This summer European tourism

"Was This the Summer European Tourism Reached a Breaking Point?"

My answer would remain a solid "No", but I would add that it has become the "clickbait topic of choice" for travel and travel-adjacent websites.

As with anything internet driven these days, the "metrics" have spoken, and folks love to discuss (click on, engage in, post about) travel and over tourism. And not just over tourism, but catastrophic and end-of-the-world levels of tourism. :D

The end (of European travel) isn't near. Doomsday (for travel) is not on the horizon. The real awful stuff (nothing close to tourism related) is happening many miles away and any person who simply sits down and plans a rational vacation will find all of Europe as options to enjoy. Ditto the US for the most traveled, crowded spaces like Yosemite, Zion, or Alaska.

The NYT is just making one last attempt to keep the summer panic going, but give it a month, and the "over-tourism" schtick will fade until we can ramp up the stories on Thanksgiving airport meltdowns, or Christmas ice storms, or eventually, Spring Break shenanigans.

Just out of curiosity, did you read the article OP posted?

That article is timely as we just got back from a trip. In two locations, the massive cruise ships really changed the towns, and it was so easy to see that it was not for the good. I can see why the locals feel as they do. During our trip, it made me think of what I am doing and how I can help the situation. I am still unsure as of course as there is no one answer, but both my husband and I were talking a few days ago wanting to stick to areas that are more remote areas that have far fewer visitors.

Just out of curiosity, did you read the article OP posted?

Not only did I read the article posted, I've read it ALL BEFORE in all the "over-tourism" articles that have sky-rocketed to the top of almost any tourism or tourism-related website over the past 10 years or so. Only the break from COVID (and the opposite "tourism is doomed" stories) slowed the drumbeat a little.

So, did tourism reach a breaking point? I guess we will see, but I don't think it has and I definitely don't think these types of stories are going away except for the seasonality of their appeal.

The news stories may fade from the major American media brands, but the issues of overtourism remain a very real problem for those of us living in European cities like my hometown of Barcelona. In Europe there is a tradition of a more "long term" journalism rather than just following the trendy infotainment of the day. Expect periodic coverage to continue on sites like The Guardian, DW, and France24.

It's an opinion piece designed to get clicks. Sad thing is thatcsort of journalism probably does harm.

Wow! This over tourism drum beat keeps on keeping on like the Energizer Bunny.

Once upon a time there was a pandemic in the world and hardly any bears could travel. All the journalists wrote sad stories about the tourism industry and how the tourist businesses were all suffering because bears were not giving them the business. Then, the pandemic was over. Yeah!!, said all the bears and they traveled and traveled, but the journalists were still writing sad stories about how the tourist industry was still suffering, but this time it was because they had too much bear business.

Then the bears said, let's just travel to places that aren't busy and they did. But, those places became busy and the journalists wrote sad stories about those second and third cities becoming overrun by bears. So, the bears just went to their caves and logged onto the internet and traveled virtually and saved a whole lot of honey, I mean money. However, the world economy began to collapse because the bears would not travel any more. So the journalists wrote more sad stories.

The moral of the story is, there is no moral of the story. Journalists are negative people by nature. They can always find dark clouds in silver linings or is it... :)

Threadwear these are marketing agents. Their goal is attracting interest to sell advertising.

The article itself wasn't sensationalistic; the headline was. I think it's important to understand the adverse effects tourism has in some areas without being scared away from traveling.

The thread title says "European Tourism" So the answer is that European Tourism is for the first time since 2019 slightly above the number of 2019. So just how bad was European Tourism in 2019? I dont remember protests?

The answer is probably a shif in where people are going. Europe as a whole is fine, but Barcelona is probably not. So a good way of looking at this is as a clue that with a little research that there are places less crowded than 2019 and they deserve a second look for tourism.

This one is pretty good and does proclaim that in the first quarter of 2024 “Europe” has finally come back to, and exceeded, 2019 numbers. But doesn’t say by how much.

https://hrturizam.hr/en/the-recovery-has-officially-ended%2C-European-tourism-in-the-first-quarter-exceeded-the-figures-from-2019

Interestingly, the author co-wrote an August 30 article with the headline "Good News For Deal-Seekers This Fall: Travel Demand Has Softened."

I do not doubt that there are places in Europe and elsewhere that are straining from the number of tourists who visit. But I suspect that many of those in Europe complaining about overtourism travel to other European countries.

And these articles often quote only those who complain about too much tourism. Many of the places complaining about too many tourists had policies in places for years, if not decades, designed to increase tourism. Economic growth is economic change, which is often painful and messy.

My son just got published in a journal. The topic was AI and military matters, but one of the things that came to light was that if you tell a lie, or an implication that something is fact when it is not, enough, get it into enough print and on the internet enough; even when the topic debunked and proven to false the weight of the message is still influencial ... even among those that know they were deceived.

This is why Tourism in Europe is so out of control and will only become more out of control with each publication of the statement. Lets hope it true, because if it isnt, people will get hurt when the world begins reacting on what is now a "truth".

Europe is a big place, depends where you go. The few protests and people raging against tourism are as much doing it to prompt action from their leaders, not so much against tourism. Issues like housing prices are easy enough to blame on a few AirBnB's moving into the neighborhood, but housing prices have risen steeply in Europe, just like the US, there are many more factors driving the issue.

But as for tourist areas and crowds, we are in Germany now, was in Amsterdam last week. Amsterdam had "good" crowds, but not at all oppressive. The Rhine and Mosel areas though, were shockingly quiet. St. Goar and Bacharach were almost ghost towns in the evenings, with several restaurants closed, though this was early in the week.

How crowds will be in Freiburg and Colmar, not sure, I expect Munich will be packed for opening weekend of Oktoberfest, but we knew that. Overall though, really have not noticed terrible crowds (except on some DB trains) anywhere.

I thought the article was well-written and pretty much on point. For all the naysayers (those of you who actually read the article), was anything you read in there untrue? I doubt it. Barcellona residents are shooting water at tourists. People died in Greece because of the heat. Vacation rentals are getting out of control, and residents can't find affordable housing. Lisbon is a wall of people on the streets. It's not every place—you can certainly find spots where there are no crowds of tourists, especially if you travel off-season. But it's there in the hot spots.

If you don't like to read about it, then don't but that doesn't make it go away. The article is not click-bait and it's not even sensationalistic. It's factual. The cities are desperate to control the situation of over-tourism and tourism is on the rise. I think a lot of it is due to social media, and the need of travelers to succumb to Instagram moments. It's also probably a reaction to being closed in during the pandemic. But I'm just guessing here. Regardless, you can denigrate the article all you want, but it's telling the truth.

I agree with Mardee. It was a well done article covering facts.

I am going to Lisbon next month. It is one of the cities covered in the article. My son and his wife went in 2019 and loved it. I think I may be 5 years too late. I really do try to avoid places that can’t absorb the tourist load.

I was in London for example this past summer. I am sure there were lots of tourists. But except for Westminster bridge in the evening it just seemed like any busy city.

I agree with Mardee and others. It's a good article and it describes real conditions. It's not hyperbole.

My question, though, is what responsibility do we, for whom travel is a passion, have to mitigate the problem? Is it unethical for us to contribute to the problem? Can we travel guilt-free to congested destinations at the most congested time of the year?

I've always had the luxury of being able to travel in the low and shoulder seasons, although what used to be shoulder is now more like high season, and what used to be low is now more like shoulder. But there's a reason summer is when this problem is most severe, because it's when many people have vacation time.

Do we owe it to local residents to stay away during the summer?

No doubt the phenomenon of over tourism exists and a reaction to that took place this summer by those adversely affected , eg the charge of one Euro and the amount netted as a result of the charge, along with protests, etc. ....plainly evident.

I choose to go over during the summer, the most preferable time of the year as well as the most congested time of the year but my itinerary does not include going to the most congested places. Maybe Paris comes closest to that in my itinerary.

As pointed out, Europe is a big place, lots and lots of places are not affected by excessive tourism, inundated by massive numbers of tourists, rather far from it. Much depends on where you choose to go.

As a summer traveler over there, I have no guilt doing my summer trip. I am not contributing to that in my itinerary choices.

Mardee, I always welcome your thoughtful comments. But my take may be somewhat different.

I did read the article. Twice. I do not doubt that the truly factual statements (I do challenge many conclusions) are true. But my questions about the article are twofold.

First, the coverage is entirely negative and hence selective. Where are the voices in the communities talking about the benefits of tourism--the restaurant and hotel owners, those working in the hospitality industry, the numbers regarding the amount in taxes paid by tourists, and especially the interviews with economists talking how much money tourists add to the local economy and the multiplier effects of tourist spending. Surely, there are some benefits, but those benefits are never mentioned. In life, there are trade-offs. This is especially true for communities that receive many tourists.

Second, it seems that too many of the social ills highlighted are attributed mainly, if not solely, to tourism--hot summers (does anybody live in Phoenix?), housing costs ("residents are living in makeshift shacks"), the investment decisions of local governments. I question causation.

I also do not question that the quality of life in some communities in some months for some people has been adversely affected by the number of tourists who visit and that too many tourists, like too much of anything, can be bad, though again the euros those visiting spend have to be considered. But the responsibility for excessive tourism falls on local governments, which often aggressively promoted tourism for decades (like Barcelona) and have failed to properly manage it.

Incidentally, I would welcome a Times article on how the war in Ukraine and other political developments have affected tourism and life in St. Petersburg as a result of a decline in tourism.

Finally, I have grown tired of reading about tourists and bad behavior in the streets. Except for a handful places that draw high numbers of young British men, what percentage of tourists engage in such misconduct?

Watching the German and French news on TV this trip showed the negative reactions, ie, street protests, demonstrations, etc of those affected in Barcelona and the newspapers reported that too. The backlash is certainly real , it will continue.

I sat down to write and first read RJ's post and realized that RJ is so much more gifted a writer than I am; and he hit ever point I had so for me to continue would be redundit. Thank you RJ.

The antidote to overtourism is here - https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/spain/one-spanish-region-where-tourists-are-welcome

It will take time and money to finally convince foreigners that the other 95% of Spain is worth visiting too.

I suspect 90 of the top 100 visited locations in Europe are also fine to visit.

Found this. https://thesavvybackpacker.com/most-visited-cities-in-europe/ out of the top 35 visited cities I have only heard any form of complaint or protest out of 5. Of those 5, who knows if the complaints and protests are representative of the majority opinion or a fringe and that makes for good internet click bait?

There are pragmatic solutions out there, like reservations and otherwise limiting numbers of people in order to not overwhelm the locals. Putting these things into practice is not always so easy, of course. Reasonable people will find a workable middle ground, or so I hope.

Mr. E, thank you for your kind comments. And I appreciate that there are several incredible contributors on these forums who are more sensitive to over-tourism concerns than I am.

My comments are based in part on where I live--across Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans. The city is perhaps too dependent on tourism. But with huge conventions, major sporting events (the Sugar Bowl and the Super Bowl this year), Mardi Gras, the Jazz Fest (which is amazing), and countless other major festivals, the city gets lots of tourists. And regardless of the event, you will never hear anyone here complain that there are too many tourists. In fact, what you will often hear is people being thanked for visiting, especially in the summer months.

Yes, some tourists have too much fun on Bourbon Street, which is a tawdry Disney World for visiting adults. But in the big picture, it seems a small price to pay for the dollars that tourists bring. And tourism is a major reason that the city's food scene is so vibrant and that there are so many outstanding restaurants. Indeed, the restaurant owners in July and August can't wait for fall to come when the conventions and tourists return.

Now, Airbnbs and other short-term rentals have been an issue. The city has introduced a permitting process to address those concerns. I have no idea how successful those efforts have been or will be. But my experience is a place that welcomes tourists, regardless of the number; values their spending; and considers their presence part of daily life.

I am less sensitive to overtourism than I am to innocent local people being hurt by well meaning outsiders that can not begin to understand the local issues, but believe every populist article they read.

Now, Airbnbs and other short-term rentals have been an issue. The city
has introduced a permitting process to address those concerns. I have
no idea how successful those efforts have been or will be.

Success in every situation will have a very unique definition. I would have to understand that definition before I could judge. You are closer to it in N.O. so you probably can. Thats good. For me, your opinnion carries weight.

But my experience is a place that welcomes tourists, regardless of the
number; values their spending; and considers their presence part of
daily life.

I live in a tourist district in a tourist city in Europe. The overwhelming majority of those living in my neighborhood appreciate what tourism has done. The vast majority of the citizens have been winners; but there have been some losers as well. Society will have to decide what to do about that, if anything. Every neighborhood in every city in every country in the world is unique so I wouldn’t compare this to anyone else or suggest a generalized approach.

I am certain that short-term rentals are a problem in many locations. But the cry against them is sort of like the cry of over tourism in Europe. You read it here often “AirBnb is destroying the cities of Europe”. Really? All of them? Sort of doubt it. Generalizations are always wrong and when people forget to think independently innocent people get hurt for no good reason. I push back on all the generalizations for the same reason

Sometimes it’s specific reports have no context with the larger culture and because the reporting is so bad there is really no way to know. Yes, I push back on those too. Yes, there were protests in “X” but who were those people? Were the representative of the majority or just the loudest kids on the block? Why didn’t they pass laws to change things if they represented the majority?

Carlos, other than Barcelona, what other cities and regions make the other five percent of Spain that tourists should not visit? Madrid? Seville?

The problem is that if you tell foreign visitors only some parts of the country welcome tourists, many foreign visitors are going to say no thank you. I have visited Spain once. Loved my visit. But at this time, Spain is not on the radar for future travel.

Because you are an active and much valued contributor on these forums, I suspect you may respond. And I look forward to reading whatever your views you would care to express. But I am interested in knowing what parts of Spain we should consider not visiting.

RJ, I certainly understand how you feel, and perhaps a news source (maybe the NYT) will do a full-feature on travel that looks at all the advantages and disadvantages. But I think this article was to show that there are problems and travelers need to be aware of them. Who knows? Maybe some will say, Hmmm, maybe I'd better find a place to visit that is not so crowded?

It will take time and money to finally convince foreigners that the other 95% of Spain is worth visiting too

Carlos is right. Instagram doesn't help, but there are those out there who advocate for the smaller, lesser-known areas. I wish that Rick Steves would start to focus on more out-of-the-way places. It could be the new "Back Door."

The main roadblock could be that many or most travelers to Europe are probably not making repeat visits, so of course they want to visit the "highlights" they've dreamt about for years, like London, Paris, and Rome. The backdoor or out-of-the-way places are fine if you've had enough of the main attractions. I'd guess a very tiny percentage of travelers can afford annual trips abroad.

Once you've experienced sweaty and stinky people bumping into you at Versailles or the Louvre in August, then you can then move on to less crowded places. After a very welcome shower, of course.

Carlos, other than Barcelona, what other cities and regions make the other five percent of Spain that tourists should not visit? Madrid? Seville?

I think you are taking what I said the wrong way. It's not about only going to one place or the other, but "spreading the love" too much "love" concentrated in only 1-2 places is not a good thing, for both locals and tourists. If you are truly interested in what other regions you could explore in Spain, I suggest following my link, Mikel has an excellent post about that.

Mardee and Carlos, thank you for your responses. A new "Back Door." Mardee, are you interested? Perhaps Carlos could do the Spain chapter.

And I need to broaden my travel interests in Europe and North America and to the Pacific. Perhaps out of ignorance, there are some huge parts of the world I have not visited and do not have a great desire to see. But I would love to visit Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. One day.

Ha ha, that made me laugh, RJ. My daughter keeps telling me I should write a travel book. Actually, that would be a fun idea—to create a book that was collaboratively written by members of this forum.

I'm with you on broadening travel interests. I'm hoping to visit Japan in 2026 (although Japan certainly can get crowded as well), and possibly eastern Europe in late 2025. And South America is one place that's been on my mind for awhile. As Susan Sontag once said, "I haven't been everywhere, but it's on my list." ;-)

You can search for less discovered places in the old familary places or you can broaden the subject and look for totally new
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe/back-doors-to-the-back-doors-of-europe

Interesting note. And remember no two places in Europe are the same, but in Budapest tourism in June, July and August was not that great. Or thats my impression after talking to a few people in unrelated tourism businesses in town. I will wait and rea the number in about 3 months.

However; the first week of September .... the begining of the shoulder season, was very, very, very good. Will it hold? No idea.

Mr E, after American kids are almost all in school after Labor Day, that does make a big difference in crowds. We start school early in August and get out well before Memorial Day, which is a godsend as we can visit the touristy stuff before the hordes arrive, and then it's not much fun at all. On that note a friend hiked a similar trail as ours in Death Valley two weeks later, and they said it was a traffic jam. No thanks.