Overtourism

Crowds at the Trevi Fountain in Rome

Overtourism is congestion or overcrowding from an excess of tourists, resulting in conflicts with locals. The World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) defines overtourism as "the impact of tourism on a destination, or parts thereof, that excessively influences perceived quality of life of citizens and/or quality of visitor experiences in a negative way".[1][2][3][4] This definition shows how overtourism can be observed both among locals, who view tourism as a disruptive factor that increasingly burdens daily life, as well as visitors, who may regard high numbers of tourists as a nuisance.

The term was only used infrequently before 2017, but is now the most commonly used expression to describe the negative impacts ascribed to tourism.[5]

  1. ^ 'Overtourism'? – Understanding and Managing Urban Tourism Growth beyond Perceptions. 2018. doi:10.18111/9789284419999. ISBN 978-92-844-1999-9. S2CID 169221525.[page needed]
  2. ^ Overtourism: Lessons for a Better Future. Island Press. 2021. ISBN 9781642830767.
  3. ^ Mihalic, Tanja (2020). "Conceptualising overtourism: A sustainability approach". Annals of Tourism Research. 84: 103025. doi:10.1016/j.annals.2020.103025.
  4. ^ Volo, Serena (2020). Overtourism: Definitions, Enablers, Impacts and Managerial Challenges. pp. 11–26. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-42458-9_2. ISBN 978-3-030-42457-2. {{cite book}}: |journal= ignored (help)
  5. ^ Koens, Ko; Postma, Albert; Papp, Bernadett (23 November 2018). "Is Overtourism Overused? Understanding the Impact of Tourism in a City Context". Sustainability. 10 (12): 4384. doi:10.3390/su10124384.