Traveling is something that is increasingly available to everyone. There are many destinations that become famous and enter into a trend around the world among the population. However, this massive movement of people traveling to well -known tourist destinations causes what is known as overwhelming or overtourism. This is that massification of people in very common tourist places that causes them not to enjoy them and it is impossible to manage them properly for the impact to be as much as possible. This overwhelming occurs both in natural environments, causing damage to the environment and biodiversity, and in human environments where it is more difficult to conserve cultural wealth.
In this ecology article, we will teach you What is overtourism or overcurism, its causes, consequences and solutions.
What is overtourism or overcurism
Overtourism is a neologism that refers to A large number of tourists in a tourist destination. The term was first included in Oxford Dictionaries in 2018, where it was nominated as the word of the year. The overtourism literally “Too Tourism”it is a complex phenomenon that we must analyze from different angles. Essentially, we can summarize this concept in a problem. Is the place affected by more tourists than the place and residents can support?
When it comes to natural tourism destinations, tourism must respect flora, fauna and microclimate. When fate is a city, tourism must first of all respect the inhabitants, as well as local cultural and archaeological sites. The latter, in particular, is a small microcosm of the timely closure that the tourism industry must protect. If that does not happen, we are talking about overturism, or unsustainable tourism for the place, nature and the people who live there.
It is not always easy to determine how much is too much, but there are some clear signs that a destination is suffering an excess of tourism. Signs of excess tourism include feelings of irritation and discomfort due to the increase in the number of tourists, cultural change and loss of authenticity, deterioration of the quality of life in the host communities and the excessive presence of tourists, which exerts pressure on local resources and facilities.
Destinations that have suffered the consequences of overcurism include Maya Bay in Thailand, Barcelona, Machu Picchu and Mount Everest. In some cases, try to reverse or mitigate the damage caused by tourism by limiting the number of visitors, increasing taxes or closing attractions.
The opposite form of tourism, more balanced and healthy for the environment and local, is known as responsible, sustainable or ecotourism tourism. Here you can learn more about responsible tourism: what is and examples.
Causes of Overtourism
There are several causes that contribute to the emergence of Overtourism. One of them is the exponential growth of the tourism industry in recent decades. Tourism has become one of the main sources of income for many countrieswhich has led to an intense promotion and marketing of global tourist destinations. This has generated a significant increase in the number of people traveling and who want to experience popular and recognized places.
Another cause of overtourism is the easier and more economical access to transportation. Technological advances and the appearance of low -cost airlines They have facilitated that people can travel to distant destinations at more affordable prices. This has democratized tourism and has allowed a greater number of people to have the opportunity to explore the world. However, it has also contributed to a disproportionate increase in visitors in certain places.
In addition, the rise of social networks and the influence of the media They have also played an important role in this trend. Platforms such as Instagram have created a culture of sharing travel experiences and looking for “instagrameable” destinations. This has generated a great demand to visit iconic places and take striking photographs to share them online. As a result, some destinations have become extremely popular and have been victims of overwhelming.
Finally, The economic factors They also influence a lot. Tourist destinations depend largely on the income generated by visitors, which can create a constant pressure to attract more tourists. This can lead to excessive exploitation of natural resources, a lack of adequate planning and a saturation of tourist infrastructure, which in turn can have negative impacts on the environment and the quality of life of local communities.
Consequences of overwhelming
One of the main consequences is Natural environment degradation. The massive influx of tourists can endanger fragile ecosystems, damage local flora and fauna, contaminate water bodies and generate an accumulation of waste that negatively affects the landscape. This not only compromises the beauty and authenticity of a place, but also affects biodiversity and long -term natural resources.
In addition, you can have a negative impact on the quality of life of local communities. Excessive tourist pressure can cause a loss of cultural identity, accelerated gentrification and a saturation of basic servicessuch as water, electricity and public transport. Housing prices They can increase due to tourist demand, which makes local residents difficult to access an affordable home. In addition, intensive tourist activities can displace local inhabitants and affect its traditional forms of life and work.
Another consequence is the congestion and saturation of tourist destinations. Tourist agglomerations can make it difficult to enjoy attractions and points of interestgenerate long lines and waiting times, and reduce the quality of the tourist experience. The tourist infrastructure can be overflowed, which leads to traffic problems, lack of parking and deterioration of the facilities.
Overturism can also have long -term negative socioeconomic impacts. Excessive tourism dependence as the sole source of income It can make a community vulnerable to economic fluctuations and seasonality. In addition, excessive concentration of tourists in a destination can lead to an unequal distribution of economic benefits, with most profits and jobs concentrated in international tourism companies, leaving local businesses with limited participation.
After seeing all this, we recommend you also read this other article on why sustainable tourism is important.
Solutions to Overtourism
Through careful tourism planning and management, we can limit the negative impacts of excess tourism or prevent them from occurring. The Adoption of Sustainable Tourism Principles It is essential to manage excess tourism.
From a perspective from top to bottom, policies must be developed to manage aspects such as overcrowding. For example, this could include Change rates or limit the sale of tickets.
From a basic perspective, tourists can do a lot to help prevent excessive tourism. Tourists can opt for visit destinations off peak or in quite calm hours of the day, Visit less known destinations and demonstrate throughout your trip a responsible traveler behavior.
Now that you know better what is Overtourism or overwhelming, we encourage you to read on how to do sustainable tourism to start practicing it.
If you want to read more articles similar to Overtourism or overwhelming: what is, causes, consequences and solutionswe recommend that you enter our tourism category.
- Overtourism: What is it and how do we address it? Responsible Tourism Partnership. Available at: https://responsibleotourismpartnership.org/vertourism/
