Recent images of frustrated Barcelona residents spraying tourists with water pistols have spread across global news networks, once again thrusting the thorny issue of overtourism into the spotlight. This has led many of us in travel marketing to ask: is technology to blame and, if so, what can we do to mitigate the problem?
Overtourism is not a new problem. On the contrary, the problem of mass tourism has been taking its toll on communities and landscapes for centuries. Back in the 1880s, art critic and Lake District resident, John Ruskin, rallied against a further extension of the railway to Ambleside, describing it as ‘vandalism’ and writing that: ‘the stupid herds of modern tourists let themselves be emptied like coals from a sack at Windermere and Keswick’ – a sentiment that some locals probably still share today.
Fast forward to 2020 and a global lockdown plunged the travel and tourism industry into the abyss. Businesses reliant on tourists closed down en masse and the nearest most of us got to a holiday was sitting in our garden eating a Magnum.
But that all seems a long time ago now. The world has once again flung open its doors, with many local residents in popular tourist hotspots wishing the doors could be closed again completely...or at least left only slightly ajar.
Everybody hates a tourist...
If we’re honest, we all have a love-hate relationship with tourists to some extent. On the one hand, the vast majority of us have been tourists ourselves and will be again in the future. Yet on the other, we've probably all been irritated by fellow travellers at some point. For those of us who live in hotspots like Cornwall, York or Edinburgh, we know all too well the frustration of traffic jams and crammed car parks caused by visitors to the area or soaring house prices as out of towners buy up second homes. Similarly, how often have we shrank in shame at reports of yet more British tourists misbehaving abroad? But that said, when seeing the recent images of Barcelona residents squirting bemused tourists with water pistols, I actually felt pretty outraged. I mean, how dare they?!
OK, so spraying a bit of water over Glenda and Steve from Pontefract isn’t exactly Tiananmen Square levels of protest, and actually, when you drill down a little into why the locals did it, it’s hard not to appreciate their frustration and anger. And in many ways, their tactics got a heck of a lot of media attention (à la Just Stop Oil).
But still, poor Glenda and Steve. Nobody likes a soggy paella.
Why overtourism is a problem
At the heart of the protest is Barcelona’s overwhelming influx of tourists – a problem felt by popular cities and resorts across the world. More often than not, these hotspots simply don’t have the infrastructure to deal with such large numbers of visitors, often leading to environmental damage, strained local resources and diminished quality of life for residents. Some countries, including Japan, New Zealand and Malaysia, have even introduced a tourist tax, with the money being used to protect their respective cultural heritage and environment, and to perhaps put off those unsure of coming just a tiny bit to reduce numbers.
Technology – a double-edged sword?
Technology has significantly contributed to the rise of overtourism. Back in John Ruskin’s time, it was the expansion of the railway system which was being blamed for overtourism, but nowadays, it’s digital media that falls under the microscope. The digital age means we are brought much closer to our dream destinations. Social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram showcase the best a place has to offer, often crafted through the rose-tinted lens of influencers. At the touch of a button, we can get the lowdown from other customers on pretty much anywhere in the world via Tripadvisor or Google Reviews – all great for social proofing and helping the user make informed decisions.
But, while platforms like Tripadvisor are great for putting top-rated destinations under our noses, such convenience comes at a cost. By consistently promoting the same popular spots, travellers tend to end up being funnelled towards a limited number of destinations, meaning other places that are often just as good are left in the shadows. This is evident in destinations such as Venice – renowned for overtourism – where one report has found that foreigners’ reviews systematically rate tourist experiences’ quality higher than non-foreigners’ reviews, leading to a distorted perception of quality.
Similarly, the way algorithms work on Facebook, TikTok and co, particularly in the last decade, have only exacerbated the issue. We all know the drill – buy a sofa and you’ll be bombarded with sponsored ads for new sofas for the next few weeks. Watch a video about Bali sent to you by a friend and chance are you’ll be served up five more in quick succession. It's easy for the likes of Meta and Google to keep throwing more of the same at you as their goal is to keep you engaged and on their platforms, rather than potentially serving something that you might not like and risk losing you.
Harnessing technology to mitigate overtourism
When it comes to the relationship between tourism and technology, there’s an element of ‘give with one hand and take away with the other’, Yes, technology plays a part in overtourism, but on the flipside, it also holds the potential to offer solutions.
The continued rise of digital marketing has been instrumental in bringing lesser-known destinations into the limelight. A good example of this is Albania where social media has played a huge role in spreading the word about this beautiful, yet largely tourist-free country.
We are no longer constricted to choosing where to go off the back of a travel brochure or advert. By highlighting the unique attractions of these under-visited places, digital marketing can help redistribute tourist traffic. It can also help tourist find cheaper alternatives (known as ‘destination dupes’), e.g., choosing Budapest over Paris or Berlin.
Additionally, digital marketing can be harnessed to educate tourists about the impact of overtourism. An online campaign launched in Amsterdam last year triggered warning ads whenever anyone in the UK entered ‘stag party Amsterdam’ or ‘pub crawl Amsterdam’ into a search engine, alerting people of the of the possible consequences of bad behaviour, i.e. hefty fines, arrests or deportation.
An altogether less controversial tactic was employed by Airbnb back in 2021, whereby the online holiday rental brand rolled out flexible search features that diverted bookings away from destinations at times when overtourism or peak travel times occur, encouraging tourists to seek accommodation in alternative cities or towns.
Another bit of tech ingenuity was the ‘Feel Florence’ app, developed by the city of Florence to manage overtourism in real time. Through data collection from sensors deployed across the city, this app informs tourists which attractions are subject to overcrowding, suggesting alternative, less crowded, places to visit.
Campaigns such as these listed above owe their success to technology and being able to reach a wide, digital audience.
The future of travel and technology: a balancing act
Sadly, overtourism is a problem that isn’t going away anytime soon. Whether it’s 10 years, 50 years or 100 years in the future, people will still want to marvel at Mount Fuji, go scuba diving in the great Barrier Reef or wander along Las Ramblas in Barcelona. It’s how we in travel marketing, and tourists in general, take steps to mitigate overcrowding through sustainable and responsible tourism.
Some travel and tourism brands, as demonstrated above, are blazing a trail, but perhaps we also need to look to tech giants, policymakers and local governments to really set the ball rolling. Whether that’s through diversifying algorithms so we aren’t all funnelled towards the same destinations, or through investment in resources, transport links and infrastructure that support sustainable tourism, that’s a conversation unfortunately outside our remit. But what we in travel marketing CAN do is keep finding new, innovative ways to put sustainable travel front and centre in our marketing strategies, both now and in the future.
