She has a Bachelor's degree in Economics and Politics from the LUMS. She has previously worked at the Research and Development Foundation (RDF) as a research associate.
Introduction
The movement of people—short-term and long-term—is as old as humans themselves. This makes tourism a part of the global heritage and a positive aspect of the Anthropos. Earlier, Homo sapiens moved out of Africa 60,000 years ago and spread all over the world. The search for newer trade routes, foraging routes, marriage networks, and alliances continued the movement of people. There is extensive research on voyages in the past carried out by people living near the sea, such as the Polynesians. These voyages were carried out to conduct trade, exchange gifts, enter into marriages, and expand social links. Hence, tourism at that time didn’t contain disadvantages.
So, tourism is not a recent or Western phenomenon. However, a boom in the transport industry has changed its form and made it more accessible and recreational. From an anthropological lens, tourism offers opportunities for visitors to learn about different ways of living. Western beliefs and norms are usually upheld as the ultimate standards. This raises ethnocentricism among people and scholars of the West as they use their set beliefs to judge other cultures.
Tourism: Transcending Boundaries
Tourism, if done responsibly and sustainably, is a way to deconstruct such rigid views by opening people’s worldviews to other cultures. Authentic exposure to different cultures thus provides people with opportunities to develop a sense of cultural relativism and sensitivity.
From an economic point of view, tourism generates revenue and economic activity. Many countries have based their economies around tourism and related sectors. Tourism brings jobs and business activity to the locals. It also attracts foreign direct investment (FDI) in areas such as hospitality and air travel. For example, the Maldives comprises 1,190 islands, attracting tourists for adventure, recreation, relaxation, and scenic beauty. The tourism industry in the Maldives directly contributes to 30% of its GDP. Many countries, including Pakistan, are trying to increase tourism to reap such economic benefits.
Internationally, tourism creates a soft image of countries. This is particularly important since the world is moving towards soft power. Political scientist Joseph Nye defined soft power as a country’s ability to influence others without coercive pressure. Tourism helps fortify cultural diplomacy, business ties, people-to-people contacts, and diplomatic networks. This adds to the diplomatic weight and bargaining power of the country at international forums.
Over-tourism and Its Causes
Over-tourism, as the name suggests, is a phenomenon whereby too many visitors visit certain places of interest, causing environmental, physical, social, and cultural harm to the places. There is no set threshold for the number of people that leads to over-tourism. The phenomenon is more context-specific and demands a need for sustainable tourism. For example, Hallstatt, a town in Austria, has a small population of 800 residents. But, it sees an influx of 10,000 visitors per day. Places around the world are already affected by over-tourism. It will only get worse from here. The World Tourism Organisation estimates that by 2030, the number of international tourists will surpass 1.8 billion.
Firstly, a post-pandemic recovery in the tourism industry worldwide has added to the current wave of over-tourism. Tourism was the largest hit industry due to the COVID-19 pandemic, banning travel across countries. As the pandemic ended, travel restrictions were lifted and the number of tourists increased. The boom in tourism after the pandemic is also known as revenge travel or revenge spending, particularly up-ticking luxury travel.
Secondly, the rise of social media has increased the popularity of specific travel destinations. The latest trends and posts of social media influencers propel people to visit more travel destinations and check them off on their bucket lists. The artificial world of social media creates the need for instant likes by uploading content on social media. The number of places visited matters in the world of social media rather than the quality of the real-life experiences of travel. This type of tourism, in return, leads to the destruction of landscapes and is not sustainable.
Thirdly, the world population of eight billion people has added to the number of people visiting places. The world is under a middle-class boom with 4.4 billion people. The phenomenon of over-tourism is also attributed to the growing number of people who can afford to travel.
One of the disadvantages of tourism is that it is concentrated in specific hot spots. Murmuration is a French start-up that tracks the environmental impact of tourism by using satellite imaging. It found that 80% of the world’s tourists visit only 10% of the world’s tourist destinations. The number of tourists is increasing and is projected to reach 1.8 billion people by 2030. However, the number of destinations remains finite and concentrated. This increases the problem of over-tourism.
The technological and connectivity boom has made travel easier than ever before. Tickets can be booked with a click of a button. Information about affordable packages is readily available to the people. The hospitality industry has undergone a revolution with newer players, such as Airbnb, providing affordable and convenient hotels. Google Translate reduces the language barrier increasing access of visitors to tourist spots. Similarly, Google Maps increases the ease of travel for tourists in foreign countries.
Additionally, remote and hybrid work opportunities have increased the prospects of people to travel while working. Working nomads carry out their tasks remotely from across the world in caravans and homes-on-wheels without having a permanent residence. Lastly, the COVID-19 pandemic has also changed the perception of people towards life. There is a growing momentum among people to travel the world under the movement of “YOLO (You Only Live Once).” All these reasons have increased the scale of tourism for many years causing over-tourism.
Disadvantages of Unchecked Tourism
Overcrowding
An immediate impact of over-tourism is overcrowding in the places of tourism and the cities of tourist destinations. Venice has a population of 257,777 people while over 30 million tourists visit the place annually. This has caused bumper-to-bumper canal traffic blocking the movement of residents and tourists alike. This does not bode well for the tourists. The experience of tourists is impacted by overcrowding. They are caught in long queues at the locations. They are held up on the waiting lists for tickets during peak seasons.
Many posts on Instagram and TikTok put forth a stark difference between the expectations and reality of tourist destinations such as Bali. The expectation is depicted as a serene view of the beaches allowing visitors to relax. The reality is a crowd-filled beach and long queues with hardly any place to breathe. The experience of the visitors is compromised due to over-tourism.
Environmental Degradation
The climate and environment of the places are at risk of degradation because of over-tourism. A direct implication of over-tourism is littering on tourist sites and cities. The sites also undergo wear and tear because of excessive use and misuse. Alarmingly, environmental features and landscapes are also damaged because of over-tourism. For example, coral reefs such as the Great Barrier Reef and Maya Bay, Thailand are negatively affected by tourism. The visitors damage the reefs by diving and touching the corals. The travel boats also damage the reefs in the process of anchoring in the waters.
One of the largest disadvantages of excessive tourism for the environment is the greenhouse gas emissions which are accelerating global warming. These emissions have increased significantly because of over-tourism. By 2030, carbon emissions from tourism-related transport are expected to increase by 25% from 2016.
Effects on the Locals
Tourists bring their cultures to the travel destinations. This way, local cultures are changed by the foreign cultural traits diffused through interactions. For example, the local salsa in Mexico is losing its level of spice to accommodate the influx of visitors and workers from the USA because they prefer it less spicy. From an anthropological lens, this alarmingly raises the need for cultural preservation.
Similarly, the Hula dance of the native Hawaiian people, erstwhile performed as a ritual offering to natives’ gods at specific times, has transformed and become a performance for tourists. How is this different from the effects of colonialization on the natives’ lives and cultures? Over-tourism is therefore a concern for the local culture of people.
Tourists visit destinations without any cultural sensitivity. They continue to view everything from their cultural lens often leading to disrespect towards the local people and cultures. The most immediate lack of respect for the locals is the way tourists dress. For example, signs and posters ask tourists not to wear swimsuits on the streets of Gili islands in Bali to respect the local Muslim population. However, these signs are easily ignored.
Holy sites such as temples are visited without concern for the sacred beliefs of the locals. There have been instances of liquor being brought to holy sites. People disrespectfully trespass into the banned or reserved quarters of holy spots often damaging the sites.
The master-slave dialectic of Hegel and the subject-object phenomenon of Sartre are also applicable to the tourists’ irresponsible behavior. Tourists, visiting places for a short period, view the local people merely as objects or facilitators for their travel. They do not consider the disadvantages and effects of uncontrolled tourism on the daily lives of the people living there. Over-tourism affects the daily lives of the local people almost to the point of extraction and exploitation.
The increase in the demand for goods and services because of the influx of tourists drives the prices up. Tourists may complain that the places are too expensive and adjust their travel packages accordingly. Ultimately, the brunt of the inflation is borne by the local people who have to make ends meet with minimal wages.
The locals also get evicted by landlords and large corporations in a bid to turn the residences of the locals into commercial hotels for tourists. Apart from this Trail of Tears of eviction, locals also face soaring prices of rent and houses because of heightened demand for residence from over-tourism.
While tourism is a way to increase employment opportunities for the locals, over-tourism reduces employment prospects for the locals. Due to the heavy influx of tourists from the West, locals do not get employment unless they know the English language. The exploitation of local areas is carried out because proceeds from the tourism industry are not invested back into those areas. Either the multi-national corporations (MNCs) operating the industry carry the profits away or the states amass the proceeds from tourism at the center. In both cases, local people and the sites are deprived of their legitimate share of proceeds from tourism.
Pushback Against Over-tourism
There has been pushback from the local communities in the form of protests and demands against over-tourism in Hallstatt (Austria), Venice, France, Scotland, Amsterdam, Dubrovnik (Croatia) etc. Graffiti in Barcelona aptly reflects the locals’ feelings, “Tourist: Your Luxury Trip. My Daily Misery.”
Pushback from the locals has caused many countries and places to put several limitations. Venice has imposed a 5 euro charge on visiting the city. Although this appears to be a small charge, this deters many day travelers from visiting Venice.
Greece has set a cap of 20,000 visitors per day on the site of the Acropolis. Amsterdam has banned cruise ships to curb pollution and limit tourists. Italy has established no waiting zones in Portofino to stop tourists from taking too many selfies and blocking movement. Bali has also set rules for dressing appropriately on the streets.
Responsible and Sustainable Tourism
First and foremost, responsible and sustainable tourism has to start from within the individuals. Travelers must respect the local customs and treat the local people as human beings. In a world of connectivity, people are no longer oblivious to other cultures. Tourists, in their capacities, should look for cultural norms before going to tourist destinations. Similarly, tourism advertisements should also include messages for cultural sensitivity and respect.
Social media influencers have already set trends and targets for travel destinations. Through the power of their reach, social media influencers must also spread cultural sensitivity to their target audience and followers. To preserve the rights of the locals and facilitate sustainable tourism, it falls on the governments to regulate corporations within the tourism industry so that they do not harm the locals and prioritize their well-being. The states should also invest the proceeds from tourism in these areas to promote the interests of the local people.
Governments should facilitate the locals in establishing their businesses for tourists. Encouraging local businesses will ensure that the MNCs do not monopolize the proceeds of the tourism industry. Instead of an extractive and exploitative model of tourism often portrayed as a form of neo-colonialism, a responsible and sustainable model of tourism should be adopted to benefit the lives of the local population.
To reduce overcrowding, tourists must be redirected to lesser-known tourist spots. 80% of the tourists visit 10% of the world’s tourist spots adding to the phenomenon of over-tourism. Newer places must be explored and shared to spread the traffic of tourism. For example, Kyoto has taken steps to ban tourist influx in some areas and promote their movement to lesser-known spots.
Conclusion
Tourism is part of the global heritage often bringing benefits to the places visited. However, the growing phenomenon of over-tourism is causing physical, environmental, social, and cultural damage to tourist spots and cities. Due to the concentration of wealth and profits in the hands of the few, and the exploitation of the locals, some analysts have also attributed tourism to neo-colonialism. All this raises the need for adopting responsible and sustainable tourism because a tourist’s luxury may be a local’s misery.
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