Overtourism: 20 cities that could be the next to suffer – will they cope with rise in visitors, or struggle?
- As tourism increases year by year, many destinations find themselves struggling to cope with the impact of rising numbers of visitors
- Will tourism infrastructure in cities such as Jakarta, Bangkok, Seoul, Auckland, and Ho Chi Minh City grow fast enough to meet growth in tourism?
Amsterdam, Venice, Barcelona, Paris – the poster children for overtourism are well-known. Now, 20 more cities are on alert lest they turn into the future face of the problem, according to a new report from the World Travel & Tourism Council and commercial real estate firm JLL.
Another 13 cities – called “mature performers” – were described as having an established tourism infrastructure, strong leisure or business travel, and good positioning to manage current growth levels. “But there is a risk of future strains related to visit volume, infrastructure or activity that is testing readiness for additional growth,” the report says. It lists Auckland, Berlin, Dublin, Las Vegas, Lisbon, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Miami, New York, Seoul, Seville, and Sydney in this category.
“Over the past few years … several destinations, and cities in particular, have been criticised in the media for the under- management of travel and tourism and the stresses that visitor numbers have put on urban systems and residents,” the report says.
