The travel industry has often discussed how travelers and governments are responding to the issue that some destinations around the world are consistently burdened with crowds of visitors—and particularly whether consumers factor this issue into their planning and if so, how?
Accor, Booking.com, and the University of Surrey released a report recently on what motivates travellers to adopt more sustainable behaviors. In late 2023, Phocuswright will release the results of a survey that found that travelers don’t understand the connection between overtourism, and sustainability. What about the travel providers? How much responsibility does the travel industry have to alleviate overcrowding at popular destinations?
“The tourists cannot choose anything but what is offered to them, can they?” Harold Goodwin is the founder of ICRT Global. “So, what they are offered is determined by businesses and local governments.”
Philip Halanen is the head of sustainability and sourcing for Europe, Middle East and Africa for Wyndham Resorts and Hotels. He said that companies have a lot of responsibility when it comes to overtourism.
Halanen stated that “if they only focus their attention on high demand destinations, they are directly causing the problem.”
Group effort is needed to combat crowding
Fighting overtourism has to be acknowledged as a shared responsibility between travelers, companies, destinations and governments, said Danielle D’Silva, director of sustainability at Booking.com.
Halanen said that it was up to multiple stakeholders to tackle the problem of overtourism. It is in everyone’s interest, from a sustainable standpoint, to protect historically popular locations. D’Silva said that while travelers have a responsibility to take action, travel providers also have a duty of care to help travelers make more sustainable decisions.
She said: “This includes building a supply more sustainable options, to ensure that we preserve a beautiful world, but it also includes investing in, promoting, and partnering up with destinations, accommodations, and experiences which prioritize sustainability.”
She said travelers can have a positive impact on the world by choosing destinations with less crowds and acting responsibly when visiting a destination. These elements are interconnected. D’Silva gave Booking.com’s approach as an example.
The company’s sustainability programme aims to address overtourism issues by promoting accommodations which use less resources in a destination, or those who are conscious and manage their impact on the local community. The company has also developed a plan for working with accommodations to improve their sustainability practices.
D’Silva stated that “for accommodations that haven’t considered that impact yet, we’re working with them to put in place more sustainable and community friendly practices and, where possible, working with the destination to ensure the properties are adequately supported.”
Goodwin said that he does not see a solution to all problems, other than government action. He said that it can be difficult to privatize a public area that is popular with tourists. Goodwin said, “The destinations will need to address the issue of overtourism on the supply side.”
He cited efforts to create systems for managing visitor numbers, similar measures that Venice, Italy, and other governments have implemented. He said he didn’t think the initiatives would make a difference until the cost was significant. In 2024 nearly half a millon people paid a fee to visit Venice. Last month the city announced it will double the fee for this year—from €5 to €10—and it will applied be on nearly twice as many dates.
While it’s yet to see if policies, such as entry fees, can reduce visitor numbers meaningfully, experts say coordination among destinations and other industry players is vital. Multiple stakeholders are needed to combat overtourism. It is in everyone’s interest, from the sustainability perspective, to protect historically popular locations.
“It’s crucial that hotel and travel agencies work directly with local officials to ensure that they are adhering specifically to laws and requirements and then advise them on how to collaborate further to mitigate this issue,” Halanen stated.
Why overtourism is difficult for a solution
The idea of dispersal is often cited as a way to divert travelers away from overcrowded destinations and towards those that require more visitors. But it’s not that simple.
“The truth of the matter is, destinations are popular because they’re good,” Halanen stated. “Barcelona, Venice and Paris will always be popular tourist destinations.”
Goodwin said that tour operators exist in order to meet the demand of travelers. He gave St Mark’s Square, in Venice, as an illustration: “I do not think that the tour operators and tourists will stop wanting go there.”
Every sector of industry is driven to provide the best possible service to travelers. Goodwin said, “Airlines want seats filled, and they want as many flights as they possibly can and to grow as big as possible.” “It is extremely difficult to change this.”
Brands should still make an attempt. It’s important that travel companies actively try to educate travelers—a point that has been brought up time and again—and work to drive traffic to alternate destinations, in spite of what has traditionally been popular.
Halanen explained that “a lot of these are supported by popular travel trends. It is important to ensure your company reflects these trends in its offering when it comes time to reduce the impact of overtourism.”
Halanen gave an example: Wyndham focuses on growing its portfolio of lesser-known regions, including Romania, Georgia, and parts of India.
D’Silva says that education is still needed to help travelers understand their options. She said, “It’s not just about where people go but when they do. The industry can do more in order to promote shoulder seasons and off peak travel.”
D’Silva pointed out that Booking.com’s study showed that about half of travelers prefer to visit a less-known destination over a tourist hotspot. Bottom line, teamwork between travel providers, local authorities and the global travel community is the key—and that’s a big part of the responsibility that travel providers hold right now.
Halanen stated that “it’s up to travel companies to focus their efforts on providing more sustainable service and working with local providers to promote their products to ensure they continue to profit from tourism to their destination.”
