One of the most prominent summer sports in Greece Travel The destination, the island of Santorini, is mourning its decline overtourism Locals have demanded urgent action. The large number of visitors has raised many concerns. For Santorini’s 20,000 permanent residents, the place has been ruined by mass tourism. As a result, authorities, along with other tourist destinations, have sought to limit the number of visitors.

According to Nikos Zorzos, a total of 3.4 million tourists visited the island in 2023. These large numbers are putting pressure on its aging but historic infrastructure. The crisis extends far beyond parking and crowded attractions. It has also led to a surge in rents and many properties being converted into vacation rentals, disrupting the daily lives of residents.

This Greek island is not the only place that is suffering from excessive tourism. Protests have also started against excessive tourism in other popular destinations. This includes Venice, Barcelona.

Switzerland has also adopted a number of measures to combat overtourism. Tourist access to one of its most iconic destinations, the Alpine lake, is limited. Switzerland’s tourism agency recently said it is trying to balance the flow of holidaymakers throughout the year to protect the Alpine country from the risk of overtourism. Although tourism is an important economic driver for Switzerland, it also has many disadvantages. With this move and several other measures, it seems that Switzerland is keen to control the influx of tourists.

“Tourists go back home” – this was the sentiment in Barcelona as thousands of locals took to the streets of their vibrant city.

What is overtourism?

According to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), before Covid-19, tourism accounted for 10.4% of global GDP. Since then, this figure has seen a slight decline. Last year, it is now 9.1%. As per a National Geographic report, overtourism can be understood as “the increasing number of visitors overwhelming cities, landmarks and landscapes”.

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