Summary
- Social media-driven tourism is causing overcrowding and harming local communities in popular destinations such as Spain and Japan.
- Spain’s locals are protesting against overtourism and unsustainable housing costs and are pushing for the money generated by tourism to be reinvested in the communities.
- In view of the overtourism problem, Greece is planning to impose a cap on cruise ship passengers and hopes to achieve a balance between tourism and the preservation of local life and culture.
In an age of trendy overconsumption and simultaneous inflation, destinations cannot escape the ironic blessing and curse of tourists. Social media fuels people’s wanderlust and promotes popular destinations, but sometimes to the detriment of local people and governments. While visitation and the economic benefits of tourism are a good thing, unruly tourists and overcrowding have reached a tipping point in many of the cities that grace our discovery pages.
An example of this is Spain, where residents of Barcelona, tired of the explosion of short-term rental contracts, can no longer afford a reasonable cost of living and have taken to the streets to protest. Or the Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park in Thailand, which has been closed indefinitely in early 2024 due to coral bleaching caused in part by overconsumption and overtourism on the islands.
Spain And Thailand are not the only countries where locals are on the verge of collapse with overcrowded streets, unrelenting housing costs and disruptive travelers. Some of the most visited – and most visible on social media – countries in the world are experiencing a rise in local discontent. While Spanish residents are leading the battle cry against the uncontrollable number of tourists, locals from other popular destinations are also raising their voices. In some cases, governments are taking action and, unfortunately, this can have consequences for all Tourists, not just the annoying ones.
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While Barcelona city authorities tried to deter some tourists last spring by increasing the tourist tax and reducing the number of cruise ships in the port in 2023, this did little to alleviate residents’ concerns about short-term rental problems and rising living costs.
Hoping to send a clear message to decision-makers, thousands of locals protested in the city and tried to make tourists as uncomfortable as possible, shooting some unsuspecting travelers with water guns and constantly shouting orders to “go home.”
Other Spanish cities and towns, which are suffering from rising living costs due to increased tourism, also took to the streets. In Mallorca, for example, 50,000 people reportedly demonstrated against mass tourism, private jets and holiday homes.
The Spanish government has announced it will “crack down” on short-term and holiday rentals in a bid to crack down on unfair property practices. In a country where rents in major cities have risen by almost 20% year-on-year, new property regulations could ease some locals’ fears of overtourism.
Jaume Colloni, the mayor of Barcelona, recently unveiled a plan to ban short-term accommodation rentals in the city by 2028, but this may not be enough as Spaniards demand a more targeted reinvestment of tourism revenues in local communities.
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Japan hopes to preserve culture by banning tourists
Popular areas of Kyoto and near Mount Fuji are no longer accessible to tourists
Japan has had a historic year for tourism. With the Japanese yen hitting a 38-year low, it seemed like everyone was flocking to the Asian island nation to shop and take pretty photos. But with the crowds came problems for cities that either didn’t have the infrastructure to accommodate such an influx of tourists or weren’t prepared for the enthusiastic “cultural tourism” of visitors.
Kyoto’s historic Gion district, for example, a neighborhood known for traditional teahouses and geisha performers, was one such place where travelers were less than respectful. In early 2024, the city banned tourists from entering private streets and alleys to discourage them from harassing geishas. Stories of geishas being attacked and physically assaulted either for photos or for sport largely motivated local officials to protect this aspect of traditional Japanese culture from misbehaving travelers.
The famous Mount Fuji, an area where tourism is rampant, also recently imposed a tourist ban on certain streets. To alleviate the crowds on streets and parking lots overlooking the famous mountain peak, city officials have erected physical barriers to keep tourists away.
The local government cites travelers’ constant littering on the streets, disrupting local businesses, and causing traffic problems as the main reasons for the closures. It hopes tourists will stick to approved hiking trails and viewing points and follow recommendations and guidelines related to Mount Fuji. Along with possible higher tourist taxes and even entrance fees to certain attractions, Japan believes these deterrents will keep “bad tourists” away.
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Greece will have a visitor cap but will not be as crowded as its neighbors
The Greek islands describe the season as one of the worst ever and therefore want to limit the number of cruise passengers, but encourage long-term visitors
Famous for its gleaming white buildings and sky-blue domed roofs set against a backdrop of sparkling ocean, Santorini in Greece is so picture-perfect that it quickly gained a reputation as an “Instagram island” and receives 3.4 million visitors a year. On any given day that a cruise ship is in port, around 17,000 passengers disembark; by comparison, Santorini has a total population of just around 20,000.
These crowds completely clog Santorini’s streets during the day, disrupting local life for hours and making it difficult for residents to do anything while the tourists are in town. However, once these ships leave port, the island goes quiet, giving the locals a kind of tourist whiplash.
Many visitors avoid the Instagram island because of the daytime crowds and instead stay on other Greek islands as an alternative to Santorini, which makes the transition from day to night all the more stark.
To mitigate the tension between chaotic overcrowding and ghost town, the island’s mayor, Nikos Zorzos, is proposing a cap on cruise ship passengers from 2025. The country’s Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, agrees with the move.
While its European neighbors protest against overtourism and introduce other rules of conduct, Greece hopes that the caps on cruises will lead to more regular long-term trips and attract some vacationers from other European countries.
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These overtourism protests and regulations to curb bad behavior and crowds in various countries serve as a reminder to travelers that no matter where you go, you should respect the local community. For most, it’s a destination, but for some, it’s also home, and the residents deserve to enjoy their cities too.
