As the tourism industry continues to grow following the post-COVID rebound, the phenomenon of overtourism has become increasingly apparentent. Destinations that once thrived on large numbers of visitors are now grappling with overcrowding, environmental degradation and local communities kicking out in protest against the strain that overtourism puts on their daily lives.
Several iconic destinations have implemented or are planning to impose restrictions and/or a tourist tax to manage visitor numbers. Barcelona , Venice , Edinburgh , Rome, Wales , Bruges , Lisbon , Pompeii , Bali , Maldives , Rwanda and Mount Fuji have all implemented a fee.
Nice , Amsterdam and the ports of some Greek islands now have passenger caps to counteract thousands of visitors disembarking fromcruise ships and swarming over the towns and the main tourism sites.
Travel News gathered some insights from industry leaders to determine how much responsibility travel companies should bear for overtourism.
Shared responsibilityFor Joanne Adolphe , CEO of Thompsons Holidays, the responsibility is measurable. She believes 30 falls on travel companies, 50 on governments, and 20 on individual travellers.