Articles tagged “overtourism”

Travel leaders are at least starting to admit there might be a problem with unmanaged mass tourism, but many are still in denial about the real reasons it has become such a big issue.

Tourism executives from around the world all have unique challenges as they promote their destinations, but they also have a lot in common: They want to avoid the pitfalls of destructive tourism, get a good return on their marketing dollars, and attract high-spending visitors.

When your city sees demonstrations against tourists — or even expressions of discontent beyond peaceful protests — you know you have a problem. Destinations around the world are struggling to find the right balance between welcoming visitors and barring them. We'll discuss a framework for figuring out solutions.

As destinations scramble to reduce the impact of tourism on their citizens, foundational work must still be done to create a repeatable framework and process for preventing overtourism.

The world has always been a complicated place, but shifting geopolitical tensions and the echo chamber of social media have contributed to a culture of anxiety affecting travelers around the world.

Visit Oslo doesn't want to become a shell of itself, lose its Nordic cool character, and attract too many tourists. But it definitely wants a larger slice of international market share, and it is combing through social media for its new campaign to help make that happen.

Somewhat shockingly, the U.S. National Park Service is just now getting familiarized with the travel industry even though it oversees some of the oldest and most popular attractions in the country. More parks are beginning to work with local tourism officials, and their budding symbiotic relationships are critical to the park service's future.

It's not that the travel industry doesn't understand that overtourism is a problem. It's an issue that at times might conflict with their bottom lines, and there is a lack of thoughtful and effective plans on how to deal with it. Guevara is already working on the topic — and we'll be watching to see how creative she and the WTTC can be.

Destinations around the world need to wake up and realize that social problems related to tourism aren't going to solve themselves.

While TUI's CEO is right to point out the macro benefits of tourism in Spain, the company ignores the myriad of local issues in places such as Barcelona and Majorca that are turning locals against mass tourism. It is a self-interested issue to address for virtually the entire travel industry.