Overtourism- What The??

Hello there! This blog has been dormant ever since I began my PhD program and I must repent of this sin. In fact, the more intrenched I get into this program the more I realize how keeping this blog up can complement everything I am doing in my research. This post will highlight a big connection between (and a correction of) my previous posts and my latest research on the phenomenon of overtourism.

I left off talking about amazing places to visit where your tourism dollars will be put to good use. I still feel that tourists should visit the places I have mentioned, though the destination managers need to do their part of managing the visitors that come to see the amazing attractions at these various destinations. And yes, tourists need to behave and not damage nature or be loud and obnoxious in the middle of the night in your Airbnb that’s between actual people’s homes.

This is where overtourism enters the picture. Overtourism is a huge buzzword in the media and in tourism research right now and refers to the negative impact that mass tourism can have on a destination’s environment, local residents, and infrastructure. Apparently, a couple of the places I have mentioned, namely the Galapagos Islands and Machu Picchu, are frequently mentioned in the news and research. The problem is when too many tourists come all at once and the destination does not have the capacity to manage the crowds or the potential harm to infrastructure, nature, and local residents. Other commonly mentioned destinations in this literature are Venice, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Mount Everest, Zion National Park, Maya Bay, Boracay, Angkor Wat, and Bali.

            SO, like I said already, your visit to these places can still help impoverished people or go towards conservation but in doing research about overtourism my eyes have been opened to the flip side of the coin where tourism is not always the golden ticket. Here are a few tips for you as a tourist when visiting amazing beaches, archeological sites, national parks, cultural cities, and so on:

1.     Travel in the off-season- High peak tourism can put serious stress on infrastructure, local residents who put up with crowds of tourists, and delicate ecosystems.

2.     Don’t be dumb- Duh. Tourists are infamous for doing incredibly stupid things. There is something about escaping from your ordinary life that liberates you and causes you to act like an idiot. I’m all about having fun, but keep in mind that real people live at these places your visit and that nature still needs to function after you leave.

3.     Travel around to lesser-known attractions- Read my post about Cusco! While most tourists go straight to Machu Picchu, check out the many other stunning Incan ruins and ancient culture I discussed.

If you do these three things, then the rest is mostly up to local tourism planners and managers. Places like Venice, Machu Picchu, Dubrovnik, and Cinque Terra have put in strict regulations on cruise ships and other visitors to avoid negative impacts from mass tourism. As this is a developing story, the results of these management actions are not yet completely understood. Check out some pics below of what I’ve been talking about.

Venice, Italy is the poster child of overtourism. Tons of day trippers come in from cruise liners and flood the city without spending money on hotels or food

 

Beaches take a particular heavy environmental beating from mass tourism


Barcelona residents protesting against tourism. Sounds kind of like Trump wall supporters, doesn't it?


Even I have to admit that Machu Picchu is crazy packed. New regulations were implemented this year to manage increasingly large crowds.

Angkor Wat faces problems similar to those of Machu Picchu. Heavy foot traffic takes its toll on delicate archeology.