How the Travel Boom Is Taking a Toll on the World's Most Beloved Destinations

You’ve seen them at tourist spots like the Louvre in Paris, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and even White Beach in Boracay—swarms of vacationers flocking to a single attraction, posing for pictures in every corner imaginable.
The official name of the global problem plaguing trendy destinations:
As the 20th most visited city in the world, Barcelona was at its tipping point. A city with a population of 1.6 million received an estimated 30 million overnight visitors in 2017.
What might seem like a harmless trip to a World Heritage site for some people, could be the disruption of everyday life for
British travel agency Responsible Travel further illustrates this by listing certain instances: “When rent prices push out local tenants to make way for holiday rentals… when narrow roads become jammed with tourist vehicles… when wildlife is scared
Tourism isn’t to blame, but as with everything else, a line needs to be drawn when there is too much. There are more travelers now than ever, with the costs of travel becoming cheaper, a richer middle class, and new developments, like the rise of
What overtourism looks like around the world
The displaced locals of Barcelona
Last year, locals began aggressively rallying for tourists to leave their homeland. As the 20th most visited city in the world, Barcelona was at its tipping point. A city with a population of 1.6 million received an estimated 30 million overnight visitors in 2017. On top of that, investors began buying
Machu Picchu cracks down on the tourist problem
The UNESCO World Heritage site originally had a capacity of only 2,500 on a daily basis, but the destination had recently been getting up to 5,000 visitors. To make matter worse, tourists took home rocks, climbed on the stone structures, or
Bid goodbye to enormous cruise ships in Venice
A dwindling number of 55,000 residents live in Venice, and they are outnumbered by the 120,000 that come to visit in a day. In the last quarter of 2017, Italian transport minister Graziano Delrio announced that cruise ships that weigh over 55,000 tons will not be allowed to dock at the Venice city center by the year 2021. This came after many locals complained that massive ships pollute their waters and damage valued infrastructure. The ships will instead take a different route and dock at the industrial town of Marghera. Mayor Luigi Brugnaro has also authorized the implementation of a new fining system that will collect €500 from tourists who wheel noisy suitcases across the historic city and charges those who litter, loiter, and swim in the canals.
The closure of Maya Bay and Boracay
Two of the most pristine beaches in the world, Maya Bay located in the Phi Phi Islands and our very own Boracay Island, both announced a temporary closure this year to recuperate from the destruction that
As for Boracay, President Rodrigo Duterte gave the go signal for the island’s six-month rehabilitation in April. Before its closure, it received around 968,000 visitors in the year 2017 alone. On July 11, Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu said that the island will officially reopen on October 26, saying, “Boracay is no longer a cesspool,” reports GMA News.
A number of affected cities have taken drastic measures to prevent tourists from outnumbering the locals. But the issue of