Here’s What You Need to Know About Overtourism in Europe

Not too long ago, 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 stated issues like “mass tourism kills town,” and wielding water weapons—the photographs have turn out to be synonymous with the motion towards overtourism. In Lisbon, individuals staged an “eviction” from a church as a strategy to spotlight the dramatically elevated value of dwelling brought on by the short-term rental market that springs up in in style vacationer locations. 

For vacationers who’ve been planning, saving, and eagerly awaiting their European summer vacations, the demonstrations really feel like the other of a heat welcome, they usually could make a trip look like an moral dilemma. This framework, native versus vacationer, is nothing new, although. It is why some individuals 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 heart of the dialog. 

Here is what you should find out about overtourism.

What’s overtourism?

“Overtourism is nearly like an excessive amount of of a superb factor,” stated Katy Nastro, a journey skilled at Going, to Journey + Leisure. “We are likely to neglect as vacationers that these unimaginable 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 arduous to arrange 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 site visitors 12 months after 12 months,” Nastro stated. 

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

“In huge cities, the consequences of over tourism are usually not essentially instantly apparent to the customer, aside from maybe congestion and overcrowding,” Møgelhøj stated. “Nonetheless, for native individuals, a big enhance 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 take pleasure in their very own cities, overtourism places an added burden on public infrastructure, which is normally funded by taxes. So, locals find yourself footing the invoice for upkeep of a spot they aren’t in a position to take pleasure in absolutely as a result of it’s too costly and too crowded to take action.

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

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

None of which means tourism is inherently unhealthy. Asier Basurto, a member of the “tourism degrowth” group that helped arrange a few of 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 are usually not 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 unhealthy guys.

Møgelhøj believes that tourism can even have a robust, constructive influence on native communities. “I’m an awesome believer in tourism as a pressure for good,” she stated.

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 individuals 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 function by way of making a constructive and helpful tourism coverage and strategic framework.”

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

“At this time in our most visited cities and resorts, we’d like measures in place in order that we are able to preserve the stability between a thriving tourism business and the wellbeing of residents, making certain that tourism stays a constructive pressure 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 residences and … changes to vacationer taxes outdoors 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 high-quality stability of supporting the native financial system, [and] conserving locals in a position to function of their native financial system.” 

Here is what vacationers ought to find out about overtourism.

Making extra intentional decisions 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 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. 

Keep away from protests and demonstrations. 

“Keep away from any protests and demonstrations in order to not irritate the scenario,” Møgelhøj stated. 

Take detours and go to much less in style sights. 

“On the whole, 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 usually 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 great distance in bettering the expertise of each vacationers and locals. 

Keep knowledgeable. 

The easiest way to not be shocked by protests is to maintain up with the information within the locations you’re touring to.

“Initially, bear in mind if town you might be touring to has deliberate or has had protests lately,” Nastro stated. “… Comply with native information organizations to remain essentially the most up-to-date on when and the place they could happen. [That’s] going to provide you extra correct and well timed information 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 readily available in case issues go improper in your journey—and it is by no means a foul 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 an effective way to minimize the chance of encountering lengthy strains at a few of the world’s most iconic websites,” Nastro stated. 

Plan journeys to in style sights neatly.

If you happen to’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 town to see the sights.

Purchase native.

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