As tourism demand is booming worldwide, the problem of over-tourism is becoming a growing challenge in famous tourist destinations. In Europe and the United States, efforts to curb tourism are accelerating, including tourist taxes, restrictions on the number of visitors, and restrictions on private lodging. In Japan, congestion and poor etiquette in some areas and at certain times of the day have affected residents' lives, and travelers' satisfaction has declined.

Travel Voice has re-examined the problem of over-tourism. It defines the situation in the world, explains Japan's current situation, and has published a report to solve and curb over-tourism.

The PDF version of this report can be downloaded for free (email newsletter subscribers only, registration required).

The challenge is not "pollution," but coexistence with local communities.

The phenomenon is called "tourism pollution" in that the number of tourists visiting a particular place or time exceeds the capacity of the area, placing a burden on the local area, but it is not “pollution".

The burden caused by the increase in visitors was first focused on the negative impact on the natural environment, such as the ecosystem, and ecotourism was proposed as an alternative to mass tourism. In recent years, coexistence with local communities has also become an issue. Since 2010, the spread of the issue through media and SNS has also been large.

The European Committee for Transport and Tourism (TRAN) classifies issues into three categories: "environment", "economy", and "society". UN Tourism also suggests that management and development in a sustainable way for both visitors and local communities will lead to problem solving.

In Europe, some destinations have emerged that declare that "everyone is welcome at any time", and this is also affecting travelers' choice of destinations, Some travel agencies have announced a policy of not handling large cruises or group tours with more than a certain number of people. "Under Tourism", which involves traveling to hidden spots, is also a notable trend.

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Tourist taxes and private lodging regulations

Amsterdam, Netherlands, which is particularly environmentally conscious, announced a policy of shifting from "destination promotion to destination management" in its 10-year plan "Perspective 2030" in 2019. It has set a cap on the number of hotel nights per year (20 million nights) and has a tourist tax of 12.5%, the highest in Europe.

Barcelona, Spain, plans not to grant new private lodging licenses after 2028, nor to renew existing licenses. Madrid has temporarily frozen the issuance of new licenses since April 2024, and it is said that the housing and transportation shortages are the reasons behind this.

Even in Asian beach resorts, trial and error continues to explore the balance between preserving the natural environment and developing the tourism industry.

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Japan drew up a countermeasure package

In Japan, the problem of over-tourism has been raised in various tourist destinations due to the sharp increase in inbound tourists since the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, at the Ministerial Conference for Promoting a Tourism-Based Nation, the government decided on a countermeasure package based on three pillars: dealing with excessive congestion and violations of manners due to the concentration of tourists, promoting tourism in rural areas, and promoting tourism in collaboration with local residents, and is providing comprehensive support.

Pioneer model areas were selected in 2024. The government supports regional measures in a variety of areas, including harmonizing rural landscapes with tourism, tourism management based on the protection of World Heritage sites, and decentralizing travelers from overcrowded areas.

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