Reactions to Overtourism Featured Pattern: P1432 December 2019
Abstracts in this Pattern:
According to the United Nations (New York, New York) World Tourism Organization (Madrid, Spain), overtourism—a condition in which the presence of a large number of tourists at a destination causes overcrowding and negatively affects locals—is becoming a global concern. Countries that previously embraced tourism because of the revenue it generates are starting to manage tourist populations proactively. Norway is one country that is currently conflicted about soaring tourism rates. Many Norwegian citizens view overtourism as a threat to their constitutional right of allemannsretten—the freedom to roam. According to this policy, people have the right to walk though and camp for one night in any undeveloped property without the owner's permission as long as they are polite; however, during the past several years, multiple communities in Norway have experienced increases in littering and other negative effects from large numbers of tourists. The government of Norway is spending almost $37 million on sustainable tourism, investing in building new trails and fortifying existing trails to accommodate visitors and protect heritage sites.
Some Asian countries are also experiencing an onslaught of tourists. For example, in Thailand, the government has banned tourists from Maya Bay in the Phi Phi Islands to protect the surrounding coral. Maya Bay was the location of the Leonardo DiCaprio movie The Beach and therefore attracts many travelers. Despite the drawbacks of tourism, many governments still view tourism as a significant contributor to GDP and seek to continue profiting from it. In Japan, "goals set by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2016 peg foreign tourist arrivals at 40 million in 2020, and 60 million in 2030." But catering to so many tourists may come at the cost of the comfort of locals. For example, some Japanese citizens believe that the influx of tourists is having an impact on their culture and negatively affecting some businesses.
The Netherlands also perceives the excessive influx of tourists as a problem, and its board of tourism is now refraining from actively promoting tourism to the country. The board has shifted its focus to redistributing the tourists the country already has to lessen their impact.
The Development of this Pattern
Data Points
- SC-2019-11-06-075
The government of Norway is spending almost $37 million on sustainable tourism, investing in building new trails and fortifying existing trails to accommodate visitors and protect heritage sites. - SC-2019-11-06-051
Some Japanese citizens believe that the influx of tourists is having an impact on their culture and negatively affecting some businesses. - SC-2019-11-06-035
The Netherlands perceives the excessive influx of tourists as a problem, and its board of tourism is now refraining from actively promoting tourism to the country.
Implications
P1432 — Reactions to Overtourism
Tourism is increasing to the extent that many countries are beginning to view it as a problem.
Previous Alerts
- SoC168 — Medical Tourism (April 2006)
People are increasingly traveling to other countries to obtain a range of medical, dental, and surgical services such as heart bypass surgery, fertility treatments, and cosmetic surgery. - P0178 — Peak Travel? (March 2011)
After decades of increasing individual and corporate travel, some industry observers think that the developed world might have reached peak travel (an analogy to the "peak-oil" theory). - P0364 — Live Locally, Connect Globally (July 2012)
Data suggest that younger generations have limited the radius of their physical mobility substantially, rejuvenating interest in neighborhoods. - SoC1047 — The Benefits of Connectedness? (November 2018)
Not everyone experiences unlimited connectivity as an unambiguous good.