by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 4:08 PM ET, Thu June 13, 2019
Each summer Europe's top tourist destinations witness an influx of travelers that often overwhelm cities, towns, and villages.
Overtourism, a topic that has been widely reported on in recent years and months, has left destinations from Venice to Rome and Amsterdam struggling to respond and implement regulations that will help return some normalcy for locals.
With the summer upon us once again, Responsible Travel is working to bring attention to how widespread the problem of overtourism truly is.
Based on its own recently conducted research, Responsible Travel found that 98 destinations in 63 countries are suffering under the strains of overtourism.
To help illustrate its staggering findings, the company created a map showing what it calls a "global, spreading crisis" affecting communities and natural places of all sizes and significance. That map can be viewed here.
Based specifically on research into online mentions of overtourism around the world, the map shows what Responsible Travel believes is only the tip of the iceberg.
Serious concerns about the growing challenge of overtourism also prompted the company to recently develop a documentary on the issue, which can be viewed here. Responsible Travel has also dedicated a section of its website to the topic, detailing exactly what overtourism is and how it can be avoided, while also pointing out that it's a mistake to think tourism can only bring good.
"Many of us do not believe this myth and have been speaking out against it for decades. Our concerns were dismissed, until very recently. In summer 2017, the media and the travel industry finally began to turn their gaze to the negative impacts of the holiday industry, and the term 'overtourism' was coined," says the Responsible Travel website.
As part of a Q&A with TravelPulse about the new map, Responsible Travel CEO, Justin Francis shared some thoughts about the growing issue of overtourism and how the travel world might respond.
TP:What action can tourists take in response to this issue and the information Responsible Travel has released?
JF: We appreciate many of the places suffering from overtourism are doing so because they are unique and amazing sites, and people will still want to see them.
We do however recommend seeing these places in unfamiliar ways by connecting with locals who can recommend when the natural lulls of their home town, city or island occur. This is also a great way to learn more about a place beyond the tourist hotspots, find quiet coves or small local restaurants that others will miss.
Another great tip is to go out of peak season, head to Barcelona in the winter and you can walk straight into the Sagrada Familia, go in summer and you will need to book your ticket six months in advance.
TP:Is it at all surprising that even smaller destinations are suffering?
JF: It isn't entirely surprising. While it takes millions of tourists before somewhere like Venice can no longer cope, it's important to remember that overtourism issues, such as pressure on local residents and resources, affordable housing being turned over to Airbnb and rising house prices, can occur anywhere. Even a coach load of extra tourists can overwhelm a small village.
TP: What can or should the travel industry do in response to this sort of information?
JF: It is really about management of destinations. There are some practical ways in which this can be achieved, such as reduction of demand during peak seasons in order to more evenly distribute tourist numbers across the year and dynamic pricing to deter people from visiting attractions at peak times.
A huge issue contributing to the rise in the overtourism crisis has been the increase in artificially cheap flights - the tax-free status of aviation fuel across much of the globe has resulted in cheap flights and therefore growth in passenger numbers -putting incredible pressure on destinations.
The era of endless and badly managed tourism growth has to be over.
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