The Impact Of Overtourism On Iconic Landmarks And How Cities Are Responding

Published on August 25, 2025

Tourism is 1 of nan world’s fastest-growing industries, pinch millions of group walking each twelvemonth to spot celebrated landmarks and to immerse themselves successful caller cultures. Unfortunately, pinch truthful galore group heading to nan aforesaid hotspots, immoderate places person go truthful overcrowded that nan acquisition suffers, and nan charm that first attracted visitors is fading. Although accrued recreation has helped section economies successful galore cities, communities are now seeing nan downsides of wide tourism. As a result, location are urgent requests for smarter and much sustainable ways for each of america to research nan globe.

Cities for illustration Paris, Venice, and Barcelona are struggling pinch noise, litter, and packed streets because visitors support streaming successful to spot celebrated spots. With much group heading to nan Eiffel Tower, St. Mark’s Square, and La Sagrada Familia, section officials interest that nan cities can’t support up while still protecting their civilization and keeping nan regular life of residents livable. Here are nan 8 tourer spots worldwide that are nan astir stuffed pinch visitors correct now:

Paris, France: Overbooked Landmarks and Packed Tourist Areas

The City of Light has been a bucket-list metropolis for ages, pulling successful visitors to nan Eiffel Tower, nan Louvre, and Notre-Dame twelvemonth aft year. Paris deed a staggering 30 cardinal guests successful 2019, making it nan globe’s astir visited municipality center. Yet dozens of group now hover astir each must-see selfie point, pinch hour-long queues, shorter opening hours, and regular accent connected nan buses, metros, and streets nan city’s residents use.

Timed entry, limit connected regular visitors, and integer tickets are already successful play, but nan Eiffel Tower’s steps still look for illustration nan departures area of a engaged airport, and nan locals kick nan metropolis that erstwhile felt for illustration a cool concealed now feels for illustration a photograph booth.

Venice, Italy: A City Struggling pinch Mass Tourism

Venice, pinch its breathtaking canals and centuries-old palaces, draws millions each year, and successful 2019, complete 20 cardinal group arrived. This jewel, named a UNESCO World Heritage site, is now successful situation because its ancient streets and waterways can’t grip specified immense crowds. Every day, nan tides and nan visitors put unit connected nan aforesaid constrictive passageways and vulnerable buildings.

In response, metropolis leaders are rolling retired plans to easiness nan strain. Soon visitors will salary a mini entranceway fee, and immoderate crowded squares will person controlled access. Officials besides propose time trips to nan beautiful towns astir Venice, truthful visitors tin bask nan civilization without swamping nan metropolis itself.

Barcelona, Spain: Balancing Cultural Preservation pinch Mass Tourism

Barcelona has dazzled visitors for decades pinch Gaudí’s masterpieces, particularly nan Sagrada Família and Park Güell. The numbers are staggering: much than 30 cardinal visitors rushed done nan superior of Catalonia successful 2019 alone. Streets for illustration La Rambla and nan Gothic Quarter are jammed time and night, and locals are fed up pinch nan noise, thoroughfare vendors, and crowded sidewalks turning their neighborhoods into theme-park group pieces.

The metropolis is fighting backmost pinch a strategy that mixes taxes connected visitors, strict rules connected short-term rental apartments, and a push for off-season travel. The extremity is simple: support nan visitors coming while guarding nan mundane life, character, and psyche of Barcelona that residents cherish.

Kyoto, Japan: Preserving Tradition amid Crowds

Kyoto’s charm is its layered history. Shrines, ancient woody homes, and serene gardens make it a surviving depository and a UNESCO World Heritage city. Yet its fame has turned it into a bucket-list mega-destination, pinch a staggering 50 cardinal arrivals successful 2019. The consequence is relentless jam astatine jewels for illustration Fushimi Inari and nan stunning Kinkaku-ji, particularly erstwhile nan cherry and maple leaves overgarment nan scenery a riot of colour.

The historical metropolis is battling nan surge pinch timed introduction systems, caller stepping routes that divert postulation from delicate streets, and strict curfews connected ample circuit buses. The situation remains successful holding connected to rituals of mundane life while folding tourism into nan hit of nan seasons.

Kyoto, Japan, is steering visitors toward charming-yet-lesser-known districts truthful that autobus tours do not trample centuries-old temples each day. Their strategy pairs improved signage pinch mapped alternate routes, making it easy for guests to dip into nan psyche of Kyoto while keeping nan way to nan Altar free for greeting ceremonies.

New York City, USA: Easing nan Crush astatine nan Know-You-Already-Know Stops.

With upward of 60 cardinal guests strolling its streets each year, nan Big Apple ticks astatine tourer speed. Times Square, Central Park, and nan plucky small Statue of Liberty, each amazingly adjacent to each other, toggle shape each highest play into photo-worthy quality waterfalls—especially connected sunny Saturdays successful July. Even wrong nan city’s 300-square-mile canvas, pinch spots labour nether pressure.

To redirect that tide, City Hall’s tourism section is nary longer saying “Avoid It.” They’re saying “Enjoy It—Later.” The run nudges everyone to early-morning jazz successful nan Bronx, sunset strolling astatine nan Brooklyn waterfront, aliases tasty tours successful Queens. The goal: assistance nan unit connected nan postcard spots while treating each vicinity to its deserved applause, truthful each visitant feels they’re uncovering New York earlier it turns into a acquainted photograph app.

Amsterdam, Netherlands: Must-See Spots and How to Handle nan Tour Crowd

Amsterdam, pinch its postcard-ready canals and constrictive gabled houses, ever draws a crowd. More than 20 cardinal group rotation its cobblestone streets each year. Attractions for illustration nan Anne Frank House, nan Van Gogh Museum, and nan Rijksmuseum are truthful celebrated they tin move a leisurely sojourn into a marathon of waiting, pinch group packed for illustration sardines successful nan metropolis center. To easiness nan crush, Amsterdam now nudges visitors to cheque retired different neighborhoods, neighborhoods beyond nan Dam, and moreover adjacent cities. Higher tourer taxes, stricter rules connected short-term rentals, and clever trading campaigns are each portion of nan scheme to dispersed nan love— and nan ft traffic—across nan full country.

Santorini, Greece: Taming Traffic connected nan World’s Photogenic Island

Imagine a postcard of Santorini: superb bluish domes, whitewashed houses, and a sunset that looks for illustration it was painted pinch fire. Because that postcard is truthful famous, much than 2 cardinal group flock to this mini land each year. With nan onshore area nary bigger than a fewer shot fields, nan sheer visitant measurement tin choke nan constrictive streets. Island leaders person stepped in: they’ve constricted visitant caps connected top-tier sites and now beforehand scenic backmost roads and lesser-known beaches. Sustainable tourism rules—like utilizing star power to powerfulness h2o taxis—help support nan island’s existent colour achromatic and its bluish dome roofs from fading. The extremity is simply a picnic that’s cleanable for visitors and cleanable for Santorini.

Paris Disneyland, France: Pressure from nan Crowds

Disneyland Paris, already 1 of Europe’s biggest joyousness factories, attracts much than 15 cardinal mystery-wallet replacements each year. Yet arsenic its aureate spires support multiplying Instagram likes, nan parkland must besides conflict regular battles against short-tempers queuing for nan adjacent tube roll. Crowds of cheerful families, parkland unit wanting lunches, and nan rides themselves each look group connected nan aforesaid timeline. So parkland bosses rolled retired a three-part solution: a timed-entry strategy that gives guests fixed windows, beforehand reservations for on-demand rides, and smart pricing that nudges folks to sojourn connected quieter days.

Conclusion: Navigating nan Tourism Maze

From nan ice-tipped colonnades of nan Greek Acropolis to nan window-gazing canals of Amsterdam, nan symptoms of overtourism now consciousness arsenic acquainted arsenic souvenir magnetic-fridge sets. Such blitz-scale foot-traffic stacks accent nan sites, nan locals, and nan cameras that get dropped on nan way. Yet each traveler still dreams of that cleanable Instagram moment, reminding authorities that nan stakes are still high. The pie’s not excessively small: smart crowd management, motions to magnetize business to enarthrosis seasons, and moreover traveler acquisition whitethorn agelong retired nan thrill of each shot. Keeping nan crowd equilibrium intends nan waltzes continue, nan pastries support rising, and nan magic, nevertheless managed, still works.