We’re not “over” tourism. But we need better tourism

Last year, thousands of people took to the streets across Europe in a spate of overtourism protests. Tourists were squirted with water pistols and frustrated protesters chanted “tourists go home.” The action was so significant that the BBC called it “the summer that tourism fell apart.” 

And this weekend, it happened again. 

Only this time the protests were bigger, better organized and more intentional. Spanning Italy, Portugal and Spain, thousands of people marched with one simple aim: To sound the alarm to policymakers, and to let them know that their rights, livelihoods and wellbeing should come before tourists, and that their countries and regions are not open for ‘touristification’.

It isn’t an unreasonable request—and it’s one that governments, councils, policymakers and tourism boards around the world simply cannot ignore. Countless communities around the world have had their livelihoods upended by unsustainable models of tourism that have turned their towns and cities into open-air museums, pushed rents to astronomical highs, left lasting cultural and environmental damage, and stretched infrastructure to the brink. Something has to change. 

If you’re unfamiliar with the term, ‘overtourism’ is a word to describe the impacts of travelers inadvertently placing undue pressure on a destination’s infrastructure, environment and communities. It’s a complicated problem, but most easily described as a social and economic imbalance through which the benefits of tourism are felt by the few and the negative effects are felt by the many. While it’s a huge problem facing destinations around the world (Venice, Barcelona, Ha Long Bay to name a few), tourism also supports one in 10 jobs globally and contributes USD$10.9 trillion to global GDP. As such, it’s critical that we look for ways to improve tourism, and not abandon it entirely. 

While there are no quick fixes, we can start by acknowledging a fundamental truth that not all travel is created equal. After 20 years with Intrepid, a B Corp travel company which I lead as CEO, I believe that we shouldn’t advocate for less tourism globally—we should strive for better tourism. 

I am not “over” tourism. But I am over tourism that ignores how many visitors a destination can comfortably welcome. I am over extractive models of tourism that benefit a few shareholders while inconveniencing, ignoring or even impoverishing others. I am over tourism that fails to keep the economic benefits within a destination. 

“The mass tourism model was designed to benefit travelers first, not the hosts. But tourism only succeeds when value is shared.”

I am not over tourism that reduces inequalities or brings people together during divisive times. I’m also not over tourism that bolsters economies, pays fair wages, lifts communities up, protects culture and nature, and creates benefits for all stakeholders. And I’m definitely not over the endless potential tourism has to create positive change through the joy of travel. 

When it comes to overtourism, I believe there are four key contributors to the problem, and therefore four key streams through which governments and businesses can work together to advocate for better solutions.

1. Moving beyond mass tourism

Maybe you’ve had the experience of enjoying a morning coffee in a picturesque place, only to suddenly find yourself surrounded by crowds, who are staying in large resorts, have disembarked from a cruise ship, or are part of a large tour group. 

One of the issues of this crowding is that beyond select businesses in a small geographical area, a majority of local people will experience nothing but noise pollution, litter, and overcrowding in the streets. Suddenly, what attracted these tourists in the first place—the character of a place—starts to be eroded. 

At Intrepid, our biggest mitigating factor against mass tourism is our style of small group travel. Our trips average just 10 travelers per group, which allows us to go to small 20-seat local restaurants, take a family-owned cooking class, or stay at locally owned accommodation that only has 25 or 50 rooms in total. It allows us to support more businesses and co-exist with communities.

The mass tourism model was designed to benefit travelers first, not the hosts. But tourism only succeeds when value is shared. 

2. Regulations and governance that put people and place before profit

Governments around the world have long recognized the economic impact and benefits that flow from tourism. That is not a bad thing—in fact, tourism that celebrates cultures, languages, supports local economies and uplifts communities is a great thing.  

However, over the years, in many places, tourism has been allowed to develop and grow without appropriate regulation, oversight or proper consultation with local communities. 

At the same time, tourism boards regularly heavily promote their cities and destinations around ‘bucket list’ sights—and are increasingly out of step with what the communities in those destinations want and need. 

‘Suddenly’, cities become unaffordable for people to live in, local businesses are forced to move out, and the local culture and character is eroded. Tighter regulations—as we’ve seen with various governments capping or banning short-term rentals in certain destinations, for example—can help tourism develop in a manner that supports communities, and doesn’t displace them.

3. Working to fix inappropriate tourist behavior

Travel is a privilege. When you visit someone else’s home, it is important you respect their cultural norms and expectations. When the streets of cities like Barcelona are graffitied with “tourists go home”, it is reflective of negative community sentiment. When local communities have a say and contribute to what they want tourism to be and do for them, then there are better outcomes. The relationship between a tourist and a host can and should be a two-way exchange of culture, values, ideas and meaningful connection—not one of disdain. 

The case of overtourism in Barcelona is again complicated, but the crux of the problem rests in rising cost of living, insufficient infrastructure and lack of housing (often driven by short-term lets) and bad tourist behavior.  

“Let’s eliminate the ‘must-see bucket lists’ and instead work towards genuine, respectful cultural exchange and interaction. Only then can governments, companies, communities and travelers exist together.”

Barcelona has invested in a campaign emphasizing responsible water usage, minimizing noise levels at night, and laws on littering to highlight the city’s rules, designed so both locals and visitors can co-exist. This is really just good manners—and we also require travelers on our trips to agree to basic standards of behavior. A big feature of our trips is that itineraries are designed to maximize local interaction to remove the ‘us vs them’ mentality. 

Another way we do this is through our tour groups being led by a local tour leader—someone who is from the destination, who helps travelers navigate language barriers and cultural nuances. Whether you join a tour, hire a local leader, or simply strike up a conversation with a stranger, think of yourself as not just a tourist, but a guest in someone else’s home. 

4. Tourist dollars should benefit local people, not international monopolies

The economics of tourism is one of the underlying contributors to overtourism because there are many foreign-owned companies and that can lead to a significant amount of revenue leaving a local economy. A report from The Travel Foundation suggested a luxury holiday to a four- or five-star hotel in Bali (for example) would have a leakage (the portion of money that flows out of the country) of over 55 percent. Similar holidays in the Caribbean region may be as high as 80 percent.

Intrepid is an Australian-owned company but we establish our own companies in the 31 countries where we have offices, with local leadership and teams. Our people are empowered as decision makers in our business—they have a direct say in our tours and they advise where we go and how we do it. As locals, they are part of the community and they are close to the issues in these places. 

On an Intrepid trip, on average, 84 percent of the businesses you will support on our trips are locally owned. Keeping the benefits of tourism in the destination creates a positive ripple effect for all through jobs, small business growth, and traveler spending. Whether it’s through tourist taxes, limiting foreign ownership or creating subsidies and grants for local business ownership, there are many economic levers to help build a strong locally owned tourism industry and destination. 

Of course, there’s no quick fix. While addressing mass tourism, regulation and governance, inappropriate behavior and tourism leakage may not solve things overnight, they help illustrate a point that overtourism is not an inevitable consequence of global travel. It’s the result of choices made by governments, companies, and travelers who put their interests above others. But there is a better way forward. 

I am not over tourism, and you shouldn’t be either. 

Let’s work together to build stakeholder-driven models of tourism by changing the way we think about tourism. Let’s eliminate the ‘must-see bucket lists’ and instead work towards genuine, respectful cultural exchange and interaction. Only then can governments, companies, communities and travelers exist together. 

Because if tourism is to survive and thrive—especially in the context of our climate crisis—it must benefit the many, not the few.

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