In brief
The ongoing struggle against overtourism highlights the difficulty of balancing local wellbeing with economic incentives from tourism growth.
In recent years, cities worldwide have grappled with the overwhelming presence of tourists, often at the expense of local residents’ quality of life. Dubrovnik, Croatia, stands as a stark example, where summertime visitors greatly outnumber the resident population, and the historic city center becomes a crowded hub of wanderers snapping selfies. Despite local government efforts to mitigate the influx, such as implementing regulations aimed at controlling visitor numbers, tourism continues to surge—with 2024 reporting a 9% increase in arrivals compared to the previous year, according to Croatian Minister of Tourism, Tonci Glavina.This tension between tourist demands and local integrity highlights a broader issue seen in many destinations grappling with overtourism. As hotspots from Amsterdam to the Canary Islands experience protests and new restrictions aimed at managing tourism impacts, experts emphasize the complex interplay of economic interests involved in both attracting and accommodating visitors. Rachel Dodds, a tourism management professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, puts it bluntly: “The hard truth is that once overtourism has arrived, it’s exceedingly difficult to turn back the clock.” The conversation around this issue is not new. Since at least 2010, experts have warned that many places were nearing or exceeding their tourist capacity, leading cities like Amsterdam and Barcelona to initiate measures for managing tourism-related wear, particularly concerning infrastructure and local housing markets.As 2025 progresses, the tourism industry and local governments are faced with key challenges in adapting to or controlling the upswell of visitor numbers. As efforts continue to emerge, the evidence regarding effective solutions remains scant, prompting questions about whether tourism can ever be truly restrained once it's fully unleashed. The impending changes may highlight an inevitable reality: balancing the benefits of tourism with the need for sustainable living conditions for local inhabitants is a delicate and ongoing challenge.
