When you’re thinking about you’re next trip, whether it be in the UK or travelling abroad, you might well be thinking about your carbon footprint and your mode of transport, but not necessarily about the impact your visit has on the local economy or the natural environment. The issues surrounding ‘over tourism’ are often reported on but perhaps carry less influence on our decision making process when thinking about our personal aspirations for travel, our desire for new experiences and the different cultures we want to immerse ourselves in. But when does tourism become ‘too much’? When does it cause more harm than good?

Over tourism refers to a situation where the number of tourists or visitors visiting a particular destination exceeds its carrying capacity or the ability of the destination to handle the influx of visitors sustainably. It often leads to negative impacts on the environment, infrastructure, local culture and residents’ quality of life. Over tourism can result in overcrowding, increased pollution, strain on resources, degradation of natural and cultural heritage sites, and conflicts between tourists and local communities.

It has become a growing concern in popular tourist destinations around the world. Locations including Barcelona, Venice and Peru as well as UK destinations such as Cornwall and the Lake District are places known for over tourism and have implemented measures to help minimise the impacts in their areas. Addressing over tourism requires a multi-faceted approach involving various stakeholders in the tourism and property industries, local communities, and government authorities.

In some cases over tourism can result in a strain on infrastructure, drive up in rental and property prices making it difficult for local residents to afford housing in popular areas and increased cost of living including goods and services. For local residents, they can also experience a dilution or commodification of their local culture and traditions to cater to tourist preferences as well as disruption to individuals daily life, space and communities.

Whilst tourism can help drive local economies and bring new business to local areas, it needs to be carefully managed. To ensure a place remains a cultural haven but still attracts tourists, we can develop comprehensive plans that focus on sustainable tourism development, carrying capacity assessments, and long-term strategies to balance tourism growth with the preservation of local culture, environment, and quality of life for residents.

Measures might include limiting cruise ship access to the area, implementing visitor quotas or ticketing systems, creating tourism taxes and engaging with communities to raise awareness about responsible tourism. Investment in improving infrastructure and transportation systems to handle influxes in crowds and people to help with overcrowding can be introduced, alongside improved transportation, public facilities and waste management.

Place-shaping encourages the development of diverse attractions and experiences within a destination. It puts emphasises on the importance of preserving and promoting the unique identity and cultural heritage of a place, as well as shining a light on underutilised areas to distribute tourist flows more evenly and reduce pressure on overcrowded areas

Each place should be considered on a case basis and no one size fits all when it comes to managing sustainable places. It is important to establish partnerships to develop and implement sustainable tourism strategies, ensuring that the interests of residents and the city's long-term sustainability are at the forefront of decision-making processes.

Further information

Contact Adam Bray

The business of real estate needs to be more hare than tortoise to transform for the better