[Crowd in Japan. Credit to Pixabay]

In the summer of 2024, Europe experienced an unprecedented boom in tourism to an extent that people gathered to protest, prompting authorities to implement new regulations for the coming year.

The European Travel Commission reported that visitor numbers in 2024 surpassed those of 2019 by 6%, indicating a strong recovery and growth in the tourism sector.

However, this influx has reignited debates about overtourism, a phenomenon that National Geographic describes as causing “skyrocketing prices, excessive queues, exorbitant noise levels, damage at historical sites, and the ramifications to nature”.

The most affected countries include Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and the United States, with popular destinations struggling to balance economic benefits with quality of life for residents and visitors.

Adding to the challenges, climate change has introduced a new issue of record heat in popular destinations.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration claims that July was the 14th consecutive month of record-breaking heat, highlighting the growing impact of climate change on travel destinations.

Athens and Santorini in Greece have been particularly hard hit by both overtourism and climate crises.

According to the New York Times, Athens faced wildfires, excessive heat, and water shortages.

In Santorini, an island with a population of just 15,500, 3.5 million tourists visited, prompting Mayor Nikolaous Zoros to limit cruise passengers to 8,000 per day.

Spain has faced similar challenges with the Ministry of Tourism reporting a 13.3% increase in tourist numbers, exceeding 42.5 million.

This increase has led to various issues including problems with vacation rentals in Seville.

Euro News reports that Valencia announced its “plans to cut off electricity and water for illegal tourist accommodations in the city.”

Demonstrations have been held in Malaga, Majorca, Barcelona, and the Canary Islands, some of Spain’s most popular tourist destinations.

In Italy, Venice issued an entrance fee of 5 euros in April to control the number of visitors during peak visiting times.

Other countries are also taking measures to limit tourism.

Lisbon has restricted parking spaces and licenses, while in Amsterdam, citizens have launched online campaigns to discourage visitors.

These new regulations have disrupted many tourists’ plans, causing them to reconsider their travel destinations for the coming year.

Experts stress the importance of understanding the impacts of overtourism on both residents and visitors to prevent further escalation in the future.

As the tourism industry struggles with these challenges, it remains to be seen how the balance between economic benefits and sustainable tourism practices will be struck in the coming years.