28-05-2025
The impact of overtourism on countries and your role as a conscious traveller
A beautiful island becomes a backdrop for a hit show, and within weeks, the hotel bookings skyrocket. A beach or mountain view goes viral on Instagram, and soon, there are more selfie sticks than trees. While these OTT shows and social media influences wanderlust travellers, locals in destinations like Spain's Canary Islands, Mount Fuji's Dream Bridge in Japan and Thailand's Koh Samui island have raised red flags regarding the increasing number of tourists, with some areas even holding anti-tourism protests to reduce the numbers.
These landscapes are crumbling under the footfall of tourists. The question is no longer where you travel but how responsibly you choose to do it.
Locals of the Canary Islands in Spain protested against mass tourism, urging authorities to limit the number of visitors to protect residents from rising housing rents, traffic and environmental degradation. They marched with banners of 'Canaries have a limit'. The government has now demanded that Airbnb, a vacation rental company, remove more than 65,000 unlicensed holiday listings and is rolling out stricter regulations from July 1.
Meanwhile, Mount Fuji's Dream Bridge in Japan has also become a victim of overtourism, with many tourists trying to get that perfect shot of the photogenic view of Mount Fuji. Built back in 2016, the local authorities had introduced free parking, and a sign board in several languages to attract more tourists and click pictures quietly. However, it is now struggling as locals have reported many illegal parking and tourists trespassing into private properties while also being very loud, all just to get that perfect shot. The bridge attracts up to 1,000 visitors daily, leading to a host of problems.
But this is not all, the island of Koh Samui in Thailand has also seen a surge in tourism, thanks to the latest season of The White Lotus being shot there. Hotels where the series was shot saw a 40 per cent hike in bookings, while searches for trips to the destination increased by 115 per cent from Singapore, 95 per cent from the United States, and 70 per cent from Australia. This surge resulted in overburdening the resources with an already growing population of the island.
'When travel and pop culture meet virality, hidden destinations become a part of everyone's list,' explains Tavleen Bhatia, chief marketing and revenue officer, Cleartrip, adding, 'Social media platforms or popular OTT shows aren't the problem, but they speed things up, helping us discover these places faster than ever.' Often, this causes an influx of more tourists than the local economy can support.
The damage is most visible through environmental degradation.'Mount Everest is littered with trash. In Bali, snorkellers come face to face with trash discarded by those before them,' shares Keshav Arya, partner at travel company PureLuxe by KFT. He adds: 'It also impacts animal behaviour and natural ecosystems. Gentrification is a major reason for anti-tourism protests. Short-term rentals are forcing out local inhabitants, leading to a housing crisis and impacting small businesses."
As these picturesque locations grapple with overtourism, the need of the hour is conscious travelling and the responsibilities of a traveller when they visit such destinations. 'Conscious travel starts with awareness. Choosing direct flights over multiple layovers, and using public transport or walking tours where possible, can go a long way. Small actions like carrying reusable water bottles and packing light. The idea is to slow down, immerse more, and tread lighter,' suggests Hari Ganapathy, Co-founder at Pickyourtrail, adding, 'Learning about local customs, traditions, and etiquette before you arrive shows respect and helps build more meaningful connections. Small steps, like learning a few local phrases, understanding cultural norms, can lead to more meaningful and responsible journeys.'
Slow travel is a sustainable as well as enjoyable way to travel in the future. Pritish Shah, Founder of A Travel Duet, suggests taking road trips over internal flights, staying longer in places to truly experience them rather than touch and go, and getting away from the cities to enjoy cleaner and greener pastures. 'In travel, people still follow the herd mentality, going to the same places where other travellers end up going. Orienting themselves [travellers] to the basics of any culture they are about to experience is a first. It is a sign of respect to the host in their destination. It also means you are genuinely interested in their culture,' he adds.
