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HOTREC POSITION PAPER ON OVERTOURISM – MAY 2018
UNDERSTANDING
OVERTOURISM
5 complex, interrelated factors have caused overtourism to rise
rapidly up the policy agenda for the tourism sector in Europe:
•
1) Increased affordability and accessibility of travel:
Travel is acquiring greater importance among consumers
who are seeking to discover new destinations and new
experiences. Younger consumers, in particular Generation Z
and Millennials are prioritising spending on travel. Low cost
airlines and the internet have put travel within easy reach of
the mass market of global consumers.
•
2) Overall growth in international arrivals:
•
These have risen steadily since the 1950s from 25 million to 1.3
billion globally. In Europe in 2017, an 8% growth was recorded,
the highest over the past 7 years. Earlier forecasts by UNWTO
on expected tourism arrivals in the EU are many years ahead
of ‘schedule’ as the half-billion arrivals forecasted in 2014 for
the year 2023 for the EU-28 were already reached in 2016.
•
3) Leveraging of private residences for tourist
accommodation:
Online platforms, as the drivers and
protagonists of the so-called ‘collaborative’ economy, have
enabled the widespread conversion of private residences into
tourist accommodation, placing tourists in city centres and
pushing residents out. Furthermore, platforms have fuelled
the uncontrolled development of the so called “collaborative”
economy also by not providing data in their possession on the
tourism flows that they generate.
•
4) ‘ ‘McDisney-isation’ of destinations:
•
Large concentrations of tourists in certain locations have
caused neighbourhoods to change as traditional stores move
out. The growth of certain activities, such as segway and
‘beer-bike’ tours has caused considerable nuisance to local
residents.
•
5) Bucket-list tourism:
Increased awareness of
destinations through the internet and use of social media by
travellers has also generated a ‘bucket-list’ attitude among
some travellers who travel to ‘tick-off’ certain destinations
and attractions, often bringing more nuisance than benefits
to the local eco-system and contributing to further congestion
around those locations.
CONSEQUENCES FOR
DESTINATIONS
Increased congestion:
Increased tourism leads to huge
congestion by crowds in specific locations, e.g. around specific
iconic places and attractions, in open public spaces, on the roads
and on public transport. This can also be exacerbated by the
effect of day visitors (e.g. cruise passengers) and the presence
of large groups.
Infrastructure under pressure:
Footpaths, bridges, roads
and public transport can be strained by large crowds, while large
numbers of visitors can place pressure on local eco-system and
life, including energy and water supplies.
Degradation in the quality of life of local residents:
Changing neighbourhoods, inappropriate behaviour among
some tourists and large crowds can cause a negative impact
on local residents’ quality of life. In some places this has caused
strong protests and overt conflict by local residents, known as
‘tourismphobia’.
Rising cost of living:
Gentrification and the increasing use of
private residences for tourist accommodation has taken property
off the market for local residents, forcing up the cost of buying
and renting a place to live. As a result, residents in some cities
have been forced out of city centres, making central districts
losing their identity further.
Impact on built and natural environment:
High
numbers of visitors can increase pollution, causing damage
to ecosystems and wildlife. Increased numbers of visitors and
inadequate visitor management facilities may also cause damage
to historic buildings and monuments. This is visible in several
European cities where waste management has spiralled out of
control, contributing further to the sense of insecurity among local
residents.