Too many journeys: 2023 became a year of excessive travels

In 2023, people around the world began to travel significantly more than before the coronavirus pandemic. However, too much tourism can be harmful to the environment and local communities.

In an effort to make up for lost time, people are traveling extensively, creating an excessive influx of tourists and, in turn, causing environmental destruction and putting pressure on local communities and resources. The Week investigates what is meant by this and how travelers harm nature.

It is noted that an excessive number of tourists today is quite capable of displacing the local population of the places they visit. Thus, a new term, "overtourism," was recently introduced. According to the National Geographic definition, it is interpreted as "too many people in one place at any given time," depending on the place and time.

For example, according to the Associated Press, today, to visit the Acropolis in Athens, you need to wait more than 2 hours, and taxi lines at Rome's main railway station are just as long. In addition, there is also a problem with renting housing for the local population due to the large number of tourists who rent accommodation.

"Landlords are evicting tenants to turn homes into vacation homes, and housing prices are soaring as a result," comments National Geographic, adding that: "As the number of visitors and renters outnumber the number of locals, communities are losing ground."

In addition, tourists and their excessive numbers are harmful to the environment, as almost every tourist leaves behind garbage that pollutes the surrounding landscape. It is also worth recalling the well-known problem of the disappearance of coral reefs due to excessive human contact with them.

"Such a large number of people flying to the same place degrades local ecosystems and natural protection against the effects of climate change," noted Energy Monitor.

Given these trends, some governments have been forced to impose certain restrictions on the number of tourists in their regions. For example, Amsterdam and Venice have recently banned cruise ships from entering their cities. In addition, starting in 2024, Amsterdam will also introduce new housing regulations "that aim to increase the supply of housing for students, teachers, and police trainees" to improve conditions for locals. In turn, Venice has adopted a tax on tourists who decide to visit the city and introduced fines for violators of this new regulation. Japan is currently planning to adopt this experience.

It is noted that "overtourism" is particularly problematic depending on the season. That is why, in order to reduce tension, it is recommended to encourage tourists to visit certain destinations throughout the year or to change routes, discovering new destinations.