Overtourism is rarely far from travel headlines as places grapple with visitor numbers, rising prices and environmental issues. So, how can we build a better future? Travel industry experts around the world, from academics and sustainability advocates to pioneering tour operators and trend forecasters, share their thoughts and, most importantly, their solutions.
We all know, for all its positives, that tourism has its downsides. And right now, overtourism is one of the travel industry’s biggest challenges. In cities, that may look like overcrowding on public transport and gridlocked roads or unregulated private housing used for vacation rentals resulting in displacement of residents such as Barcelona. In more rural settings, it could be viewpoints and trails overrun by visitors, such as ‘traffic jams’ of hikers (and trash) on Mount Everest, or increased pollution and waste on Bali. And in some places, particularly in the Global South where climate change has a disproportionate effect, overtourism can put a strain on vital resources, such as water and energy.
How have we reached this point? There are so many factors. Cheaper flights, more people traveling, the rise in cruise tourism where larger-than-before crowds arrive en-masse in places unused to such numbers, social media sending places and experiences ‘viral’, infrastructure under-investment and poor planning by governments, and a disproportionate focus on profit and ‘growth’ versus long-term thinking.
And when the downsides outweigh the upsides, we have a problem; perhaps most importantly, a reduced quality of life for the people who, you know, actually live there. And that means a poorer, less ‘authentic’ experience for the traveler. While many see travel and tourism as a ‘product’, it’s not. A place is not just a ‘destination’ for the outsider to come into. ‘Travel and tourism’ happens in people’s homes and communities, in environments that wildlife call home.
And there are many places successfully managing the issue. The Danish capital Copenhagen trialed CopenPay for one month this summer, where in exchange for collecting litter from canals, cycling instead of taking a cab, or volunteering at a city farm, visitors received freebies such as ice cream, wine, and discounted entry fees. Popular national parks in the US have introduced timed entry so popular spots don’t become overcrowded and habitats are protected, while some ports, such as Venice, Barcelona and the Greek islands of Mykonos and Santorini, have banned or limit cruise ships.
We know the answer to overtourism isn’t an equation with one winning formula. It’s more like a series of jigsaw puzzles, different for every country, city, village, national park. So we asked a handful of experts for their thoughts and solutions and here’s what they told us.
Marinel M. de Jesus, Esq., founder Brown Gal Trekker, Equity Global Treks and The Porter Voice Collective
“As a global mountain nomad and outdoor activist, I’ve seen how urgent it is to rethink how we do tourism, especially when it comes to over-tourism in the Himalayas. Popular routes like Everest Base Camp are bursting at the seams; crowded, commercial trekking doesn’t just harm the environment, but it erases the voices and lives of the local people who call these mountains home. That’s why I helped co-found the Himalayan Women Trail Leaders Initiative, a gender equity initiative that combats overtourism through decolonization.
This initiative isn’t just about slowing down the crowds; it’s about centering Indigenous women as guides and storytellers on the Great Himalaya Trail, a 1,056-mile (1,700-kilometer) stretch of life-changing trails often overshadowed by more famous routes. Women are the real custodians of these trails, holding stories, wisdom, and deep connections to the land that have been ignored for too long in a male-dominated trekking industry rooted in colonial history.
By promoting lesser-known paths led by women, we’re not just creating new opportunities; we’re reclaiming power, protecting fragile ecosystems, and honoring the stories and legacies of Indigenous communities that call this region their home. This work is about more than trekking—it’s about decolonizing how we move through these mountains and making space for a future where tourism uplifts communities instead of exploiting them.
Community-led tourism is the antidote to overtourism. It gives local people the power to decide how, when, and who to welcome into their communities. Rather than being overrun by large tour groups, communities manage visitor numbers based on their own capacity and values. This autonomy helps preserve culture, protect the environment, and ensure tourism benefits everyone involved.”
Marinel de Jesus (pictured, above), founder of Equity Global Treks and The Porter Voice Collective is a former civil rights lawyer turned global mountain nomad. As ‘Brown Gal Trekker,’ she champions equity in adventure travel by creating women-led and community-led tourism initiatives to decolonize tourism across the world’s most remote trails.
Shirley Nieuwland, researcher, writer and consultant with a PhD in sustainable tourism
“When there is overtourism, the solution is both simple and complicated at the same time. Simple because when there is too much of something, there should be less of it. This means that places should stop attracting more visitors and actively seek to reduce the number of visitors. Simple as that.
However, political interest for degrowth strategies is often low, which, of course, complicates things. Examples of measures that governments can adopt, and which some have done successfully, include limiting the number of hotels like Amsterdam, prohibiting Airbnb rentals like Barcelona, and reducing the number of cruises—as seen in Dubrovnik, Santorini and Palma de Mallorca.
Governments need to embrace the only real solution to overtourism. Not spreading tourism, attracting the quality tourist, or raising tourism taxes, but doing what is needed: Degrowing tourism, instead of dismissing it as an impossible or unrealistic scenario.
Shirley Nieuwland (pictured above) is an independent researcher, writer and consultant with a PhD in sustainable tourism. She is the founder of Paradise Found where she works with destinations to rethink their tourism strategies. She is based in northern Spain and loves mountains, wild nature and traveling by train.
Amos Wekesa, founder & CEO of Great Lakes Safaris, Uganda
“In Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, we’ve long practiced the kind of tourism that global hotspots now scramble to adopt. Gorilla trekking here is strictly regulated with only eight permits are issued per habituated group per day. With a 10-meter distance rule and only one hour spent with the gorillas, these rules help to protect the health and behavior of these endangered primates.
This approach not only preserves one of the world’s most intimate wildlife experiences but also ensures that tourism uplifts local communities. Through a strictly regulated system, tourists support education, employment, and conservation initiatives directly funded by gorilla permits (USD$800 per person).
It’s a model of low-volume, high-value tourism where guests leave with unforgettable memories and the knowledge that their visit helped secure both gorilla survival and local livelihoods.”
Amos Wekesa (pictured above) is the founder of Great Lakes Safaris a company that runs tours and lodges in East Africa. A pioneer of conservation-led tourism in Uganda, he has championed community-based safari experiences, from gorilla trekking in Bwindi to river cruises in Murchison Falls for over two decades. His work directly supports education, employment, and wildlife protection initiatives across East Africa.
Debbie Hindle, chair of the International Center for Responsible Tourism global
“Overtourism is complicated because the causes and solutions vary from place to place.
It could be triggered by the sheer volume of people at a major attraction, or by an unwelcome group of five people coming into a rural village on a day of rest. And because it’s complicated there is no quick fix.
The most important thing to do is to research and listen to what local people want. Dubrovnik has been working on a Respect the City Strategy since 2017 and has seen the density flow of visitors reduce by 50 percent. Activity has included reducing café stands and street furniture and adding sensors to track visitor numbers so the frequency and arrival timings of cruises and buses can be adjusted.
But what won’t work is when organizations don’t take responsibility for their impact. I was horrified to read a recent Airbnb report on overtourism in the EU which effectively blamed hotels for all the issues. We all need to take responsibility for our actions.”
Debbie Hindle (pictured above) is chair of the International Center for Responsible Tourism global (ICRT) which runs a 10-week online course: Professional Certificate in Addressing Overtourism and Managing Success.
Håvard Utheim, entrepreneur and tourism advisor
“Many tourism people in the tourism industry say there is no overtourism, only lack of organization. I don’t agree. All places have a physical limit for nature, for infrastructure, for people. But this is hard to define. And who should define it anyway? I suggest starting with identifying the small signs, and stopping long before this limit.
Overtourism doesn’t always arrive with headlines. Often, it begins quietly: With local frustration, overwhelmed systems, and a growing sense of imbalance.
I’ve been fortunate to work a little with the Faroe Islands, a growing destination that doesn’t suffer from overtourism, but still takes proactive steps to avoid it. These guys impress me and are a good example of doing many things right. Initiatives like ‘Closed for Maintenance, Open for Voluntourism,’ and trials with self-navigating cars to limit human impact in pressure areas, reflect a rare willingness to act before things break.
What can we learn from it? Don’t wait until it breaks. What we choose to respect today decides what’s left to love tomorrow.”
Håvard Utheim (pictured above) is an entrepreneur and tourism advisor who works with governments, entrepreneurs, and destinations on strategy, innovation, and sustainability. His current focus is Re-Treats, a ‘show don’t tell’ project featuring off-grid mobile hotel rooms designed to leave no trace. His writing in transparency.travel questions and challenges the tourism industry and its status quo.
Lauren Siegel, senior lecturer at the University of Greenwich
“A solution to challenges associated with overtourism that many destinations haven’t yet thought of are ‘selfie parks’ or dedicated spaces for photos. As tourists increasingly seek ‘Instagrammable’ backdrops for their travel content, there can be a concentration of visitors in highly aesthetic places creating overcrowded hotspots.
By offering curated, purpose-built environments designed for photography, selfie parks provide safe, controlled spaces where visitors can get those snaps for Instagram or create their TikTok videos without overwhelming destinations or disturbing local communities.
Selfie parks can be an effective solution to overtourism because they redirect visitor pressure away from fragile heritage sites and natural landscapes while still catering to the demand for highly visual, shareable experiences.
These parks can also incorporate local themes, art, and culture, still generating economic benefits for local residents. Additionally, they can serve as educational platforms, raising awareness about sustainability and responsible travel. In this way, selfie parks balance tourist expectations with preservation needs, reducing pressure on iconic sites while enhancing the overall visitor economy.
Dr. Lauren Siegel (pictured above) is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Greenwich in London. Her research focuses on visitor behaviors and performances to destinations considered ‘Instagrammable.’ Her work has been featured in BBC, CNN, The Independent, Business Insider, Yahoo News, and Deutsche Welle, among others.
Vincent Kouwenhoven, founder of Green Safaris tour operator in Zambia and Malawi
“When images of vehicles crowding the Serengeti migration dominated social media earlier this summer, it was clear safari needs a shift. We need alternatives that protect wildlife, not overwhelm it. Destinations like Zambia’s Kafue National Park offer just that. It’s one of Africa’s largest and least explored parks, home to remarkable biodiversity, vast open spaces, and barely a traffic jam in sight.
As an example, we operate solar-powered e-vehicles, e-boats and e-bikes, creating what we call the ‘silent safari’—where the loudest thing you’ll hear is the bush itself. It’s a truly immersive, low-impact experience that puts nature first with zero disturbance to wildlife, minimal carbon and spreads tourism benefits to remote communities.
Unlike busier parks such as the Maasai Mara or Serengeti, Kafue welcomes just 15,000 visitors annually. For travelers looking beyond the crowds, this is safari as it should be.”
Vincent Kouwenhoven (pictured above) is the founder of Green Safaris, an eco-luxury operator running lodges in Zambia and Malawi. A pioneer of silent, solar-powered safaris, he champions conservation-led travel that connects guests with nature and local communities, without compromising the environment.
Jenny Southan, editor, founder and CEO of travel trend forecasting agency, Globetrender
“Artificial intelligence could become a powerful tool for tackling overtourism by acting as a real-time demand balancer. By analyzing flight bookings, hotel occupancy, social media check-ins, and even geolocation data, AI could predict when a destination is nearing saturation.
Instead of letting crowds overwhelm a site, algorithms could redirect demand by pushing personalized recommendations to travelers in advance—from alternative neighborhoods to under-visited regions that match their interests.
Integrated with booking platforms, AI could offer dynamic incentives—such as discounts, points, VIP access—for choosing those less crowded options. This will ensure cultural sites are protected, while travelers still feel rewarded.”
Jenny Southan (pictured above) is the editor, founder and CEO of Globetrender, the world’s leading travel trend forecasting agency and online magazine dedicated to the future of travel. Jenny is also a public speaker, the host of Globetrender’s ‘Blue Sky Thinking’ podcast, and a freelance journalist.
Oliver Pelling, editor-in-chief, Adventure.com
“Overtourism is a symptom of capitalism and our obsession with GDP. While governments measure the success of their countries by GDP, state-run tourism departments will be incentivized to bring in as much money as possible, no matter the cost to local communities or the environment.
The same is true for travel companies, many of which need to optimize profit margins, and these systemic barriers are difficult to shift. Shifting them requires public support and organizing for better outcomes for communities—as we’ve seen across Europe the past few summers—as well as bigger travel organizations using their clout to push for better policy and to put communities first.
More ambitious, community-minded tourism ministers would help, but they’ll still be fighting an uphill battle inside a system that in most countries prioritizes profit. Real change will require multiple interventions at every level of the industry—all at once, and over a sustained period. Many governments are now realizing the need for balance, which is encouraging, but we need the change to come much faster.
I’m reluctant to put the onus on the traveler, but we can make choices. I once went on a supported, small-group tour through Sri Lanka with a small company called Large Minority where for two weeks, we drove tuk-tuks, rented by the company from local drivers. The focus was on the experience of driving a tuk-tuk—it wasn’t about seeing the best or biggest sights. To this day, when I talk about it to anyone who’s been to Sri Lanka, they can’t believe I didn’t go to the main attractions. And to this day, it’s the best trip I’ve ever taken.
There’s an opportunity to redefine what we mean by ’tourism’. Seeing what everyone else has seen? Or have an experience that’s entirely your own? We need more marketing campaigns and stories about how wonderful it is to not follow the crowds and to travel consciously—and we need more support from the industry for travelers to do that in a way that’s accessible. Most importantly, we need to do it while prioritizing the economic, social and environmental needs of local communities.”
Oliver Pelling (pictured above) is editor-in-chief of Adventure.com and based in Melbourne, Australia. His writing has also appeared in The Guardian, Rolling Stone, Huck Magazine, Smith Journal, AWOL and many others.
Juliet Kinsman, travel journalist and sustainable tourism advocate
“I’ve never been one for following the crowd. This summer showed me the benefits of swimming against the tide to destinations in need of more visitors. Record heatwaves in the EU meant we didn’t know if classic hotspots in Greece, Spain or the South of France would be crackling like kindling, or be threatening eye-watering bills to be on its cheek-by-jowl beaches.
The best secrets still lie in real-life recommendations. Switched-on humans, travel agents or otherwise, know where the real deals are. A friend recommended Cartagena on Colombia’s Caribbean coast as somewhere suffering from the current drop in Americans traveling abroad, where there’s a new generation of purpose-led entrepreneurs crying out to welcome foreigners.
Portia Hart, owner of Blue Apple Beach hotel, has curated a collective of sustainability-minded addresses through the Nuestra Cartagena (Our Cartagena) initiative, which led me to conscious, creative experiences such as husband-and-wife-run Nia Bakery and Lunatico cookery school, where ingredients grown with charity Granitos de Paz are a lifeline for locals. Why queue for overpriced cocktails in obvious hotspots when fresh, authentic experiences await and can benefit local people in emerging economies? A win from all angles.”
Juliet Kinsman (pictured above) is a writer and sustainable tourism advocate who specializes in navigating curious travelers and tastemakers to boutique escapes that prioritize authentic nature-positive and community-led experiences over style-over-substance Instagram moments, championing independent businesses that leave cash in local pockets.
Rochelle Turner, Global B Corp Impact Manager, Intrepid Travel
“Something I find concerning in the travel space is how where to go is reduced to a checklist—through bucket lists or ‘100 places to see before you die’ guides. This kind of approach, often reinforced by marketing, fuels overcrowding and takes away from deeper, more meaningful travel experiences.
When it comes to solutions, I love the focus on hidden gems, backroad tours and the way businesses use messaging and imagery to showcase real life and real people. Our Not Hot List is a great example championing responsible tourism by highlighting underrated and overlooked destinations.
The root of the issue ultimately stems from a lack of governance. I admire how Visit Flanders has involved its residents, asking them what kind of tourism they want and how tourism should benefit their communities. As a result, they’ve shifted away from promoting overcrowded hotspots like Bruges, pulled out of major trade fairs, and now focus on experiences such as cycling, beer, art, and culture that encourage visitors to explore the region more broadly and sustainably.”
Rochelle Turner (pictured above) is a passionate advocate for better tourism. She oversees B Corp impact at Intrepid Travel and is the co-chair of the industry collective, Travel by B Corp. She’s currently based in Lisbon, Portugal.
Stuart McDonald, travel writer and co-founder of independent travel guide Travelfish.org
“Every journey is a chance to build something better. No matter how thoughtfully you travel, there’s always potential to reconstruct your practice of travel into something less bad.
The blueprint begins with obvious structural changes: Rail over domestic flights, forest paths over infinity pools, open windows over air-conditioning. The deeper reconstruction demands a recalibrating of your travel foundation—a shift from convenience-driven choices to intention-driven.
True transformation requires accounting for travel’s full footprint: Not just carbon, but also the social and economic reverberating through communities. We need not start with perfection—rather a continuous honing, with each trip offering new materials to work with, and fresh opportunities for refinement.
When you commit to reconstructing your practice of travel, you’re not only improving your journey-making, you’re gathering teachable moments to inspire others to rebuild theirs. Together, these could build a new foundation for travel that doesn’t just minimize harm, but actively generates good.”
Stuart McDonald (pictured above) is an Indonesia-based Australian travel writer, and co-founder of Travelfish.org who has been writing about travel in Southeast Asia since 1997. He’s also the author of Couchfish, a Southeast Asia travel and sustainable tourism newsletter, and has a Masters in Responsible Tourism Management from Leeds Beckett University in the UK.
****
Adventure.com strives to be a low-emissions travel publication. We are powered by, but editorially independent of, Intrepid Travel, the world’s largest travel B Corp, who help ensure Adventure.com maintains high standards of sustainability in our work and activities. You can visit our sustainability page or read our Contributor Impact Guidelines for more information.
Meera Dattani is executive editor at Adventure.com and an award-winning freelance travel journalist, with an interest in food and cultural heritage, wildlife, conservation, identity, and decolonizing and modernizing travel. Based in London, she has written for publications such as National Geographic Traveller, BBC Travel, Lonely Planet, Condé Nast Traveller, and Travel Weekly.
