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 into synonymous with the motion towards overtourism. In Lisbon, individuals staged an “eviction” from a church as a solution to spotlight the dramatically elevated value of residing brought on by the short-term rental market that springs up in standard vacationer locations. 

For vacationers who’ve been planning, saving, and eagerly awaiting their European summer season holidays, the demonstrations really feel like the alternative 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 individuals strive 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 is advisable learn about overtourism.

What’s overtourism?

“Overtourism is sort of like an excessive amount of of factor,” mentioned Katy Nastro, a journey skilled at Going, to Journey + Leisure. “We are inclined to overlook as vacationers that these unbelievable 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 onerous to organize for simply what which means. “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 adverse results of a metropolis changing into standard 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 is perhaps clearly affected by a scarcity 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 skilled says that whereas locals will really feel the impacts first, they are going to have an effect on everybody—together with vacationers. 

“In massive cities, the consequences of over tourism are usually not essentially instantly apparent to the customer, other than maybe congestion and overcrowding,” Møgelhøj mentioned. “Nonetheless, for native individuals, a big enhance in customer numbers can result in a scarcity of inexpensive housing and normal worth will increase at, for instance, native eating places.”

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

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

“In at this time’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 straight from a rise in customer numbers. Nonetheless, they could profit from tourism not directly by means of the so-called ‘multiplier’ impact, which implies elevated spending within the native financial system total because of tourism.”

None of which means tourism is inherently dangerous. Asier Basurto, a member of the “tourism degrowth” group that helped set up a few 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 at least one 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 impression on native communities. “I’m an amazing believer in tourism as a power for good,” she mentioned.

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 must be a part of this, in addition to the nationwide authorities, which has an vital function when it comes to making a optimistic and helpful tourism coverage and strategic framework.”

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

“As we speak in our most visited cities and resorts, we want measures in place in order that we are able to preserve the steadiness between a thriving tourism trade and the wellbeing of residents, guaranteeing that tourism stays a optimistic power for good for all,” Manuel Butler, director of the Spanish Vacationer Workplace in London, advised T+L in a press release. “Proposed laws corresponding to Barcelona’s clampdown on privately let vacationer flats 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 advantageous steadiness of supporting the native financial system, [and] retaining locals capable of function of their native financial system.” 

This is what vacationers ought to learn 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 traces. 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. 

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

Take detours and go to much less standard sights. 

“Generally, stroll or cycle round and take the chance to discover the lesser-known areas of any vacation spot that you simply go to,” Møgelhøj mentioned. “Probably the most memorable experiences are usually least deliberate and sudden.”

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. 

One of the simplest ways to not be shocked by protests is to maintain up with the information within the locations you’re touring to.

“At first, bear in mind if the town you might be touring to has deliberate or has had protests not too long ago,” Nastro mentioned. “… 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 present you extra correct and well timed data than U.S.-based retailers.”

Know who to contact if you happen to run into bother. 

It is at all times a good suggestion to have some emergency contacts readily available in case issues go mistaken 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, will be an effective way to reduce the probability of encountering lengthy traces at a few of the world’s most iconic websites,” Nastro mentioned. 

Plan journeys to standard sights well.

Should you’re planning on visiting a well-liked attraction, strive 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 which you could be a “good” traveler is being intentional about the place you spend your cash. Nastro recommends staying in regionally owned and operated resorts, shopping for from small distributors and artisans, and venturing exterior of busy metropolis facilities to extra rural, off-the-beaten-path locations.