Key Takeaways
⇢ Both natural and urban destinations suffer degradation when visitor numbers exceed the capacity of their core assets, i.e., ecosystems in nature and local way of life in cities.
⇢ Overtourism leads to housing displacement (Airbnb conversion), public‑realm crowding (streets, transport), amenity strain (water, energy, green space) and loss of social cohesion.
⇢ Visitors can mitigate impact—favor local businesses, avoid global chains, research labor standards, and engage respectfully with community needs.
Summary
a. Tourism pressure on local lives:
○ 90 % of visitors focus on areas such as the historic old town and waterfront promenade, amplifying crowding, noise and congestion in a footprint that was once designed only to serve residents’ daily lives.
○ Airbnb‑style rentals and hotel conversions remove thousands of units from the local market and make the remaining too expensive for locals to rent or own.
○ International food chains drive business away from local markets, impacting the local economy.
b. Many cities set quantitative visitor‑capacity limits; however, the priorities are not aligned or coordinated across municipal, regional and national levels, leading to ad‑hoc advertisement and limitations.
c. Case of San Sebastian:
○ Over the past 14 years, San Sebastián’s evolution from a modest food‑and‑beaches destination into an international magnet has strained its urban fabric.
○ A small city of 188 K residents now hosts over 1 million overnight visitors plus day‑trippers annually—driving a 10 % daily population surge and 50 % growth in tourist beds (2017–2023).
○ In San Sebastián, two‑thirds of people under 35 still live with parents because the average price of housing is around €6 000/m², owing to the increasing market price due to Airbnbs and other similar tourist apartments.
○ Cruising ships bring a flock of tourists who only consume and contribute to emissions but do not contribute to the local economy because they live, eat, and spend money on the cruise.
d. Regenerative tourism: we need initiatives to ensure tourism income is redistributed and reinvested in town and benefit locals.
How can Cities apply these learnings?
a. Set quantitative visitor‑capacity limits with policy alignment at national, regional, and local level.
b. Regulate short‑term rentals: freeze new licences and convert existing units only via conditional permits tied to local need.
c. Synchronize regulations on cruise calls, land‑use and transport.
d. Introduce or boost tourist taxes and earmark 100 % for public transport, green‑space maintenance and housing subsidies.
Ideas for further reading
a. Tourism and Sustainability: Development, globalisation and new tourism in the Third World – Book by Martin Mowforth, Ian Munt.
b. García Hernández, M., Ivars Baidal, J., & Mendoza de Miguel, S. (2019). Overtourism in urban destinations: the myth of smart solutions. *Boletín de la Asociación de Geógrafos Españoles*. DOI: 10.21138/bage.2830.
1 Comment
Leandro Turner
There is definately a lot to find out about this subject. I like all the points you made