Για δεκαετίες ο διεθνής τουρισμός γνώρισε ταχεία και συνεχή ανάπτυξη. Μαζί με την άνευ προηγουμένου ανάπτυξη, το ζήτημα του Υπερτουρισμού παρουσίασε και τράβηξε την παγκόσμια προσοχή. Ενώ ο τουρισμός συχνά οδηγεί σε μια ευπρόσδεκτη οικονομική ώθηση, ο Υπερτουρισμός είναι απίστευτα επιζήμιος για το περιβάλλον και τις τοπικές κοινότητες. Πολλοί προορισμοί θέτουν τώρα μέτρα για τη διαχείριση του πλήθους, προστατεύοντας παράλληλα τα δικαιώματα των ντόπιων κατοίκων. Ο Υπερτουρισμός είναι ένας σχετικά νέος όρος στη δημόσια και ακαδημαϊκή συζήτηση και περιγράφει τις αρνητικές συνέπειες του τουρισμού, ωστόσο, το ίδιο το φαινόμενο δεν είναι νέο, καθώς οι προβληματικές μορφές τουριστικού συνωστισμού και οι επιπτώσεις τους στις τοπικές κ

Destinations reaching saturation point are under pressure from external and internal impacts and show signs of overtourism. Hence, overtourism occurs when the negative effects of a destination outweigh the benefits. Hyper-tourism results in the extreme use of the destination, its products and services in an attempt to benefit socio-economically and culturally. As a result, it returns adverse and outrageous results to the host destination.

The issue has recently generated considerable debate in many major tourist destinations around the world. The increased visitor flow, combined with the limited existing infrastructure, creates negative impacts on the environment and local communities.

The World Tourism Organization defines Overtourism as "the impact of tourism on a destination, or parts of it, that excessively affects the perceived quality of life of citizens and/or the quality of visitors' experiences in a negative way".

The term 'Hyper-tourism' describes the situation where the impact of tourism, at certain times and in certain locations, exceeds the limits of physical, ecological, social, economic, economic, psychological and/or political capacity (European Parliament, 2018).

The phenomenon is not only occurring in large, tourist cities, but also in national parks, historical sites and small rural villages, causing global concern.

Στον εικοστό πρώτο αιώνα, ο Υπερτουρισμός είναι ένα διαδοχικό αποτέλεσμα και προκύπτει κυρίως για διαφορετικούς λόγους. Η αναζήτηση της ευχαρίστησης από τους απαιτητικούς τουρίστες και η έλξη προς έναν προορισμό έχει ως αποτέλεσμα την υπέρβαση της ανοχής του προορισμού. Αποτέλεσμα είναι η κατάρρευση της φέρουσας ικανότη

The challenges associated with overtourism can be related to alienated residents, a degraded tourism experience, overburdened infrastructure, disasters in nature or threats to culture and heritage. Currently, an increasing number of cities are reported to suffer from overtourism.

The tourism industry seems to believe that Overtourism mainly hinders continued growth, but its impact can be an existential risk for destinations around the world. There are many examples where the cultural and natural heritage of a place is at risk or where the cost of living and real estate has increased significantly and caused a decline in quality of life. The spread of this phenomenon could cause a loss of authenticity and pose a significant risk to the future attractiveness of a destination. Overtourism is a growing concern in most developing countries, where tourism resources are used beyond their normal consumption. Many popular destinations suffer from these activities where it has also been described by scholars as “chaos”. Uncontrolled tourism development can cause significant damage to landscapes, seascapes, air and water quality, and the living conditions of local people, causing economic inequalities and social exclusion, among many other issues (European Parliament, 2018). The economic importance of tourism (particularly in creating jobs and attracting revenue to destinations) is often mentioned, along with terms such as 'responsible development' and 'development management'. The crux of this issue lies in the assumption that it is not the rapid expansion of the global travel industry that is creating Overtourism, but rather the 'mismanagement' of development dynamics. This indicates a strong distribution of responsibility.

Tourists will also, says Goodwin H. (2019), have different perceptions of whether or not a place suffers from overtourism. Ethnicity and cultural background are important influencing factors in determining perceived overcrowding.In general, people's tolerance of crowding is context-specific. We expect markets to be buzzing and busy. Some beaches are popular because the crowds at them are part of the experience, others are abandoned because they are damaged when they reach a tipping point and a "vibrant" beach becomes overcrowded and then overpriced. But tipping points vary from place to place and between different people. There is also a variation where our perception of overtourism, such as crowding, is relevant. For example, if we have no memory of standing with a small group in the Old Town Square in Prague to watch the Astronomical Clock on a winter night, we don't miss that experience. Crowds, today, are accepted as the norm; tourists become the experience. Crowds, today, are accepted as the rule, tourists become the experience. In Barcelona, ​​La Rambla and other popular tourist destinations are increasingly being described as "no-go zones" - places with a minimal sense of local culture, tourist destinations with no authenticity other than that of tourists, Goodwin H.The consequences of over-tourism include the displacement of locals from certain neighbourhoods mainly reserved for hotels, overcrowding of tourist attractions or environmental disasters.We also have to look at pollution, unsustainable business practices, an economy dependent on tourism and rising prices, it is clear that the people who live in these tourist destinations are paying the price. However, overtourism is not just about numbers. It's about the fact that there are too many tourists for tourism to be sustainable. There may only be a handful of tourists, but if it is too many to accommodate the host destination comfortably, then there is a risk.

The phenomenon is not only occurring in large, tourist cities, but also in national parks, historical sites and small rural villages, causing global concern.

Responsible Travel (2021), refers to 98 destinations, 63 countries suffering from Overtourism and has created a map of them. In Greece, four destinations are already listed (Santorini, Athens, Mykonos and Corfu):

As the UN predicts, in the coming years we will see more and more effects of overtourism around the world.

Overtourism affecting local residents! It seems that many of the negative impacts of tourism-related activities are largely the result of unplanned development in cities and that inaction by local authorities regarding overtourism may be the biggest challenge. The negative impacts of tourism have often been exacerbated because urban policy makers assume that tourism is an easy sector to promote, and that it does not require much public investment. Koens, Postama & Papp (2018) argue that overtourism has required a rethinking of tourism policy, regulation and leadership in contrast to the "more practical and self-regulatory perspectives that have dominated tourism discourse for several decades".

The tourist invasion of residential areas to address 'authentic' local experiences has not been without its social problems. Tourism plays the role of cultural mediator in the creation and dissemination of new oracles and images. Tourists often seek the unique, the local and the authentic at the same time, and the very process of tourism inevitably leads to the erosion or commercialisation of the qualities that attracted tourists.

Negative impacts elsewhere include congestion and overcrowding of public spaces, night-time noise and litter, nuisance and anti-social behaviour, resulting in disruption of life in neighbourhoods. It is also important to highlight the fact that seasonality can play an important role, where the lifestyle and pace of life of older residents can be out of sync with the pace of life

Overtourism is not a new problem. However, while the term itself was coined in 2012, it did not make headlines until the summer of 2017. This is not due to the increase in the number of tissues, which was not particularly dramatic. What made the news in 2017 was the sudden reaction of the locals, which had never happened on a large scale. There was a constant flow of tourism to cities like Barcelona, Venice and Dubrovnik, to places considered remote like Iceland, and finally the balance was upset. The protests spread. There were street marches, graffiti saying "Tourist go home", and in some cases local authorities reacted by raising fees for visitors, refusing to issue permits for more tourist businesses in city centers, even and closing entire islands to visitors. It was these reactions that made the news.

Residents play a vital role in the development of sustainable tourism, as they are the cultural agents and the social group to which tourism is delivered. A central concern of local people is the problems associated with the use of public spaces, congested roads and the rising cost of living. Changes in culture and loss of authenticity, deterioration of quality of life for the host community and feelings of tension and annoyance due to the presence of tourists are also some of the common consequences.

Over-tourism, for example in Venice and Barcelona, has made locals feel "forced" to leave their city. Prices are rising, people can't move freely around the cities because of the crowds, and local markets are changing to cater for swarms of tourists. Residents feel they are losing their cities, they feel it is a betrayal of their heritage.

Residents are a very important part of the tourism sector, as their perceptions indicate the prospects of tourism in terms of sustainability. Their goodwill is considered vital to the success and sustainability of any tourism development.

The tourism industry and governments around the world need to look carefully at how they facilitate and manage a flood of visitors to places that are not able to cope. Tourists are used to a friendly smile and a welcome to their tourist destination. To an ever increasing number of visitors this is changing! If the tourism industry doesn't change course, tourism could become one of the most problematic and undesirable industries on the planet says Justin Francis in Responsible Travel (2021) "We can make tourism better and tackle Overtourism, but there are limits to growth," says Goodwin H. (2019)

Tourism is a social activity that can be managed by the destination, but generally, this is not the case. The main goal is international arrivals because national governments have a significant interest in economic benefit and this is the wrong measure of sustainability. From a local economy perspective, length of stay, occupancy and yield per bed are the metrics that matter most.

For residents, attracting tourists who "fit in" is what matters. This could mean more sustainable activities, increasing the positive impact of tourism on the city and integrating visitors who promote coexistence.

Although tourists can have a negative impact on destinations, it is possible to reduce this when visitors are trained to do the following:

Avoiding over-tourism requires tailored policies and cooperation between destination stakeholders and policy makers. In fact, this phenomenon is transforming tourism policy and has led to measures related to tourism activity. The complexity of overtourism is again revealed when considering the impact of policy measures. It is revealed that these have, at times, been different than expected! We thus realise that monitoring the phenomenon is a dynamic process and that solutions cannot be a permanent situation but must be constantly monitored and evolve according to the needs of the destination. After all, tourism itself is an ever-changing environment with its own consequences.

Many may think that the issue is fortunately not yet relevant to their destination, so they don't need to do anything for now. I would say think again! In the case of overtourism, changing the bad image of the destination takes effort, time and involves costs. In any case, prevention and implementing measures to properly manage the destination is the right choice.

Akrivi Vagena

Tourism Consultant

MSC Tourism Business Management

PHD Business Administration University of Patras