Overtourism
The overtourism dilemma
THEO REILLY SPEAKS TO DESTINATIONS INTERNATIONAL CEO DON WELSH WHO EXPLAINS HOW DESTINATIONS CAN BEAT OVERTOURISM AND MOVE TOWARDS A MORE RESPONSIBLE APPROACH
I n September, I asked a few heads of Finnish CVBs whether“ mass sustainable tourism” can exist.“ Right now, no” – was the response I got back.
In the age of social media trends, Instagram influencers and cheap flights, how can we beat the inherently unsustainable model of mass tourism? The issue is multi-sided. Not only are we globe-trotting with more regularity, we’ re also converging on the same destination. Popular leisure destinatinos Italy, Spain, France and Croatia are certainly receiving more and more visitors per year, while second
Left: Don Welsh, president and CEO of Destinations International
Below: Beach destinations can become hotspots for overtourism tier destinations are seeing a much slower growth rate.
For Don Welsh, president and CEO of Destinations International, the answer is‘ responsible tourism’ – a model that his association pushes for. Here he explains how we can achieve this.
How do we define overtourism? One explanation described overtourism as‘ when the negative effects of tourism outweigh the positives’. Is that a fair description? That is a fair description, although I would add that in some cases concerns about overtourism are rooted in a perception that the negatives of visitors outweigh the benefits. Sometimes residents are concerned about problems that are not actually caused by tourism primarily. Issues such as affordable housing for residents and pressure on public services. At Destinations International, we advocate for‘ responsible tourism’ that benefits both residents and visitors.
You work with 750 + destination organisations globally, what ' s driving this overtourism surge – is it simply more people travelling, or are travellers converging on major hotspots? It is a combination of factors. Yes, there are more people travelling, and global demand has bounced back post-pandemic. But we are also seeing more people concentrate their trips in just a handful of well-known places, often influenced by what they see on social media.
Are you seeing issues emerge in unexpected places beyond the usual suspects like Barcelona and Venice? We hear mostly from European hotspots, and occasionally Southeast Asian destinations like Bali. We are certainly seeing this. It is no longer confined to iconic cities like Barcelona or Venice. Smaller towns, heritage sites and natural parks,
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