Monday, January 13, 2025

Overtourism in Asia Pacific: Implication from Global Case Studies

Overtourism: An Overview

The United Nations estimated that in 2024, global travel surpassed the level in 2019 to an all-time high. In short, tourism is booming across destinations around the globe. However, the promising return of travellers brings the problem of overtourism into the spotlight yet again. The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) defines overtourism as "the impact of tourism on a destination, or parts thereof, that excessively influences perceived quality of life of citizens and/or quality of visitor experiences in a negative way."

In Asia Pacific, overtourism is becoming a material issue at several resort destinations, such as Phi Phi, Bali, and Boracay. At the same time, some destinations are well-known for their commitment to long-term sustainable development. Tourists here are often encouraged to participate in eco-tourism or responsible tourism during their holidays to support sustainable development.

The article features challenges and solutions toward overtourism, best practices globally and regionally, and regional destinations that are facing a long road towards sustainable tourism. We also include a case study of Ginzan Onsen, showing how a smaller destination implemented stringent measures to maintain its character.

These 15 global and regional destinations covered in the article.

Destinations have different strategies to curb overtourism, from visitor cap and tourism tax to initiatives introduced by hotel operators and travel agents. But are all these actually working? Or is there a "success formula" to overcome overtourism?

Find out the details inside.

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Spoiler alert: government plays a key role in the process.