Overtourism is characterized by excessive tourist numbers overwhelming popular destinations, resulting from interrelated drivers such as post-pandemic travel surges, uncontrolled tourism growth, the proliferation of short-term rentals, economic dependency on tourism, and the influence of social media and popular culture .

The lifting of pandemic restrictions led to dramatic increases in visitor numbers, exemplified by Athens’ Acropolis, which saw a 70% rise in visitors compared to the previous year and an 80% increase over 2019, with cruise ships intensifying congestion .

Cities like Venice and Amsterdam responded to overwhelming tourist flows by introducing daily fees and higher tourist taxes [47938791-c172-43fe-9a49-6481c839b056_468610916_1].

Decades of unchecked tourism growth in cities such as Barcelona, Venice, and Dubrovnik have triggered resident backlash and social unrest .

The rise of platforms like Airbnb has converted long-term rentals into short-term accommodations, driving up rents and displacing locals in cities including Barcelona, Venice, Dublin, and Ibiza .

Economic dependency, as seen in the Balearic Islands where tourism accounts for 45% of GDP, often leads to insufficient planning and exacerbates overtourism’s negative effects .

Social impacts are profound: housing affordability crises force residents out of their communities, as in Ibiza and the Canary Islands, where rising rents and property prices have led to worker shortages and public service deficits .

Community sentiment suffers, with residents in Málaga and Sitka reporting diminished quality of life, congestion, and alienation .

Cultural erosion is evident in Hawaii and Málaga, where tourism disrupts local traditions and identity .

Public services and infrastructure are strained, with blocked roads and overcrowded transport in coastal towns and Hawaii [3cd25036_

Overtourism is characterized by excessive tourist numbers overwhelming popular destinations, resulting from interrelated drivers such as post-pandemic travel surges, uncontrolled tourism growth, the proliferation of short-term rentals, economic dependency on tourism, and the influence of social media and popular culture .

Title:

Content: Cinema Tourism: The Silver Screen’s Influence on Paris Tourism

By: Mahnoor Jehangir
Cinema Tourism: The Silver Screen’s Influence on Paris Tourism

Four out of five foreign tourists that flock to the City of Love, Paris, are swayed by the enchanting visuals and riveting narratives of movies or TV series filmed against the backdrop of this city’s alluring charm. Among them, one out of ten cite these cinematic creations as their primary motive for visiting. The study, conducted by Ifop on behalf of France’s National Centre of Cinematography, sheds light on the persuasive power of ‘cinema tourism’.

The Magnetic Pull of Netflix’s ‘Emily in Paris’ and ‘Lupin’

Netflix’s globally popular series ‘Emily in Paris’ and ‘Lupin’ have emerged as the most influential, cited by 38% and 11% of tourists respectively. Other French shows like ‘Versailles’ and ‘Call My Agent’ seem to pale in comparison, in terms of their impact on international tourism. Classic films such as ‘The Da Vinci Code’, ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’, and ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ have also played their part in magnetizing global tourists towards the French capital.

Cinema Tourism: A Rising Trend

As the trend of ‘cinema tourism’ gains momentum, powered by the rise of streaming services, the study reveals that 86% of tourists to Paris have viewed at least one French movie or series, a rise from 81% in 2018. This phenomenon extends beyond international borders, inspiring domestic travelers as well, with 22% admitting that they have embarked on a journey within France, influenced by a movie or series.

The Double-Edged Sword of Cinema Tourism

While ‘cinema tourism’ positively impacts local economies by boosting tourism, it doesn’t come without its challenges. The surge in tourist influx raises concerns about overtourism, a phenomenon that turns into a predicament for popular filming locations. One such instance is the Normandy seaside town of Etretat, where the deluge of summer tourists far exceeds the local population, causing a strain on resources and the local way of life.

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Content: Today is Sunday October 08, 2023
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Hawaii’s ‘overtourism’ becomes growing debate as West Maui reopens for visitors

Posted/updated on: October 8, 2023 at 5:48 pm

West Maui began reopening Sunday to visitors just two months after a wildfire devastated the town of Lahaina.

The reopening did not come without outrage from some residents, many of whom signed a petition to delay the reopening as families continue to struggle to "find shelter, provide for their children's education, and cope with emotional trauma," according to the petition.

Homes have been flattened and are completely inhabitable. Businesses have been decimated. Some loved ones remain unaccounted for and residents have been grieving the loss of 97 people who died in the tragedy.

The petition has received more than 10,000 signatures.

The fact that tourism is resuming so soon around the outskirts of a town made unrecognizable by the wildfires has reignited an ongoing debate about Hawaii's reliance on tourism.

"There is just not a lot of activities like there usually is for these people to do, so a lot of people are wondering, why do they want to come here?" said Jordan Ruidas, a community organizer and resident.

Tourism is the No. 1 driver of that state's economy, according to Hawaii Tourism Authority, and businesses across the island have been impacted by the lack of visitors since the Aug. 8 wildfires.

But some residents link tourism and its historical links to colonialism with many of the issues plaguing the Islands, including lack of access to clean water, the housing crisis, and pollution and destruction of Hawaiian lands.

"It's a great business for Hawaii, but the difficult thing for us here is that there is not a street, a community, a county. There's nowhere that you can hide from tourism in Hawaii," said Susie Pu, a hotel manager on Maui.

She continued, "The most important thing is that we find a balance between the Hawaiian culture and tourism. Hawaiian people need to be benefiting from tourism equally. And I do not see that."

Hawaii before tourism

Hawaii didn't always rely on tourism as its main source of income.

According to research from the University of Hawaii, Hawaiian society was self-sustaining and run in cooperative, extended ohana -- or family -- that each manned subdivisions of land.

Native Hawaiians were recorded to have been living "well above subsistence levels, with extensive time available for cultural activities, sports, and games" before their long period of isolation from outsiders came to an end, the University of Hawaii found.

Contact with the outside world in the 1770s changed Hawaii drastically. Deaths caused a massive wave of fatalities, leading to a 90% decline in the Native Hawaiian population, according to research from the National Academy of Medicine.

The Hawaiian Kingdom and monarchy were formed during this period of change, adopting Western political strategies to settle disputes between competing Hawaiian states. The Islands also became integrated into the global market, losing its past self-sustaining system.

This drastic social, economic, and political change was marked by a shift to sugar production when a treaty with the U.S. exempted sugar firms on the island from high tariffs.

"The story of sugar is really, really important because in a lot of ways it was the wealthy and powerful corporations that promoted sugar to the kingdom that really were responsible for seeking markets in the United States," Jonathan Kay Kamakawiwoʻole Osorio, the dean of the Hawaiʻinuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge, said.

"That's all a part of the story of not just the rise, but the fall of the [Hawaiian] kingdom," said Osorio.

As production expanded, American corporations producing sugar on the Islands sought to keep prices high and labor costs lower, hiring cheaper immigrant labor and lobbying for an immigration policy that would allow them to do so, historians say.

"While sugar did actually generate a great deal of income, most of that income really acted to sort of replace Native Hawaiians in the country," said Osorio.

Efforts to expand sugar production and house waves of imported labor pushed Native Hawaiians from their land, home, and island.

Throughout this time, laborers were organizing against low wages and poor benefits, and "the sugar companies began to lose a little bit of control. Everybody can sort of see that in the future, sugar is not going to be as profitable as it once was," according to Osorio.

However, World War II and the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941 put labor rights efforts to a halt.

It wasn't until the late 1940s that workers began to make real concessions -- getting better benefits and salaries.

"Sugar companies really basically are looking at an industry that's not nearly as conducive to profits as it once was. Plus, in the post-war world, there's also new competition from places like the Philippines," Osorio added.

By the 1970s, more and more plantations were shutting down and they were moving toward using their lands for a tourist economy.

"Tourism would not exist at the scale that it exists today if it weren't for the takeover," Osorio said.

Vulnerability in tourism reliance

Following the wildfires on the West side, occupancy at the oceanfront condo resort Hana Kai Maui on the other side of the island was impacted almost immediately.

"We have always operated at a really high occupancy, almost like 95% year round. The day of the fires or the day after the fires, it was just such a downward slide," Pu said.

"We lost hundreds of 1000s of dollars in reservations over about a one-week period. And we're only a 17-unit business so it was a lot. We're recovering," she added.

Noah Drazkowski, who was born and raised in West Maui and owns a local business, told ABC News in a previous interview that he's been grieving alongside his community while looking for ways to keep his local business afloat.

"The majority of our income is from tourists, tourism, and I wish that we could say that we can survive on only the local community support," said Drazkowski.

Some business owners are torn about the future of tourism in Maui.

In 2022 alone, Hawaii saw nearly 10 million visitors, according to the state Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism. In 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Islands saw roughly 2.7 million.

Now, approximately 70% of every dollar is generated directly or indirectly by the visitor industry, according to the Maui Economic Development Board.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted how life in Hawaii could be without "overtourism," Osorio said.

"We started really seeing what happens to beaches and what happens to the ocean and what happens to mountain trails, hiking trails when they are free of so many people," said Osorio. "The quality of life in so many ways improves not [just for the people] but for other species that have depended on this environment for a long time."

Pu added: "We want tourists in Hawaii, but we also want to be able to live peacefully here and we want our forests to remain intact."

The impacts of tourism

Being a popular tourist destination comes with its challenges.

The Aloha State is experiencing one of the worst housing crises in America, with some of the highest housing costs in the nation and the fourth-highest rate of homelessness per capita in the country, according to the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The U.S. has acknowledged its historical responsibility for causing this housing crisis among Native Hawaiians through its 1921 Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, a reparations policy that set aside land for Native communities after the violent displacement and removal of Native Hawaiians.

Parts of Maui have also been under a water conservation notice in recent years, as an intense drought and dry conditions limit the region's access to water. With hotels and resorts taking up their share of the water, some locals wish that water would be directed toward residents, especially following the deadly wildfire in which firefighters in Lahaina claimed that their hoses ran dry.

Politicians have been under pressure from some residents to look for a way to diversify the economy and for land to be given back to the Native Hawaiian population. As tourism comes back toward the disaster area, the conversation around tourism is unlikely to settle down.

"Our desire is to provide for ourselves so that we can properly feed ourselves, so that we can actually have places to live, so that we can protect the lands from misuse," said Osorio.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

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Content: Airbnb backlash will be bad news for Irish holidaymakers

Concerns about overtourism alongside a shortage of long-term accommodation and rising rents makes change inevitable

Hello again. Hopefully you are either enjoying a well earned holiday break or looking forward to one.

For many people, holiday travel is now as likely to mean staying in an apartment or house booked on one or other of the online platforms pitching such accommodation as opting for a hotel room.

Airbnb, the big kahuna in the market with a reported 50 per cent share, understandably makes big play of the advantages – a “more authentic experience”, “mixing with locals”, “feeling more at home”. And it’s true to a degree. Home stays certainly offer more flexibility than a hotel.

But the apartment your friendly host is letting to you is one less home available for a local family looking for longer-term accommodation in your holiday location. A report by the New York City comptroller back in 2018 found that landlords could expect to make the same money on the short-term letting market in 11 days as they would get for the month from a long-term tenant. And that, increasingly, is becoming an issue.

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It’s not entirely surprising. When they arrived on the scene, the short-term letting platforms such as Airbnb were disrupters of a global hotels sector that had done little over many years to address consumer experience or cost. Partly for that reason, growth in private short-term letting has been exponential.

And, of course, it offered homeowners a chance to boost their income in a fairly flexible manner around their normal routines.

But as with all these things, the original intention can get lost in the evolution of a business. While Airbnb started very much as a homeshare concept, with people offering rooms or beds in their homes to passing holidaymakers who were mostly on tight budgets, the arrival of more mainstream travellers and entire families on these sites inevitably saw demand more entire apartments and holiday homes increase.

The nature of the landlords changed as well. In a recent release, Airbnb placed the focus on hosts firmly as being “everyday families who typically share their primary home for just three nights a month”. The platform said its Irish hosts earned “more than €5,600 a year” on average.

“More than half of hosts in Ireland say they host to afford the rising cost of living, and over a third say the additional income helps them make ends meet as energy prices and mortgage repayments increase,” they said.

That may well be true but it is undeniable that short-term letting on Airbnb and other platforms has increasingly attracted professional and even corporate landlords. Anyone using the service of these platforms in recent years will have come across hosts that are anything put humble homeowners.

Overtourism protests

For local residents – in Dublin, around Ireland’s tourist hotspots and across Europe and North America – the inevitable outcome has been fewer homes available to them for longer-term rental or purchase, and higher rents, as growing numbers of visitors force out the very people providing the “local colour” the short-term letting platforms cherish.

That has led to a dramatic rise in the number of protests against overtourism. Accommodation is not only flashpoint. Cruise ships disgorging, on average, 3,000 people at a time on to already busy city streets and the sheer number of sometimes less than sensitive visitors to certain tourism hotspots are also proving magnets for protest.

Politicians are becoming increasingly sensitive to the issue – especially the message sent out by thousands of short-term holiday lets being available in cities that struggle to offer housing options to residents. Dublin, after all, is not the only city with a housing crisis.

Most recently, Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni has pledged to phase out all short-term tourist letting licences by late 2028 and return 10,000 apartments to the residential market.

That is the most extreme in a series of restrictions that have been put in place in cities as diverse as Paris, Berlin, Florence, Amsterdam, New York, San Francisco, Montreal, Honolulu, Singapore, Scotland and, of course, Ireland.

Strict rules in Ireland

Ireland already has fairly strict rules in place for anyone looking to offer a short-term let – stays of fewer than 14 days – in one of the State’s 61 rent pressure zones. These cover not just the big urban areas that you might suspect but also locations such as Mullingar and Westport.

Anyone renting out either their family home for short-term lets of more than 90 days in total in a year or in a second home regardless of the annual total of days requires planning permission.

For two years it has been promising even tougher measures. These will certainly include a requirement for everyone who is offering short-term accommodation to register the details with Fáilte Ireland and include their registration number in all online listings.

Failure to do so will lead to fines of €300 – and potential fines in court of up to €5,000 – for the property owners and the platforms.

Such registration is increasingly the norm internationally and almost all players in the industry, including Airbnb, which has lobbied heavily against tighter restrictions on its business, says they favour the process which increases transparency in the sector.

As a byproduct, of course, it ensures compliance with things like tax law in an area where, in some international markets, this has been rather lax. It should also improve health and safety standards although these are generally already fairly well observed as a business necessity.

The Irish legislation also promises tighter control on planning for short-term lets. No details of this have yet emerged, which seems odd and certainly unhelpful as it only fuels uncertainty for those trying to run short-term letting as a business.

The aim of the Government moves is the bring an estimated 12,000 of the 30,000 properties currently advertising on online platforms back into use on the long-term rental market.

But, as with so many of the locations feeling the heat over short-term letting, tourism remains a key sector in the Irish economy – and potentially even more critical in more rural and remote areas in the west of the State. Policymakers have a very delicate balance to strike in trying to ease a housing crisis without damaging a sector that is among the biggest employers in the State and a critical contributor to many local economies.

Airbnb points to rising hotels prices in New York where short-term guests are now allowed only where they share the accommodation with the property owner, and in Scotland where what it calls “heavy-handed new short-term let rules” resulting in a low number of licences being granted have seen hotel prices rise by 9 per cent in Edinburgh this year alone, according to one industry assessment.

Short-term letting has been a boon for the holidaymaker and for many property owners globally but the pressure on housing and concern about overtourism means the pendulum is undoubtedly swinging the other way. That will mean increasingly tighter controls on who can stay where, and what it will cost to do so.

No one ever wants to spend more or earn less than they can but what hosts and travellers really want is some clarity on what the rules will be so that they can at least plan ahead.

You can contact us at OnTheMoney@irishtimes.com with personal finance questions you would like to see us address. If you missed last week’s newsletter, you can read it here.

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Content: Thousands protest in Spain's Canary Islands over mass tourism

People took to the street in the Canary Islands to protest unsustainable tourism Copyright EBU
Copyright EBU
By Euronews with EBU
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Protestors are calling for a freeze on tourists, arguing that the current model has made life unaffordable and environmentally unsustainable for residents.

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Thousands of people protested in Tenerife on Saturday calling for the Spanish island to temporarily limit tourist arrivals.

Holding placards reading "People live here" and "We don't want to see our island die", they're urging for a stem to short-term holiday rentals and hotel construction which are driving up housing costs for locals.

The protesters are being backed by environmental groups including Greenpeace, WWF, Ecologists in Action, Friends of the Earth and SEO/Birdlife.

"We are not against tourism, we are against a model that has led us to the deterioration of our land, of our people because the profits and growth of tourism are not reflected in society," said Rosario Correa, Secretary of the 'Salvar Chira-Soria' platform.

Eleven individuals from Canarias se Agota have been fasting for a week in objection to the erection of two expansive luxury projects in southern Tenerife, which they deem unlawful and entirely superfluous.

According to the police, approximately 20 thousand people participated in the protests, yet organisers claimed the number to be nearer to 50 thousand as reported by Spain’s TVE public television.

Rosario Correo, one of the demonstrators, told TVE, “Our stance isn't anti-tourism. We simply advocate for a shift from this framework that permits boundless expansion of tourism.”

Demonstrators also assembled in Madrid and Barcelona to express solidarity with the protests in the Canary Islands.

In 2023 the islands welcomed 13.9 million visitors, while their resident population stands at 2.2 million. Tourism contributes approximately 35 per cent to the archipelago’s GDP, generating €16.9bn in 2022 alone.

However, locals argue that the industry is depleting natural resources and driving up rental prices, making them increasingly unaffordable.

Data from Spain’s National Statistics Institute reveal that 33.8 per cent of individuals in the Canaries face poverty or social exclusion, marking the highest proportion compared to any region except Andalucía.

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‘We can’t put a fence around Amsterdam’: Dutch capital bans new hotels to curb mass tourism

‘An excess of tourism’: Lake Como to introduce daytripper fee to curb visitor numbers

‘My misery, your paradise’: Canary Island residents say mass tourism is at breaking point

The lifting of pandemic restrictions led to dramatic increases in visitor numbers, exemplified by Athens’ Acropolis, which saw a 70% rise in visitors compared to the previous year and an 80% increase over 2019, with cruise ships intensifying congestion .

Cities like Venice and Amsterdam responded to overwhelming tourist flows by introducing daily fees and higher tourist taxes [47938791-c172-43fe-9a49-6481c839b056_468610916_1].

Title:

Content: British tourists warned European island 'doesn't have enough locals left to run things'

Ibiza is the latest holiday hotspot in Spain where anger with overtourism is boiling over.

By Alice Scarsi, World News Reporter

Ibiza welcomes around three million tourists every year (Image: GETTY)

The cost of rents and mortgages, which activists say is being pushed up by over-tourism, is prompting people to leave Ibiza, one of the most popular Balearic Islands.

This, in turn, is harming public services, as there aren't enough people available to work in them, it has been claimed.

Iván Fidalgo, a Guardia Civil officer and local coordinator for the Spanish Association of Civil Guards, told Euronews Travel: "They sell Ibiza as a first-class resort, but it is not because it doesn’t even have the public services because there are not enough people to work in them."

Many of the locals who don't leave the island are forced to leave in cramped accommodations or relocate in caravans, campaigners have claimed.

Ibiza attracts on average three million tourists a year, some 800,000 of which are Britons.

Tourism is an industry important to the economy of the island (Image: GETTY)

In 2023, the Balearics as a whole saw an unprecedented surge of international interest, attracting 14.4 million visitors from abroad - who spent collectively £14.75bn (€17.22bn).

Tourism is a majorly important industry for the archipelago, creating 200,000 jobs locally and generating 45 percent of the islands' GDP.

However, an increased demand for temporary accommodation created by tourism reportedly means that many locals are pushed out of their homes as they are unable to afford the increasing housing costs.

Similar issues are being lamented by activists elsewhere in popular Spanish destinations - including the Canary Islands.

Last month, many of these islands including Tenerife held massive anti-overtourism protests, in which they demanded local governments to limit the number of visitors and curb the development of tourist stays.

Similar pleas were heard on Friday in Ibiza, where around a 1000 people took to the streets of the island's capital to demand limits on the number of tourist arrivals.

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Decades of unchecked tourism growth in cities such as Barcelona, Venice, and Dubrovnik have triggered resident backlash and social unrest .

The rise of platforms like Airbnb has converted long-term rentals into short-term accommodations, driving up rents and displacing locals in cities including Barcelona, Venice, Dublin, and Ibiza .

Title:

Content: ‘Go f*cking home’: The European cities where locals are fighting back against overtourism

Picturesque but troubled: A view of Malaga's centre Copyright  Yuliya Matuzava via Unsplash
By Saskia O'Donoghue
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Millions of holidaymakers visit the Costa de Sol and Málaga, one of its most popular destinations, every year, but now locals are saying enough is enough.

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Málaga locals are frustrated by the growing influx of tourists and now they’re expressing their feelings in no uncertain terms.

The Spanish city’s centre has been hit with a wave of stickers, posted on walls and doors, telling visitors what residents think of them.

Walk the streets of Málaga and you’ll see these daubs, ranging from the fairly mild “this used to be my home” (antes esta era mi casa) and “this used to be the city centre” (antes esto era el centro) all the way to “go f*cking home” (a tu puta casa), “stinking of tourist” (apestando a turista).

Why are Málaga locals so irate with tourists?

The city on the Costa del Sol has long been a popular destination for visitors, thanks to its sunny climate and relatively low cost of living. However, it’s recently become an even more desirable destination for holidaymakers and digital nomads alike.

Many locals have simply had enough. Bar owner Dani Drunko runs a much-frequented bar in Málaga called Drunkorama. He started the ‘sticker initiative’, having favourite anti-tourist phrases given to him by bar regulars printed and posted around the city.

Speaking to a local newspaper Diario Sur, Drunko explained that he began the campaign after he was apparently “kicked out” of the home he’d lived in for a decade.

He claimed that the landlord refused to negotiate the rent or even sell him the property. The reason? They wanted to turn it into a short-term rental for tourists.

“There’s a lot of hype because locals are tired of the situation; I just suggested the idea of the catchphrases, I offered the spark, and now others have joined,” Drunko told Diario Sur.

“Málaga city centre has been going downhill for a long time, so much so that if for example something in my bar breaks, I don't have a hardware store on hand to buy anything, since the tourist who comes doesn’t need to buy screws,” he added.

Local politician Dani Pérez took to X - formerly Twitter - to add his voice to the growing discontentment.

“You walk the streets of Málaga and it is practically impossible to find a residential building that does not have a lockbox [for tourist rentals],” he wrote, going on to accuse the city’s mayor, Paco de la Torre, of “not lifting a finger for the people of Malaga” and “expelling them from the city where they were born.”

Last November, a local reporter for news website The Local Spain reported that Málaga is “definitely busier than before during low season,” while confirming the existence of lockboxes “everywhere” and commenting that restaurant prices have seen huge hikes in recent months.

What makes Málaga so popular with foreign visitors?

Spain’s Costa del Sol, home to Málaga, has been hugely popular with tourists for years. In 2023, a record 14 million holidaymakers from Spain and abroad visited - and a fair few visitors decided to make the city their home.

Recent data from Spain’s National Statistics Institute (INE) shows that eight out of 10 new residents moving to Málaga are currently foreigners.

It’s not just individuals changing the face of the city, though. Some 630 tech companies, including Google, have opened offices in Málaga, turning it into a quasi-Silicon Valley of Europe.

That has the knock on effect of drawing thousands of international remote workers and digital nomads, attracted by the heady combination of a pleasant work environment and warm climate.

Málaga locals, though, think enough is enough, believing they are being priced out and alienated from their own home city.

Which other European destinations have fought back against overtourism?

Earlier in March, the Canary Islands - a territory of Spain - saw graffiti pop up ordering tourists to “go home”.

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With its year-round sun and warm weather, the Canaries are an always-popular destination for foreign visitors - and tourism is seen as the island group’s largest money maker.

One of the most popular islands, Tenerife, recently declared a water emergency. That added more fuel to the fire for locals, as some tourist areas there use up to six times more water than residential areas, putting pressure on reserves crucial for drinking water and farming.

In February, nearby Gran Canaria saw walls emblazoned with the message, 'tourists and digital nomads go home', something newspaper the Canarian Weekly reported as 'tourismphobia'.

On the Balearic island Mallorca last August, residents put up fake signs along a number of beaches, reading: “beware of dangerous jellyfish” and “caution, falling rocks”.

All written in English, the signs also featured, in smaller print, explanations in Catalan informing locals that warnings are not real. Instead, the text read: “the problem isn’t a rockfall, it’s mass tourism” and “beach open except for foreigners (guiris) and jellyfish”.

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Overtourism isn’t just a problem in Spanish territories, though.

Many European nations have been putting tourist taxes in place, including Venice which has also banned cruise ships from entering its endangered canal system.

In Amsterdam, authorities and locals alike have been trying for months to encourage - mostly British - drunken tourists to stay away and in Kyoto, Japan, roads have been sealed off to ensure the city doesn't become a ‘theme park’.

Other top tourist destinations are begging people not to visit, with many simply not having the infrastructure to accommodate them.

Hawaii is on many people’s bucket lists, but continues to struggle with hospitality worker shortages, congested roads and 90-minute restaurant waiting times as tourists still arrive in droves.

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While the problem does appear to be a global one, it is Spain that is leading the grassroots fight back.

Graffiti in Barcelona last year read: “We spit in your beer. Cheers!” - yet tourists continue to flock there.

Euronews Travel reached out to the Málaga tourist board for comment but have yet to receive a response.

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Sedona Film Festival presents ‘Crowded Out’

“Crowded Out” is a powerful short documentary exploring over-tourism, featuring interviews with local residents and global experts. (Image provided by SIFF)

Originally Published: September 14, 2022 8:43 p.m.

The Sedona International Film Festival is proud to present the third film in its four-week Sustainable Tourism Film Series. “Crowded Out: The Story of Overtourism” will show on Thursday, Sept. 22 at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre at 4 p.m. The event will also include a selection of “Sustainable Travel: Where Next?” short films along with a panel discussion.

“Crowded Out” is a powerful short documentary exploring overtourism, featuring interviews with local residents and global experts.

Overtourism occurs when there are too many visitors to a particular destination. When rent prices push out local tenants to make way for holiday rentals, when narrow roads become jammed with tourist vehicles, when tourists cannot view landmarks because of the crowds – these are all signs of overtourism.

And it is the backlash from local residents that has made overtourism news. Cities such as Barcelona, Venice and Dubrovnik, and places once thought of as remote such as Iceland and Skye have suffered firsthand, and the protests by local residents have spread.

There has been decades of virtually uncontrolled growth, and it has crossed a threshold: in many destinations, tourism now demonstrably creates more problems than benefits.

This special event will also include a selection of short films from “Sustainable Travel: Where Next?” This series includes short-form documentary films, featuring insightful stories from the global travel and tourism sector showing how they are driving sustainable travel and protecting these precious destinations.

Following the screenings, there will be a panel discussion with representatives the City of Sedona, the Sedona Chamber of Commerce, Keep Sedona Beautiful and the tourism and hospitality industry here.

“Crowded Out: The Story of Overtourism” will be shown at the Mary D. Fisher Theatre on Thursday, Sept. 22 at 4 p.m. Tickets are $12, or $9 for Film Festival members. For tickets and more information, please call 928-282-1177. Both the theatre and film festival office are located at 2030 W. Hwy. 89A, in West Sedona. For more information, visit: www.SedonaFilmFestival.org.

The final film in the Sustainable Tourism Series is:

Thursday, Sept. 29 at 4 p.m. “Vendemmia”

Title:

Content: Tourists slammed as local resident says ‘small seaside town’ is ruined by visitors

A resident in a seaside town has said they find the behaviour of some tourists "appalling".

By Esther Marshall, Senior Travel Reporter

A local resident has said tourists are ruining their town (Image: Getty)

A local resident in a “small coastal town” has said they struggle to deal with their town’s tourism industry.

The anonymous local wrote on Reddit: “I live in a tourism hotspot and it annoys the h*** out of me and everyone else.

“Unfortunately it is one of the problems in living in a beautiful place, but during the summer it is a massive pain.

“While it of course brings jobs and money into the local area, on a personal level, it is far more negative than positive.”

Many tourist hotspots are struggling to cope with an influx of tourists post-pandemic. Venice has introduced a daily fee and Amsterdam has raised its tourist tax to be the highest in Europe.

The local resident added: “Ours is a small coastal town and just was never designed to take the volumes of people.

“Roads get blocked and quite frankly the behaviour of many visitors is utterly appalling, leaving rubbish and illegal parking.”

Another person agreed saying: “I live in a city that gets flooded with tourists every summer. I rely on public transport to get to work and from April until mid-October, I basically need to wake up half an hour early to get to work on time because there’s so much extra traffic.

“On top of that, the buses and trains are so full that I get to enjoy my trip to and from work standing in a tight, sweaty, crowded bus with lots of loud tourists and their massive backpacks and suitcases.”

Public transport can get overcrowded during peak tourist season which can make it difficult for local residents to get around.

Do you live in a tourist hotspot? Share your views with Express.co.uk.

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Economic dependency, as seen in the Balearic Islands where tourism accounts for 45% of GDP, often leads to insufficient planning and exacerbates overtourism’s negative effects .

Social impacts are profound: housing affordability crises force residents out of their communities, as in Ibiza and the Canary Islands, where rising rents and property prices have led to worker shortages and public service deficits .

Title:

Content: Athens Is Implementing New Measures to Curb Overtourism at the Acropolis

The site is seeing a 70% increase in visitors since last year.

Like many other European destinations such as Croatia's Dubrovnik, the Greek capital of Athens has recently become the latest victim of overtourism. Specifically, it is Athens' iconic Acropolis that this summer is counting record visitors on its grounds, and the Greek authorities have already set in motion a new plan to both help preserve the site and keep visitors safe.

Lonely Planet reports the Acropolis currently welcomes roughly 17,000 daily visitors, which is a 70% increase since last summer. Compared to 2019 tourism levels, visits in June and early July are up by 80%, Lina Mendoni, the country's culture minister, announced last week.

The impressive surge in visitors is surely to be attributed to the end of pandemic restrictions, but that isn't the only factor. Lysandros Tsilidis of the Federation of Hellenic Associations of Tourist and Travel Agencies told The Guardian's Observer that large cruise ships are to blame as well.

"In the past, these cruise ships had the capacity to carry a few thousand, the population of a large village," Tsilidis said. "Now the vessels are so big you've got the size of a small state on board, and at least 30 percent of all of those passengers will have pre-purchased tickets to visit the Acropolis."

To solve the issue—or at least alleviate it—Mendoni is implementing an hourly time slot system for those who pre-purchase online tickets to the Acropolis, as well as electronic scanning of tickets and separate entry points for large organized groups. For now, there is no cap on ticket sales, but whether that will be introduced as a policy in the near future is unclear.

Visiting has been physically tough for tourists, too. Due to a heat wave that is currently affecting Southern Europe, temperatures in Athens have reached 109°F this week, and aren't expected to lower much for at least another week or so. According to Greek authorities, sun shades will be installed at the Acropolis before the weekend for visitors waiting in line, and the Red Cross will remain on the grounds to distribute water and assist those suffering from heat exhaustion.

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Community sentiment suffers, with residents in Málaga and Sitka reporting diminished quality of life, congestion, and alienation .

Title:

Content: Travel expert explains how to find ‘room to breathe’ in overcrowded destinations

Some of Europe's most popular destinations have struggled to cope with surging numbers of tourists this summer. Express.co.uk spoke to an expert to find out how British tourists can avoid the crowds.

“There’s more to these places than the box office tourist sites" (Image: Getty)

Whether or , some top destinations have struggled with overcrowding this summer.

As travel restrictions fade into the past, more tourists than ever seem to be heading out to explore. Unfortunately, this means some destinations have become overcrowded.

Express.co.uk spoke to Sarah Faith, senior values writer at Responsible Travel, to find out how British tourists can escape the crowds.

Sarah told Express.co.uk : “Travelling outside of peak times is one of the best ways to avoid the crowds in popular destinations. But you could also get off the beaten track a bit.

“There’s more to these places than the box office tourist sites. Find out what the locals love, explore the surrounding villages or spend time browsing local farmer, artisan and flea markets.”

Tourists have complained of crowds in Rome (Image: Getty)

Although tourists often feel pressure to tick off a destination’s top sites, they could have a more rewarding experience heading to quieter spots.

Sarah added: “You’ll have more room to breathe, and have a more authentic experience too. Plus, you’ll help spread out the weight and benefits of tourism more. A win for everyone.”

However, when it comes to getting off the beaten track, Sarah says there are a few factors tourists should consider before booking a holiday.

She told Express.co.uk: “There are plenty of quieter destinations that offer exceptional culture and landscapes.

"You can make sure your holiday supports local people by choosing locally owned guesthouses" (Image: Getty)

“It’s important though that we don’t just transfer the problems of overtourism to another place. You can make sure your holiday supports local people by choosing locally owned guesthouses rather than Airbnbs run by out of town professional hosts, eating in restaurants that serve locally sourced produce and hiring a local guide to show you around.”

While Airbnbs can be a convenient option, locals in some top destinations have complained the properties price them out of the housing market .

Sarah said: “Places like Barcelona, Venice and Dubrovnik are great to visit, but they’re people’s homes too.

“When tourism takes over, it prices local people out of the housing market, closes local amenities and erodes the local culture and social identity that made us want to visit in the first place.

“Locals might be the first to lose out from overtourism but left unchecked, it kills off the tourist experience too. It’s in everyone’s interest to tackle the problem.”

France recently launched a campaign to encourage tourists to visit some of the country’s hidden gems. Leading attractions such as .

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Title:

Content: A majority of Sitkans think the rapid increase in tourism last summer made the community a less desirable place to live – or at least that’s the feeling of a majority of respondents of a graduate study conducted in the height of the cruise season last August. As KCAW’s Robert Woolsey reports, collecting data on the impact of tourism is a matter of numbers, and of perceptions.

Note: Priya Gandhi and Samantha Matthews will present their study to the Sitka Planning Commission at its next regular meeting on Wednesday, March 15. Here’s a link to the Brief Report, and a link to the Full Assessement.

Priya Gandhi and Samantha Matthews are students at the Pardee Rand Graduate School of Public Policy in Santa Monica, California. They were the project leaders for a social science study last August to understand how Sitkans perceived the dramatic increase in summer visitation, and how it affected their sense of well-being.

Unlike more casual surveys, this project tried to tease out nuances: For example, Sitkans can appreciate the increase in sales tax revenue derived from visitors, but can be frustrated by the increased congestion.

And Priya Gandhi says the timing of the survey was a factor.

“This is kind of a snapshot into how community members were feeling at that very moment in which they engaged with our efforts,” said Gandhi. “But there are certainly lots of other potential changes, both in terms of tourism and the visitor industry and in terms of Sitka’s planning and responses, that all might feed into differences in these numbers one way or the other in the future.”

The survey results are revealing. 87-percent of respondents reported being impacted by tourism in 2022; 63-percent of respondents felt the uptick in tourism made Sitka a less desirable place to live.

 Sitka underwent significant short-term planning measures to accommodate the roughly 400,000 cruise visitors last summer – around double the typical number of visitors in any previous year. On the busiest days, the main street downtown was closed to traffic, large toilet trailers were parked in less-than-ideal locations, and cafes and restaurants struggled to meet the out-of-proportion demand.

Still, it wasn’t all bad. Samantha Matthews says Sitkans felt the yin and yang of the town’s surge in economic activity.

“A lot of our data show these trade offs that people are facing with increased tourism,” Matthews said. “And so a lot of folks talked about the the economic benefits, the tax revenue that the city would receive, and things like that, but then there were concerns around equity and the economic benefits of tourism, and where would that tax revenue go? So I think some of our recommendations were really just around making that process transparent. So that community members are able to be a part of that process and know where where the economic benefits of tourism are going and making it so that those benefits are more equitably distributed.”

The full study is called the 2022 Community Assessment on the Increased Impacts of Tourism in Sitka. It’s 28-pages long, with another 29 pages of appendices. It is the kind of social study where opinions matter, and the words of respondents come through as much as the data. One Sitkan wrote, “I believe there are economic benefits for our community due to increased tourism, but it’s still unclear if that means all residents will feel financial relief, like decreased utility rates, or if only the residents who work in tourism will feel the financial rewards…”

Gandhi says this type of response can help inform policy, as much as hard numbers.

“It was really our aim to help create sort of that point in time opportunity for the community to share their real time reflections with us, their insights and their suggestions, so that we could then take stock of that, and aggregate it and share it with different individuals and organizations who might be interested in thinking through this potential issue of increased tourism further,” said Gandhi.

The assessment doesn’t really say what to do next. It has a raft of suggestions offered by survey respondents on housing density, transportation, the environment, and so on – but this is information for policy makers, rather than direction.

Gandhi says the rest is up to Sitka.

“Sitka has such a collaborative spirit,” she said. “And we can’t emphasize enough just how important and valuable we think that is, in the community coming together to address any issue it might be facing currently, or in the future, that it feels is affecting sort of individuals’ opportunities to thrive, which is really how we are defining well-being.”

The Pardee Rand Graduate School of Public Policy has turned its focus on Sitka and several other communities around the nation, as a way of drilling down into how communities respond under a range of circumstances. Rand, for instance, was an early partner in the development of Sitka’s landslide warning system. Matthews is considering the Tourism Assessment as a basis for her doctoral research. Sitka may eventually adapt to the increase in tourism; attitudes could soften toward the industry – or harden.

She would like to find out.

“This could be something that could be very interesting to repeatedly do each summer and see how things evolve,” she said. “I think it’s definitely worth exploring in the future.

Sitka is anticipating possibly an additional 100,000 more cruise visitors in 2023 than in 2022. The first ship scheduled to arrive is the Brilliance of the Seas, on April 25.

Cultural erosion is evident in Hawaii and Málaga, where tourism disrupts local traditions and identity .

Public services and infrastructure are strained, with blocked roads and overcrowded transport in coastal towns and Hawaii [3cd25036_