Tourists come from everywhere, yet they don’t go everywhere.

What is overtourism?

Overtourism describes a destination which is viewed negatively by locals or visitors due to the feeling of too many tourists.

Overtourism can impact a destination, its residents, and visitors in a number of ways.

This may be due to (but not limited to):

overcrowding and disruption,

strain on existing infrastructure,

increases in housing and food costs,

lack of respect and education of local culture and norms,

deterioration of local culture to accommodate tourists,

environmental damage,

rapid change to day to day life in and around the destination.

With the advent of the internet and social media, new destinations are being discovered and spread throughout the world in a short period of time. The process of discovery, which used to take multiple years, is in many cases happening in less than a year. For example, Sierra Leon saw international arrivals increase over 300% between 2015 and 2016.

International arrivals grew by 7% in 2017 and there are no signs of the industry slowing down with half a billion more people estimated to crossing borders over the next 12 years. Without a change in the way we market and manage our destinations, overtourism is going to grow into a larger issue, affecting more destinations to a larger extent.

Is your destination prepared?

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