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OVERTOURISM: Definition and Impact

Article · June 2021

DOI: 10.20935/AL1207

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 ACADEMIA Letters
OVERTOURISM: Definition and Impact
Akrivi Vagena

For decades, global tourism has witnessed rapid, constant growth. Along with the unprece-
dented growth, the issue of overtourism presented and captured global attention. Overtourism
is a relatively new term in the public and academic debate and describes the negative conse-
quences of tourism. However, the phenomenon itself is not a new one, as problematic forms
of tourism crowding and their effects on local communities and environment have been stud-
ied for decades. Yet, there is much evidence that the character of tourism in many locations
is changing rapidly. Overtourism has recently caused important discussion at many destina-
tions of great tourist importance worldwide.The increased flow of visitors, in relation to the
limited existing infrastructure, created negative impact on the environment and local com-
munities. This study investigates the factors that contribute to the emergence of the complex
phenomenon of Overtourism.It also enhances the knowledge on social carrying capacity in
heritage towns and suggest solutions.It is important to realize that there is still no specific
policy for dealing with overtourism.

1. Introduction and Discussion

Definition: Overtourism describes the situation in which the impact of tourism, at certain
times and in certain locations, exceeds physical, ecological, social, economic, psychological,
and/or political capacity thresholds (European Parliament, 2018).
According to study of TRAN committee (the European Parliament’s Committee on Trans-
port and Tourism) , a clear definition of overtourism is not readily available. By its very nature,
the overtourism phenomenon is associated with tourist numbers, the type and time frame of

Academia Letters, June 2021 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Akrivi Vagena, vagenaakr@gmail.com

Citation: Vagena, A. (2021). OVERTOURISM: Definition and Impact. Academia Letters, Article 1207.
https://doi.org/10.20935/AL1207.

1
their visit, and a destination’s carrying capacity. Perspectives on overtourism may include
those of various stakeholders, such as residents, tourists, or businesses. According to a re-
cent study, (McKinsey & Company & World Travel & Tourism Council, 2017), challenges
associated with overtourism may relate to alienated residents, a degraded tourist experience,
overloaded infrastructure, damage to nature, or threats to culture and heritage. Currently,
an increasing number of cities, such as Berlin, Prague, Santa Monica, Hong Kong, Belfast,
Venice, Rio de Janeiro, Barcelona, Shanghai, Amsterdam, Palma de Mallorca, Lisbon, Reyk-
javik and Dubrovnik (Colomb & Novy, 2016b; Milano, 2017b, 2018), have been reported to
suffer from overtourism.
We should highlight that while overcrowding is a well-known phenomenon primarily as-
sociated with negative experiences emerging from the presence of too many tourists at certain
places and times, overtourism is a much broader and more complex phenomenon.
Tourism industry seems to believe that overtourism mainly stands in the way of continu-
ous growth but its impact may be an existential risk for destinations around the world. There
are many examples where the cultural and natural heritage of a place is at risk, or where costs
of living and real estate have substantially increased and caused a decline in quality of life.
The spread of overtourism could cause the loss of authenticity and imply a significant risk to
the future attractiveness of a destination. Uncontrolled tourism development can cause signif-
icant damage to landscapes, seascapes, air and water quality, as well as the living conditions
of residents, causing economic inequalities and social exclusion, amongst many other issues
(European Parliament, 2018, …). The economic significance of tourism (especially in cre-
ating jobs and bringing revenue to destinations) is frequently mentioned, along with terms
such as “responsible growth” and “managing growth”. The essence of this theme lies in the
assumption that it is not the global travel industry’s rapid expansion that creates overtourism,
but rather “bad management” of the growth momentum. This indicates a strong distribution
of responsibilities, (Giang Thi Phi, 2020).
Until now, studies have focus on environmental and biophysical carrying capacity (Liu
and Borthwick, 2011; Simon et al., 2004; Zacarias et al., 2011); economic carrying capacity
and social carrying capacity (Navarro et al., 2012). The interconnections between these di-
mensions has been consistently acknowledged in literature as well as their relevance to any
comprehensive assessment of capacity (Navarro et al., 2012; Simon et al., 2004).
The most relevant indicators for overtourism are (European Parliament, 2018):

• tourism density (bed-nights per km2) and intensity (bed-nights per resident);

• the share of Airbnb bed capacity of the combined Airbnb and booking.com bed capac-
ity1;

Academia Letters, June 2021 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Akrivi Vagena, vagenaakr@gmail.com

Citation: Vagena, A. (2021). OVERTOURISM: Definition and Impact. Academia Letters, Article 1207.
https://doi.org/10.20935/AL1207.

2
 • the share of tourism in regional Gross Domestic Product (GDP);

• air travel intensity (arrivals by air divided by number of residents); and

• closeness to airport, cruise ports and UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The local residents: Residents play a vital role in developing sustainable tourism, as they
are the cultural agents and the social group in which tourism is delivered. It has been ac-
knowledged, therefore, local hospitality is a key element of the tourism product, some way
of “repaying” or spreading the benefits to the community needs to be found (Glasson et al.,
1997). Central concern of locals are problems related to the use of public places, congested
streets and the rising cost of living (Groundwater, 2018). Tourism-phobia and protests against
tourists may therefore often take the headlines and occupy the news discourse regarding over-
tourism.
Residents are very important part in the tourism sector, as their perceptions indicate tourism’s
outlook regarding sustainability. Their goodwill is considered crucial to the success and sus-
tainability of any tourism development (Bimonte and Punzo, 2016).
Studies identifying social carrying capacity as some type of reference to residents’ impact
perceptions, D’Amore (1983) and Madrigal (1993), define it as the level above which there
is an imbalance between the rewards and benefits of tourism for residents. Navarro et al.
(2013) uses the term “resident social carrying capacity” (as opposed to “tourist social carrying
capacity”) and measures the former through residents’ perceptions.
Several studies have focus on how age affects perceptions of tourism impacts. In his-
toric cities, Ryan and Montgomery (1994) and Belisle and Hoy (1980) revealed no significant
difference stemming from age. Davis et al. (1988) also revealed no difference related to age.
Residents in the heritage towns have shown certain discomfort related to tourism (Tourism
Review, 2017).
Regarding education, the higher educated residents were, the more positive were their per-
ceptions of impacts. In the city of Livingston, Husbands (1989) found that education emerged
as the most important variable associated with perceptions of tourism, as it was closely linked
to employment in the tourism industry.

2. Overtourism in Europe
Tourism may flourish in Europe, but the created overtourism that accompanies it in many
parts of European Continent extinguishes the smiles.As the summer season peaks, the pros
and cons of tourism in Europe are coming to the forefront of public debate.

Academia Letters, June 2021 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Akrivi Vagena, vagenaakr@gmail.com

Citation: Vagena, A. (2021). OVERTOURISM: Definition and Impact. Academia Letters, Article 1207.
https://doi.org/10.20935/AL1207.

3
 In Barcelona, the authorities are trying to stop the construction of new hotels. In Paris,
the Louvre was forced to close in May following a staff strike over unprecedented worsening
in visitation and work conditions caused by a growing number of tourists. The “Enjoy and
Respect” campaign was launched in Amsterdam and fines were increased for those who get
drunk or otherwise publicly abused. In Greece, the Ionian Islands and the Peloponnese face a
high risk of overtourism in the short term. However, Santorini seems to emerge as the crown
jewel of the European problem (European Parliament, 2018).
According to Eurostat and Statista, the decline caused by the economic crisis of previous
years in the movements of Europeans within the EUhas been reversed.In recent years, their
overnight stays have shown a steady increase– excluding of course the period of Covid19
pandemic. Comparing the number of inhabitants of a country with the number of tourists
who visit it, we come across some numbers that may be frightening: based on the data of
2017, Malta and Croatia correspond to almost 20.000 tourist overnights per 1.000 inhabi-
tants! Greece is in fifth place, within the “danger zone”, with 8.291 overnight stays per 1.000
inhabitants.
There are two indicators according to Vanessa Muler Gonzalez, Lluis Coromina and Núria
Galí (2017), to show capacity in relation to the development of tourism: the tourism intensity,
and the tourist function index Tourism intensity is the visitor to resident ratio. This has been
used to reveal pressure from tourism by comparing the coefficient among cities. “It is thus
possible to perceive how the different cities bear varying dimensions of visitors impact” (Van
Der Borg et al., 1996). The tourism intensity also relates to carrying capacity, as residents’
perceptions of tourism are a function of this tourist-resident ratio. As the ratio increases,
perceptions tend to become more negative, as does understanding the need to enhance the
physical environment (Liu et al., 1987). In the case of Besalu, the tourism intensity for the
town center is 164 tourists per local inhabitant, whereas it is 40 for the whole town. In a
comparison, Van der Borg et al. (1996) found that the city with the highest tourism pressure
was Venice, with an intensity of 89 visitors per local, followed by Salzburg, which had 36.

3. Conclusions

Avoiding overtourism requires custom-made policies in cooperation between destinations’

stakeholders and policymakers.
Even though the highest percentage of local residents of cities with the overtourism do not
want more tourists, this has not yet led to a general, negative perception of tourism impacts,

Academia Letters, June 2021 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Akrivi Vagena, vagenaakr@gmail.com

Citation: Vagena, A. (2021). OVERTOURISM: Definition and Impact. Academia Letters, Article 1207.
https://doi.org/10.20935/AL1207.

4
Vanessa Muler Gonzalez, Lluis Coromina and Núria Galí (2017).
In a very popular tourism destinations, there are two perceptions, that tourists get in the
way of residents and that prices are higher due to tourism. The first perception is related to
lack of space in areas shared with tourists. Residents weigh the benefits and costs through
some informal cost-benefit analysis. Personal benefits and community interests could turn
positively residents’ perceptions as for example, better leisure facilities or preservation of
heritage.
The number of tourism destinations experiencing overtourism is still low, the effects of
overtourism are potentially severe, to a degree that destinations lose their primary functions
and appeal.
It is important tore-balance the “growth paradigm”. Where the measure of success is
not only centered on visitor arrivals, but on the value that such presence brings to a destination
in terms of profitability, local employment or fair pay.
The development of sharing economy platforms, such as Airbnb, as entities existing largely
outside the control of destinations and policymakers, as well as the revenue loss that is asso-
ciated with these platforms, deserves greater attention (European Parliament 2018).
Overtourism is a problem that will not be solved in a night. It takes organization and a lot
of effort and patience. Entrepreneurs in the tourism industry, is reasonable to believe that lots
of people will offer a lot of profits, but in reality, that is what can literally destroy the business.
An important part of the tourist services offered, is to ensure a quality of the experience for the
visitors, but also respect for the destination in general, so it is crucial that everyone in tourism
industry to be involved in solving this problem.
Promoting the dispersion of visitors in and out of the city as well as Promoting the dis-
persion of visitors during the year can also help significantly addressing overtourism.

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Academia Letters, June 2021 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Akrivi Vagena, vagenaakr@gmail.com

Citation: Vagena, A. (2021). OVERTOURISM: Definition and Impact. Academia Letters, Article 1207.
https://doi.org/10.20935/AL1207.

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Academia Letters, June 2021 ©2021 by the author — Open Access — Distributed under CC BY 4.0

Corresponding Author: Akrivi Vagena, vagenaakr@gmail.com

Citation: Vagena, A. (2021). OVERTOURISM: Definition and Impact. Academia Letters, Article 1207.
https://doi.org/10.20935/AL1207.

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