Overtourism Causes, Implications and Solutions

The term ‘overtourism’ has come into prominence since 2017 and refers to the fact that, due to various factors such as more sophisticated marketing strategies, a large number of tourists visit the same place at the same time. The consequences are felt by the locals, the tourists themselves as well as the environment. As a result, tourismphobia and anti-tourism movements have emerged as ways for locals to reclaim their lifestyle by refusing to interact with visitors and sometimes discouraging them to visit.

This book presents new research on this emerging phenomenon and discusses the main causes and implications before putting forward possible solutions. The authors take an interpretivist approach in order to unveil aspects of overtourism that have not yet been discussed. It provides case studies and explores topics such as tourism education, overtourism of cultural and heritage sites, and the need for sustainable tourism development.

1. Introduction

Part 1: Reframing Overtourism

2. Overtourism: Definitions, Enablers, Impacts and Managerial Challenges

3. Overtourism in Rural Areas

4.  Between Overtourism and Under-tourism: Impacts, Implications, and Probable Solutions

5. The Construction of ‘Overtourism’: The Case of UK Media Coverage of Barcelona’s 2017 Tourism Protests and their Aftermath

6. Tourist Tracking Techniques as a Tool to Understand and Manage Tourism Flows

7. Case Study 1: Overtourism in Valletta:  Reality or Myth

PART II: Stakeholders and their Initiatives to Tackle Overtourism and Related Perverse Impacts

8. Tackling Overtourism and Related Perverse Impacts Using DMO Website as a Tool of Social Innovation

9. Overtourism: How the International Organisations Are Seeing It?

10. Overtourism at Heritage and Cultural Sites

11. Overtourism: Creative Solutions by Creative Residents

12. Case Study 2: Broadly Engaging with Interaction Between Visitors and Locals: Towards Understanding Tourismphobia and Anti-tourism Movements

13. Case Study 3: “Overtourism” on Scotland’s North Coast 500? Issues and Potential Solutions

14. Case study 4: Overtourism: The Case of the Palace of Versailles

15. Case Study 5: A Paradox of the UNESCO “World Heritage” Label? The Case of the Way of St James of Compostela in France

Part III: Overtourism and Tourism Education

16. ABC of Overtourism Education

17. PRME: The Way Forward to Deal with Overtourism and Related Perverse Impacts

18. Education as a Strategy to Tackle Over Tourism for Overtourism and Inclusive Sustainability in the 21^st Century

19. Education as a Way to Tackle Overtourism: The Application of the Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME)

20. Case Study 6:Mainstreaming Overtourism Education for Sustainable Behavioral Change in Kenya’s Tourism Industry Context

21. Case Study 7: Principles of Responsible Management Education as a Tool to Tackle Overtourism: Potentials and Limitations for the University of Catania

22. Conclusion