Overtourism (2020) – Thematic Research
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With the exponential increase in world population and travel becoming more accessible, overtourism has become more than just a buzzword in the travel industry in recent years as locals, travelers and professionals alike begin to recognize the problems that arise from huge influxes of tourists to already popular areas, such as Venice, Barcelona and Thailand. In 2016, Rafat Ali, the CEO and founder of media company Skift, wrote a foreword to an article about the negative impact of tourism in Iceland entitled "The coming perils of overtourism". This was the first notable mention of overtourism, explaining that it represents a potential hazard worldwide if not properly managed.
This thematic research report takes an in-depth look at the theme of overtourism, the main companies contributing and combatting its impact and the implications the theme poses in the tourism sector. Specific case studies are also outlined, assessing how individual destinations are dealing with issues related to overtourism and what nearby destinations could be advertised as an alternative in order to spread the economic benefits mass tourism does bring. Additionally, a detailed analysis of traveler demands and flows across the globe is also provided, looking at both domestic and international arrivals along with the inclusion of forecasts up to 2024.
“Overtourism is difficult to quantify as much of it is to do with personal perception. However, it is clear that visitor numbers exceeding the total population of countries is a possible cause for concern.” – John Vandesquille – Travel & Tourism Analyst, GlobalData
Scope
This report provides an overview of the impacts of overtourism from social, economic and environmental perspectives.
It identifies the main trends contributing to overtourism and what is being done to tackle them.
This report provides a detailed industry and thematic analysis on overtourism.
We highlight companies contributing to and fighting against overtourism, such as Airbnb, Ryanair and STA Travel.
Key Highlights
As the effects of overtourism are becoming more well-known across the world, a growing number of travelers seek out companies that are actively involved in curbing its effects. Responsible travelers want to benefit the communities they are visiting rather than causing damage. Aptly named company Responsible Travel actively avoids offering holidays that contribute to overtourism. STA Travel, along with G Adventures, one of its main partners, also aims to promote more responsible travel by offering tours to less traveled destinations. In addition, governments and local authorities are involved in the steps taken to reduce visitor numbers and damage to popular areas.
As the use of social media continues to increase, we can observe the rise of “instagrammable” locations to post pictures from, often at the detriment of the location itself. With their posts, travel bloggers and online influencers participate in the promotion of destinations, making them more desirable. This can be a driver for overtourism as more people, in particular among the younger generations, flock to popular destinations featured online. One suggested solution would be for influencers to visit and promote alternative, off the beaten path destinations, but there is a risk of bringing an influx of tourists that the alternative location could not be ready for. A good example of that is a particularly photogenic poppy field in California that had to be shut down in 2019 due to the environmental and safety issues caused by the large number of daily visitors.
Beyond the language issue, some destinations also lose their cultural identity through tourism. The best examples of that are the sunny destinations popular with British tourists, such as the Costa del Sol, Magaluf and Ibiza in Spain, Zante in Greece or Ayia Napa in Cyprus. Signs for “English Breakfast” are common, and so are “Irish” bars and souvenir shops all selling the exact same non-locally produced objects, slowly erasing the local culture. Traditional shops catering for the everyday lives of the locals are becoming less common in particularly touristic destinations. For example, in Reykjavík, one street named Laugavegur (“wash road” in Icelandic) used to be where locals could get their laundry done. Now it is the main shopping street, which means that all signs in English and only a local hardware store has survived the recent touristification.
Reasons to Buy
Understand the impacts of overtourism and the trends that are fueling its rise.
Assess the strategies that companies are adopting when combatting overtourism.
Discover companies that are leading and lagging in this space.
GlobalData’s thematic research ecosystem is a single, integrated global research platform that provides an easy-to-use framework for tracking all themes across all companies in all sectors. It has a proven track record of identifying the important themes early, enabling companies to make the right investments ahead of the competition, and secure that all-important competitive advantage.
easyJet
Booking Holdings
STA Travel
Hilton
Airbnb
Melia Hotels
Table of Contents
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