Overtourism, the extreme progress of customer numbers in a given space, has undeniably profound results. These results embrace broken pure areas, poorer high quality of life for native populations, limitless ready instances to go to standard sights, and a deteriorated journey expertise for vacationers.
Nonetheless, the phenomenon is tough to measure. The primary Overtourism Index, developed by Evaneos and the administration consultancy Roland Berger, goals to eradicate subjective impressions and allow an goal method to this contemporary tourism situation.
The index categorizes overtourism and is predicated on an evaluation of 70 locations among the many 100 hottest journey locations worldwide when it comes to guests.
To judge the danger of overtourism, every vacation spot is rated on a scale from 1 (low threat) to five (excessive threat) by contemplating 4 goal standards:
- Worldwide vacationers per capita
- Worldwide vacationers per km2
- Seasonal focus
- Sustainability maturity stage (the social impacts of tourism, the state of the host infrastructure, the event of the transport system, and so forth.)Â
The idea of overtourism can’t be generalized, so it is essential to categorize it into differing types to know its complexity totally. The Overtourism Index identifies high-risk and low-risk locations and creates new classes based mostly on the assorted sorts of overload. This classification goals to assist establish the best options for every scenario.
Every class of overtourism raises distinctive questions that should be addressed. Coping with a surge of vacationers in a big European capital requires a distinct method than managing overcrowding in a summer season seaside resort. As an alternative of singling out essentially the most affected locations, this index encourages us to consider and implement essentially the most appropriate options.
The Overtourism Classes and Preliminary Options
The evaluation of the locations recognized three sorts of hazards attributable to overtourism:
- Seaside Locations
- Common European journey locations
- City Locations
As well as, there are additionally “locations underneath remark,” which require preventive measures. The fifth class, “protected locations,” consists of these spared from mass tourism.
- Overtourism at seashore locations
Seaside resorts are one of the crucial susceptible tourism classes, with a mean vulnerability index of 4 out of 5. That is primarily as a result of excessive focus of vacationers (starting from 3.2 to 9.9 vacationers per resident) in comparatively small and ecologically fragile areas (1,600 to eight,000 vacationers per sq. kilometer). Nations which can be significantly affected embrace Cyprus (4.4), Mauritius (4.2), Greece (4), and Croatia (3.8). These locations are particularly susceptible as a result of, on common, 25 % of their GDP will depend on tourism.
To handle these vulnerabilities, these extremely affected locations should implement necessary measures. One method is to control the capability of those areas by introducing quotas to protect essentially the most frequented locations. Moreover, efforts needs to be made to unfold vacationer flows all year long by selling these locations extra intensively throughout the off-peak season. The objective is to not cut back the general variety of vacationers however somewhat to make sure a greater distribution of customer numbers all year long, thus minimizing the danger to the GDP.
- Overtourism in standard European locations
Many well-known European locations expertise a big improve in vacationer numbers throughout the summer season season. Roughly 43 % of arrivals happen within the third quarter of the yr. Spain, Italy, and Portugal have the very best inflow throughout June, July, and August, with a mean index of three.6, intently adopted by France at 3.3.
Regardless of being much less economically reliant on tourism than seaside resorts (averaging 9 % of GDP), these locations would profit from measures to handle vacationer flows all year long, together with encouraging journey within the spring or autumn. Vacationers can discover Italy or France in April or September to take pleasure in nice climate and a extra peaceable journey with fewer vacationers.
- Overtourism in city locations
Metropolis tourism, particularly in main European capitals, wants measures to scale back metropolis congestion and unfold tourism’s financial advantages to surrounding areas. Whereas these locations have a very good stage of sustainability and low financial reliance on tourism (averaging 5% of GDP), as much as 37% of tourists within the third quarter had been centered on these metropolises. They achieved a mean index of three.2. The highest 3 most at-risk metropolises are Copenhagen, Denmark (rating of three.8), Amsterdam, Netherlands (rating of three.7), and Dublin, Eire (rating of three.4).
These locations are wanting to redirect vacationer visitors to different areas. Within the Netherlands, for instance, Rotterdam is being promoted extra to ease the strain on Amsterdam. Another choice is encouraging vacationers to remain longer, permitting them to go to different, generally lesser-known areas alongside the most well-liked cities.
- Journey locations underneath remark
Locations categorized as “underneath remark” face the problem of being proactive and taking preventive measures. On common, these locations have a balanced circulate of vacationers all year long, starting from 24 to twenty-eight %. Nonetheless, as they turn out to be extra standard, they require proactive administration of vacationer density, each per sq. kilometer (ranging between 54 and 240 vacationers per km²) and when it comes to inhabitants (0.8 vacationers per inhabitant). These locations contribute a mean of 9 % to GDP and are at a essential juncture. As an illustration, Morocco (3.1), Vietnam (3), Egypt (2.7), and Iceland (2.9) are ranked on the prime, with Iceland having an exceptionally excessive threat as a consequence of a vacationer density of 5.2 per inhabitant.
The tourism managers’ key accountability is to watch the capability of vacationer websites and implement measures to protect them. This entails anticipating and supporting infrastructure improvement in these locations to keep up authenticity whereas offering focused and restricted choices to coach vacationers.
- Protected journey locations
These locations cowl a big space and have a balanced distribution of vacationer visitors, with 16 to 80 vacationers per sq. kilometer or 0.3 vacationers per inhabitant. They’ve a 24 to twenty-eight % seasonality all year long and a mean overtourism index of two.5, defending them from overtourism. Nations on this class embrace Canada (2.3), the USA (1.7), Australia (1.5), and Tanzania (1.8).
