Overcrowded beaches: Overtourism changes our holiday destinations!

Overcrowded beaches: Overtourism changes our holiday destinations!

Barcelona, Spanien - The topic overtourism is becoming increasingly important and influences the holiday planning of many travelers. A current survey by the Quality Travel Alliance (QTA) under around 240 travel agencies shows that 25 percent of the travel agencies surveyed have a noticeable impact on the choice of their customers' choice. At the same time, 60 percent report that they find only minor effects, while 15 percent state that they do not recognize their vacation decisions. This difference can be traced back to different perceptions between travel consultants and their customers.

Although only 8 percent of the travel consultants indicate that their customers avoid overflowing travel destinations, 47 percent have had the experience that there are occasional changes. It is noteworthy that 45 percent of the travel agencies surveyed have never experienced such cases. When asked about the future development, 10 percent of the respondents expect that overtourism will gain significantly influence in the coming years, especially among environmentally or socially conscious travelers.

factors of travel planning

The increasing pressure through overcrowded beaches and the increasing cost of living in the holiday destinations lead to persistent discussions about the challenges of overtourism. According to QTA spokesman Thomas Bösl, the main concern for overcrowded sights and rising prices in the target areas causes discomfort among travelers. In contrast, environmental aspects and the effects on the local population play a subordinate role.

A future -oriented handling of the challenges of tourism is considered centrally. The QTA considers the formation of a constructive dialogue between travel agencies, politics and destinations to find solutions. Bösl emphasizes the role of travel agencies in the promotion of sustainable travel models and the responsible use of resources in the target regions. So a stronger focus is on the fact that the local population better benefits from the income from tourism.

political measures and regional strategies

Political measures such as the regulation of tourism, which are already implemented in cities such as Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca, are necessary to improve the quality of the tourist experience and to protect the housing market in popular holiday destinations. In addition, the QTA proposes investments in the infrastructure in order to better consider both the needs of travelers and locals. Among other things, this could help promote the acceptance of tourism as a whole.

The QTA itself is the largest travel agency cooperation alliance in Germany, with around 3,900 travel agencies and an annual turnover of around 2.6 billion euros. This broad basis enables the QTA to formulate relevant statements about the challenges and opportunities of tourism and actively participate in the design of a more sustainable travel.