Zakynthos: Europe's number 1 tourist hotspot - 150 holidaymakers per inhabitant!

Zakynthos: Europe's number 1 tourist hotspot - 150 holidaymakers per inhabitant!

The Greek island of Zakynthos (also known as Zante) has established itself as the most crowded destination in Europe, according to a recent study by the British portal Which? Travel. With almost 150,000 overnight stays per 1,000 residents, Zakynthos has a shockingly high rate of around 150 tourists per resident. With a population of around 40,000 people, this means that around 6 million overnight guests visit the island every year, making it the “capital of overtourism”, as Swabian reported.

The study identifies Zakynthos as a symbol of overtourism, using three indicators: the number of tourists per resident, the density of tourists per square kilometer and the total number of overnight stays. In these criteria, Zakynthos scores highest in the tourists per capita category. The local infrastructure and communities on the island suffer from this high number of visitors. Traffic congestion, overloaded services and rising rents pose serious problems.

Comparison of the top travel destinations

The list of the most affected destinations in Europe shows how serious the problem of overtourism is. Zakynthos is followed by Istria in Croatia with 133.5 tourists per inhabitant and Fuerteventura, one of the Canary Islands, with a value of 118.7. This overtourism ranking highlights the challenges faced by many European destinations and raises questions about the sustainability of tourism.

• Zakynthos, Griechenland: 149.887 Übernachtungen pro 1.000 Einwohner
• Istrien, Kroatien: 133.467 Übernachtungen pro 1.000 Einwohner
• Fuerteventura, Kanarische Inseln: 118.720 Übernachtungen pro 1.000 Einwohner

The high number of visitors is leading to growing concerns about the quality of life of locals and highlighting the need for smarter tourism policies. The influence of mass tourism is also noticeable in larger cities; Paris has the highest tourist density with 418,280 tourists per square kilometer. Athens and Copenhagen are also among the most affected cities in Europe, with 88,535 and 63,944 tourists per square kilometer, according to the report Neoscosmos is highlighted.

It is obvious that the continued influx of tourists is not only affecting travelers' experiences and cultural scene, but also the everyday realities of residents' lives. Therefore, a critical examination of the sustainability of tourism in the long term is essential in order to take the needs of everyone involved into account.