Overtourism Explained and How to Travel More Responsibly
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Last updated on April 22, 2026
Travel spending remains at an all-time high, causing many popular tourist destinations to face overtourism. Here’s how to be a more conscious traveler without contributing to the problem.
“Tourists go home” is becoming a common theme in popular destinations across the globe. A friend who lives in Barcelona was walking and saw the emblematic words spray-painted on a wall. That same summer, locals flocked to the streets, spraying visitors with water guns and blocking entrances to hotels in protest against overtourism.
Barcelona is hardly alone in this. The growing anti-tourism movement is a response to overtourism, a problem that plagues more and more cities as travel remains at all-time highs. Italy’s tourism board launched a “99% of Italy” campaign to highlight the five cities most overrun by tourism, while the majority of the country remains unexplored.
There is nothing wrong with being a tourist. We’re all tourists at some point. However, we need to be aware of our tourism footprint and how we may be contributing to overtourism. Thankfully, you don’t have to be a part of the problem. There are small, intentional ways you can reduce your burden on the local economy while still exploring.
If you’re worried about contributing to overtourism, here are some insights into the mounting problem and helpful strategies to continue traveling more responsibly.
Table of Contents
What is overtourism?
Overtourism is when an unmanageable number of tourists visit a specific destination, creating a burden for locals, the economy, or the area’s natural resources.
It doesn’t describe popular tourist destinations built to handle the tourism it sees, for example, Disney World or Cancun, Mexico.
Rather, it’s when the streets are overrun with more tourists than locals. When home prices become unaffordable because homes are being purchased for short-term rentals instead of long-term housing. When parks, tourist sites, public services, and transportation max out their capacity becoming unable to serve the locals or their visitors.
It’s when restaurant and hotel workers are overworked and understaffed. Ultimately, it’s when an area can no longer keep up with the tourism demand it’s seeing.
The worst destinations for overtourism
Overtourism can be found on every continent, plaguing rural parks and massive cities. It includes long-standing tourist hot spots like Barcelona, Venice, Rome, Paris, Portugal, Greece, Japan, New York City, Hawaii, Thailand, and Amsterdam, which have been popular for decades.
Rural destinations prized for their natural beauty, like Banff, Canada, Bali, Indonesia, and Zion National Park in Utah, have become inundated with visitors in recent years.
Overtourism is often driven by social media trends, which can highlight popular destinations to millions of people daily.
It also includes more up-and-coming destinations that were once off the beaten path but are now an “it” place to visit, like Mexico City, Oaxaca, New Orleans, the Amalfi Coast, Croatia, and Bend, Oregon. They, along with others, are drowning in tourists during peak season.
How cities and locals are responding
Tourism is still an integral part of our global economy. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, tourism and travel in 2025 accounted for $11.6 trillion of worldwide GDP. 😳 No country wants that type of income to disappear overnight.
Tourism helps fund important city projects and supports millions of families who work in the tourism industry. Locals may be more vocal about the burden than the governmental bodies.
Understandably, they are the ones dealing with it day in and day out. If you’ve been yelled at face-to-face or over the internet about being a tourist, remember that’s only their opinion. As long as you are being a responsible traveler (more on that shortly), don’t let it get to you.
Cities plagued with overtourism still want people to visit. However, they want to relieve the burden now and find long-term solutions to prevent overtourism from happening again. Below are a few ways the cities are responding to their growing demand.
Tourist tax
Tourist taxes aren’t new. Many countries have small fees, usually $2 to $15, charged on a nightly basis with your hotel accommodation or as a one-time fee with your airfare or visa entry. These taxes are usually minimal for visitors and help fund infrastructure improvements that impact tourists and locals.
More countries are starting to introduce this tax, with the latest being Venice, which will now charge visitors 5 euros ($5.41) on certain dates in July, its peak tourist season. Iceland has also reintroduced a tourist tax on accommodations with a nightly 7 euro ($7.58) tax.
Many other countries across Europe, Asia, and even the United States charge this tax without us even realizing it. Just know that more countries might be added to the list moving forward.
No more short-term rentals
New York City was one of the first major global cities to implement a city-wide ban on short-term rental housing to combat the housing crisis. Now, more cities are following suit. By 2029, Barcelona will no longer allow short-term vacation rentals, aiming to improve housing inventory and lower costs for long-term residents.
While most cities and countries still allow some short-term vacation rentals, many have strict rules on who can rent out a property, how long leases can be, and where they can be located. Some other cities with Airbnb or short-term vacation rental regulations are:
- Mallorca, Spain
- New York City, NY
- Washington D.C.
- Vienna, Austria
- Montreal, Canada (only allowed in certain areas)
- Singapore (must be at least a 3-month rental)
- Portugal (most new vacation rentals are banned except in rural areas)
- Oahu, Hawaii (only allowed in the hotel/vacation zone of Waikiki)
- Los Angeles, CA
Capacity limits and lottery systems
Many popular National Parks have introduced a lottery system for entry to reduce the number of visitors during peak season. The infamous Angels Landing hike, known for being one of the most dangerous hikes in the world, was overwhelmed with hikers when we trekked it in 2018. Now, visitors must pay to enter a lottery for a chance to be awarded a spot on the hike.
Glacier, Arches, Banff, and Rocky Mountain National Parks also work on a lottery to enter the park.
Other places have decided to ban entry altogether. Japan saw a massive surge in tourism since 2023 and has shut down certain areas to tourists completely. The private streets in Kyoto’s Gion District, where geisha reside in teahouses, have been closed due to numerous incidents of tourists berating the geisha.
New bus routes are being introduced for tourists to help eliminate the need to rely on public transportation for locals in Japan. Trails are also charging a fee now to help fund the cleanup of trash left behind by careless visitors.
Maya Bay in Thailand, made famous by The Beach starring Leonardo DiCaprio, was shut down for several years to allow the ecosystem to recover from too many boats, tours, and swimming in the bay. Now, the reefs and wildlife are recovering to healthy levels, and the number of tours that can visit each day is restricted.
How not to contribute to overtourism
Overtourism is a serious issue, but it doesn’t mean you can never eat tapas on the streets of Barcelona, walk the Great Wall of China, or get a glimpse of Mt. Fuji. Rather, you need to understand when the best time to visit is to reduce the tourism burden on the local economy or possibly explore alternative places to visit in the meantime.
Here are a few tips to help you be a more responsible traveler.
1. Choose a less popular destination to visit
One of the best ways to reduce the burden on locals is not to visit. At least, not right now.
The destinations facing the worst of overtourism need a break. Instead of visiting the popular destinations in Greece, Spain, France, or Italy right now, consider a smaller, lesser-known destination instead. Countless incredible towns and islands are equally as beautiful and see a fraction of the tourists.
Instead of Croatia, consider Albania. Instead of Mythos, consider Poros. Instead of Barcelona, consider the Basque Country or a Costa Brava road trip. There’s always an alternative.
➡ Read Next: 10 Breathtaking Underrated National Parks You Need To Visit ⬅
2. Visit during the off-season
If you really want to visit a specific destination facing overtourism, consider going during the off-season. Most cities are actually extremely pleasant in their shoulder seasons with far fewer tourists. Just be wary of going during storm season or if your main attraction is hiking or the beach, and the area will be covered in snow.
You’ll need to account for the weather for specific destinations during the off-season. However, it normally works out fine. We visited Panama in hurricane season and the rainy season, and had a blast!
3. Stay in a hotel over a short-term rental
Short-term rentals and a lack of affordable housing are one of the biggest issues in areas facing overtourism. Rather than renting a VRBO or Airbnb, stay in a hotel. Hotels pay local taxes (sometimes upwards of 10%), which contribute to the local economy and fund major services used by locals daily.
It also means you aren’t using valuable housing stock for vacation rentals rather than providing more affordable long-term housing. If you are going to be on a longer trip and want the comforts or space of a home for the stay, consider using a home swapping network like Kindred.
This invite-only platform is available to renters and homeowners across the globe. Once approved, you can request to stay in someone’s real home while they are on vacation. We’ve used Kindred four times now, and each stay has been wonderful.
We love having a homey space to return to each day, which is often very well located and priced. Use my code “eli.bru5” to apply and get 5 nights of travel before you host once you’re verified!
4. Respect the local customs and don’t be a burden
The last way to reduce your role in overtourism is to respect local customs and the people who live there. Understand the dos and don’ts of the place you are visiting. Try to learn some of the language if they speak a different language. Even knowing hello, thank you, and “how much” can go a long way.
They are not and never will be your servant, even if their job is in the service industry. They are people, just trying to make a living. Treat them with respect and talk to them kindly.
Pick up after yourself (never leave trash behind) and try not to overuse public services like the metro during peak rush hour if you don’t have to.
Do not, by any means, interrupt a local life for your selfie. This includes standing in traffic, taking pictures in front of their home, walking on private property, or randomly stopping on the sidewalk without looking to see if others are around.
We all want the “Insta shot,” but make sure you’re not a burden to the locals who are simply living where you are vacationing.
A big part of being a responsible tourist is being conscious of your impacts as you travel. Where you spend your dollars, how you interact with people, and your openness to learn about their culture and or local practices make a lasting difference.
If more people did these things, while visiting new destinations or popular ones in less popular seasons, there would likely be a lot less pushback from locals due to overtourism.
This is seriously such a helpful post! I think that this is going to continue to be a problem and it will just get worse. I will definitely keep these in mind when I travel and I definitely appreciate the lottery systems in place at the parks.
Thanks for reading, it is a huge problem! I agree I think the lottery systems are a positive solution to limit overcrowding, but it also makes it so inaccessible. I’ve tried to get entry to some of the hikes in the parks before and it’s so challenging!