With overtourism hitting the news this summer, it has become obvious that thanks to large cruise ships and mass-market tours, some places are seeing unprecedented numbers of visitors. But it is not just about numbers. It is as much about behaviour, high rents and locals not benefiting from tourism. The Canary Islands, Venice, Dubrovnik, Barcelona and Amsterdam are but some of the places that have made headlines, either because authorities are tackling the problems or because locals are saying "enough is enough".
As a purveyor of small-group tours and hand-crafted itineraries, I do my best to steer people away from peak visiting times at tourism hotspots.
In this article I will show you, the adventurous traveller, how you can travel without contributing to overtourism.
Avoid the hotspots
The simplest way to not contribute to overtourism is to avoid hotspots such as Venice or Dubrovnik. Are there perhaps alternatives? For Dubrovnik there are plenty of other walled towns in Croatia you could visit. Korčula and Trogir come to mind.
And what about Amsterdam? Again, The Netherlands has plenty of alternative towns to offer. Twenty minutes west is the delightful town of Haarlem while half an hour south you will find Utrecht. Both are smaller towns with canals lined by old merchant houses and some interesting museums. Haarlem even has its own version of the Anne Frank House.
Granted, it is hard to find a place that has the timeless romantic feel of Venice. And that's where some of my other tips come in.
Travel off-season
The last time I visited Venice was in late March. Visitor numbers were low - I never had to line up, I had interesting encounters with local people and had some of the museums and churches to myself. It was bliss and I fell in love with Venice all over again.
Visit Europe in early spring (before Easter) or fall (late September, October), travel to Africa during the green season, explore Costa Rica and cruise the Galapagos outside of school holidays - there are myriad ways to avoid the busy seasons.
Avoid peak times
Peak times can be the time of day too. Tallinn in Estonia is a popular stop on the cruise circuit and I knew that after breakfast time on the ships, the hordes would descent on the old town. So I got up early and had the old town to myself for 3-4 hours. And then I left to....
...visit outlying areas
Once the crowds had descended on the old town of Tallinn, I took a streetcar to the newer parts of town. There was not a tourist to be seen anywhere and I had lunch in a local cafe and spent the afternoon visiting some very interesting museums that were well off the beaten track.
Avoid large cruise ships I have said it before and I will say it again. I do not book large ocean cruises. These ships with as many as 7,600 passengers are the main drivers of overtourism. They are a health and safety hazard, large numbers of passengers invade port towns that cannot handle the influx and passengers contribute virtually nothing to the local economy as they eat and drink on board.
I am however a big fan of small-ship cruises. They can take you to smaller ports, islands, coves and beaches and right into the heart of the destination. Read more about our small-ship cruises here.
Travel with a small group
Every so often I get asked to look at a tour outside of our normal offerings and more often than not the tour operator in question tries to obfuscate the number of travellers they take in a group. "Average 35" or "coach tours" are words bandied about, without spelling out what the maximum number of passengers is. Our tours have a maximum of 12 or 16 passengers (depending on the tour operator and the style of tour). These tour groups are not only small enough to get to know everyone, and nimble enough to avoid peak times at busy spots. Best of all, small groups can interact with local people without being intimidating or a nuisance, as I experienced once again on my last trip to Morocco.
Travel with a reputable tour company
Let's face it, tour companies are in it to make money. But there is making money without caring and there is making money while doing the right thing. Increasingly we have seen our tour companies get their B-Corp certification. Certified B Corporations are leaders in the global movement for an inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economy. Intrepid Travel was first, and Exodus, Explore, Aurora Expeditions and some of our in-destination partners have since joined the ranks.
So what does this have to do with overtourism? Sometimes local people push back against tourism when they are not the beneficiaries of tourism. Because certified B-Corporations pay a proper wage, allowing their employees to have a decent standard of living for themselves and their families, local people have a vested interest in these companies operating in their area.
The AirBnb dilemma
AirBnB's provide the responsible traveller with a dilemma. We know AirBnB has pushed up rental rates in many cities as investors buy up properties to rent them on the short-term rental platform. On the flipside, there are people who rent out rooms in their home, acting like a true B&B and providing an income directly to a family, helping them make ends meet.
If you have a choice, do some research and perhaps avoid renting an entire home or apartment in a city where AirBnB has pushed up rents. But do support that local family renting out their spare room. You might just get a phenomenal cultural experience to boot!
Spend locally
And you can help too, to raise the standard of living in your chosen destination. Spend money at small, locally owned shops. Visit that local cafe instead of Starbucks,or buy food from a market stall rather than a supermarket. Your money can help local people appreciate visitors to their city.
Take an instant from Insta
We all love to take photos while we travel - they are probably our most important souvenirs. But with the rise of social media, a new type of traveller has emerged. I call them Instagram hounds. You know the type - making a beeline to a spot they have seen umpteen times on Instagram so they can get the exact same shot, except with them in it.
Meanwhile these spots get overrun by people and as such social media contribute in a major way to overtourism. So go ahead and take photos. But be careful showing them to the world.
Be respectful
Adventurous travellers are respectful travellers. We know how to dress and behave so as to not annoy local people. Need a refresher? Consult our pre-departure information
Go remote
And finally, a simple way to avoid being a part of overtourism, is to go remote. Greenland, Antarctica, Bolivia, the Guyanas, Serbia, Bosnia, Tunisia, The Gambia, Senegal, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Madagascar, Bhutan, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Philippines, South Korea, Mongolia and the South Pacific islands are but some of the places where overtourism is not exactly a hot-button issue!
Travel is a privilege and we owe it to future generations to keep it sustainable. If you have your own tips on how to avoid overtourism, I'd love to hear from you.
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