Travel writer Jan Morris described Venice as ‘this God-built city’. I’ve always wanted to go, but some residents would rather I didn’t. With global tourism set to double by 2050, I don’t blame them.
Every place has a capacity for the number of tourists it can support. Super popular places like Venice will have to limit numbers. There are already too many people taking in the views from St Mark’s Square or the Rialto Bridge at one time, too many daytrippers flooding in, too many short-term holiday lets instead of houses for local people, and too many cruise tourists arriving en masse yet spending very little in the short hours they stay.
Venice is one of the poster children of what's been termed overtourism — where a destination has become so popular that it is overwhelmed by the volume of visitors. We can limit numbers through higher prices, taxes or pre booking and limited ticketing at popular attractions.
The Italian city introduced a tourist tax in April for tourist overnight stays, and a charge of five euros for daytrippers visiting the islands of the Venetian Lagoon. In the UK, Wales and Manchester are bringing in visitor levies while pause has been pressed on the first so-called coastal tourist tax which was coming to Dorset — after objections from hotels.
Places such as Venice are popular because they are beautiful. But if you have ever moved slowly with a crowd down a busy street, or struggled to see a famous building, you’ll know that overtourism obfuscates the experience of visiting the very place you have travelled to see. Yet we rarely stop to imagine how this affects the experience of the people who actually live there. Large-scale protests by furious residents — from the Canary Islands to Mallorca, Barcelona, Dubrovnik — have grown since 2017, hitting the headlines again in recent weeks.
Peak dates see Venice receive an average of 40,000 day-trippers visit the capital of the Veneto region, while here in the country's northeast the resident population has dropped to fewer than 50,000 — from more than four times that. Residents claim they’ve been priced out by the uncontrolled growth of holiday rentals. As rents rise, local businesses struggle to survive and are replaced by international chains.
Residents struggle to navigate busy streets, bear the noise and disturbance of what can be a huge influx of tourists in relation to the local population. And they've lost the ability to pick up everyday goods since souvenir shops have replaced many local stores and businesses, and markets are packed with tourists taking photos but not buying anything.
The same goes for many destinations globally that are deterring rush-hour hit-and-run trips. Look at Miami Beach, which took the bold step of releasing an advert earlier this year actively discouraging the usual revellers to visit this Florida city for the weeks when college students typically descend for their respective breaks, stretching from late February to mid April. Watch Breaking Up With Spring Break.
Last year, Amsterdam went one step further. Google searches for the likes of ‘stag party Amsterdam’ or ‘pub crawl Amsterdam’ brought up an advertising campaign showing videos of tourists in handcuffs to deter would-be travellers looking for a ‘messy night’. Amsterdam wants tourists — but only the right ones.
As visitors, we have a responsibility to the communities we join. We have to protect the places we love, and capping tourism in places such as Venice or Amsterdam can be the right thing to do. I interviewed Venetian residents and tourism experts for a documentary about overtourism called Crowded Out, which I made for our travel company's customers. They don’t want tourism to stop, but they do want a balance.
Here are some things you can do to travel more responsibly, so you don’t add to the growing overtourism problem.
1. If you can, stay longer. You will see more – and spend more.
2. Stay in a hotel rather than a holiday rental. Houses and flats should be for residents to rent or buy.
3. Choose a locally owned hotel over a global chain — money is more likely to end up in the destination.
4. Avoid cruise ships bringing in large groups — these fossil-fuel-powered vessels also make a significant contribution to air pollution, which impacts human health and historic buildings.
5. Plan to visit outside the busiest periods — usually the July and August summer holidays — if possible.
6. Hire a guide with a personal connection to the city. Ask them to share their knowledge to help you avoid overcrowding.
7. Spend your money in the community. Eat at locally owned restaurants — and if you visit markets, buy something local.
8. Support local artisans and makers. Many of these traditions and crafts are being lost, but you can visit craftspeople and help sustain their skills and Indigenous way of life.
9. Consider visiting a similar destination. Some beaches may be having a moment on social — there will be plenty thatare lower profile but just as beautiful.
10. Explore visiting entirely off-season — Venice in winter means not everything will be open, but view that as part of the charm, and enjoy it with fewer people in a mystical monochrome.
Venetians tell me they welcome the ‘right kind’ of tourism and tourists. So when I visit, I plan to be one of these. And at peak times maybe we should be prepared to pay a tourism-tax premium, perhaps the price of a cup of coffee, for the privilege?
