This is What You Must Know About Overtourism in Europe

Just 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 mentioned issues like “mass tourism kills the town,” and wielding water weapons—the photographs have turn out to be synonymous with the motion towards overtourism. In Lisbon, folks staged an “eviction” from a church as a solution to spotlight the dramatically elevated price of residing brought on by the short-term rental market that springs up in common vacationer locations. 

For vacationers who’ve been planning, saving, and eagerly awaiting their European summer time holidays, the demonstrations really feel like the other of a heat welcome, and so they could make a trip look like 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 emotions behind them is significant—for vacationers, locals, and the cities on the middle of the dialog. 

This is what it’s essential learn about overtourism.

What’s overtourism?

“Overtourism is sort of like an excessive amount of of a superb factor,” mentioned Katy Nastro, a journey knowledgeable at Going, to Journey + Leisure. “We are likely to overlook as vacationers that these unimaginable locations we love to go to have locals who stay their day-to-day lives there. Communities have been cemented right here lengthy earlier than these locations gained reputation.” 

As soon as a location turns into a “can’t miss” vacation spot, it may be laborious 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 mentioned. 

The unfavorable results of a metropolis turning into common to go to are usually not as apparent as it’s in pure environments, the place you possibly can 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 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 large cities, the consequences of over tourism are usually not essentially instantly apparent to the customer, other than maybe congestion and overcrowding,” Møgelhøj mentioned. “Nevertheless, for native folks, a big improve in customer numbers can result in a scarcity of inexpensive housing and basic worth will increase at, for instance, native eating places.”

Along with elevated prices and a decreased potential for locals to get pleasure from 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 get pleasure from absolutely as a result of it’s too costly and too crowded to take action.

Nevertheless, locals usually get messaging that tourism is sweet for the native financial 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 right now’s world financial system, many tourism and hospitality companies are owned and run by multinationals,” she mentioned. “The overwhelming majority of individuals don’t profit instantly from a rise in customer numbers. Nevertheless, they could profit from tourism not directly by way of the so-called ‘multiplier’ impact, which implies elevated spending within the native financial system general as a result of tourism.”

None of which means that tourism is inherently dangerous. Asier Basurto, a member of the “tourism degrowth” group that helped manage a number of the protests in San Sebastián, Spain, advised 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 mentioned within the article. “Let me be clear: our enemies are those that speculate on housing, who exploit staff, and those that are profiting handsomely from the touristification of our cities.”

Vacationers aren’t the dangerous guys.

Møgelhøj believes that tourism can even have a strong, optimistic influence on native communities. “I’m an excellent believer in tourism as a pressure for good,” she mentioned.

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 function by way of making a optimistic and useful tourism coverage and strategic framework.”

There are examples of efforts like this, even in Spain, the place a number of the greatest 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 trade and the wellbeing of residents, making certain that tourism stays a optimistic pressure for good for all,” Manuel Butler, director of the Spanish Vacationer Workplace in London, advised T+L in an announcement. “Proposed laws akin to Barcelona’s clampdown on privately let vacationer residences and … changes to vacationer taxes exterior 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 positive steadiness of supporting the native financial system, [and] protecting locals capable of function of their native financial system.” 

This is what vacationers ought to learn about overtourism.

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 strains. Listed here are Møgelhøj’ and Nastro’s ideas for thoughtfully vacationing in ways in which will not contribute to (or be ruined by) overtourism. 

Avoid protests and demonstrations. 

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

Take detours and go to much less common points of interest. 

“Typically, stroll or cycle round and take the chance to discover the lesser-known areas of any vacation spot that you just go to,” Møgelhøj mentioned. “Probably 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.

“At the start, bear in mind if the town you might be touring to has deliberate or has had protests just lately,” Nastro mentioned. “… Comply with native information organizations to remain probably the most up-to-date on when and the place they could happen. [That’s] going to present you extra correct and well timed data than U.S.-based retailers.”

Know who to contact in case you run into hassle. 

It is at all times a good suggestion to have some emergency contacts available in case issues go unsuitable 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, may be an effective way to minimize the chance of encountering lengthy strains at a number of the world’s most iconic websites,” Nastro mentioned. 

Plan journeys to common points of interest well.

In the event you’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 could be a “good” traveler is being intentional about the place you spend your cash. Nastro recommends staying in regionally owned and operated lodges, shopping for from small distributors and artisans, and venturing exterior of busy metropolis facilities to extra rural, off-the-beaten-path locations.