in line with local reports.
But fees connected to sustainability aren’t as hard a pill for travelers to swallow — so long as they’re disclosed, Saprov told CNBC.
“After speaking with our clients, we were pleasantly surprised by the positive feedback,” he said. “Almost 40% of them are okay and in favor, because the revenue generated might be used to create enjoyable facilities and services for each tourists and locals.”
James Matsumoto| Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images
Some travelers supported Bhutan’s $200 per day Sustainable Development Fee, which was announced in 2022. But others called it elitist. Since then, the country has reduced the fee twice to draw visitors.
“Finding the balance could be very complicated,” said Saul.
Economic restrictions are only half measures, said Tsukanova, adding that research shows fines and costs alone don’t prevent overtourism. Collaboration — between cities, sites, local businesses and residents — is required too, she said.
Managing ‘tourist flow’
The United Nations World Tourism Organization secretary-general, Zurab Pololikashvili, told CNBC Travel that the important thing to overcoming overtourism lies in “tourist flow.”
“The issue is the management of flow of individuals,” he said, adding that latest technologies may also help.
The technology works by monitoring crowds and communicating updates to travelers in real time, Tsukanova said. Lidar sensors, a fixture in autonomous vehicles, are managing the flow of tourists in towns in northern Germany, Saul wrote in an article published on EHL Insights.
The Ninth-century temple of Borobudur — which recently introduced visitor limitations and visiting times — is outside of Yogyakarta, one in every of Indonesia’s “5 latest Balis,” together with Labuan Bajo, Lake Toba, Mandalika and Likupang.
Jon Hicks | Stone | Getty Images
To tackle crowding without sacrificing tourist dollars, some countries are enticing travelers to go to less-traveled areas.
Indonesia introduced its “10 Recent Balis” in 2016 — later reducing it to “5 Recent Balis” — to introduce travelers to other beautiful places within the country.
And Japanese tourism officials are pushing travelers to go to the country’s rural areas, where half of municipalities are susceptible to vanishing by 2040 owing to depopulation, in line with The Japan Times.
Using tourism for good
Tourism must evolve and develop into regenerative, said Darrell Wade, co-founder of Intrepid Travel.
“One in every of the issues with tourism for the time being is that it’s the other of regenerative,” he said. “It’s extractive — and this cannot proceed for for much longer.”
Saul said his team is studying a regenerative hospitality business model, whereby tourists help the communities they visit.
Locals protest against “overtourism” near the town of Hallstatt in northern Austria on Aug. 27, 2023. A few of the signs read, “Visitors limitation, reclaim habitat” and “Tourism Yes. Mass tourism No.”
Reinhard Hoermandinger | Afp | Getty Images
“You do not just come … visit after which leave,” he said.
He said travelers can restore coral reefs, plant vegetation, or ensure their money stays on the local level by selecting smaller hotels and family-owned restaurants.
Travelers also need to alter their mindsets, said Tsukanova.
“We now have the app where we are able to count what number of countries we visited, what number of percentage of the available surface we covered,” she said. “Our big challenge is to coach people [to travel] otherwise.”
