The overtourism phenomenon (or better collection of phenomena) is not new. The externalities of tourism have been extensively researched since the 70s!!! Nevertheless – and sadly enough – it has required a media-hype and a catchy term for those to be perceived as attention-worthy by the tourism and cruise sector. Perhaps the tourism and cruise sector are taking more than their fair-share of ‘shaming’, but either way… at the end of the day, the key is to actively address the real problems at a local-, case-by-case, manner, as opposed to reacting to populism with equally generalistic and abstract reports and objectives.
The problems are place- and time-specific… thus, so should be the solutions too. Not in 2030 or 2040, but now!
My presentation can be downloaded here