How Overtourism Concerns Are Influencing Travel Decisions

Boasting beautiful weather, delicious cuisine and stunning architecture, Barcelona is one of the most visited destinations in the world. But while tourism dollars have certainly contributed to the city’s economy, some residents have had enough. In the summer of 2024, thousands of locals took to the streets to protest the throngs of visitors that have begun to overwhelm the city, with the demonstrations leading to clashes with some unsuspecting tourists. 

Barcelona is not unique in its precarious position. Overtourism — the state where an excessive number of visitors to a destination becomes overwhelming and causes adverse effects — has grown in relevance as a topic in recent years. And as tourist hotspots try to address the issue by limiting access to public spaces, instituting tourist taxes or even launching anti-tourism campaigns, travelers are paying attention. About one-third (35%) of U.S. adults say they’ve seen, read or heard “some” or “a lot” about overtourism, and Morning Consult data shows that there’s more than just awareness of the topic. It’s also impacting travel behaviors.

Younger generations and more frequent travelers are avoiding overcrowded destinations

Pandemic-era restrictions prompted consumers to re-evaluate their destination preferences. Suddenly, visiting bucket list landmarks and attractions seems more urgent, as the certainty of being able to go at any time in the future was called into question. However, with growing awareness of overtourism and discussions about what constitutes responsible travel in a post-pandemic world, some holidaymakers have changed their tack, choosing instead to avoid places that are overcrowded. Roughly than 2 in 5 (43%) U.S. adults said they have avoided travel destinations that are overwhelmed with tourists in the past year, with younger consumers, middle-earners and frequent travelers being more likely to say they had done so. Many are taking this action in the name of sustainability: In fact, avoiding overtouristed destinations ranks second overall for U.S. adults when asked what travelers can do to be more sustainable.

That said, not everyone is avoiding crowded or touristy locations for the greater good — there are also individually-motivated reasons to stay away from the tourist hotspots. For some, it may be related to the higher costs associated with touristy areas, while for others it may be driven by a desire to get off the beaten path and experience more peace and isolation.

No matter the reason, destination decisions will likely continue to be influenced by concerns of overcrowding for the near future. Among adults who said they hadn’t avoided overcrowded areas in the past year, 41% said they would “definitely” or “probably” do so next time they travel. Even more notably, the behavior may become habitual: roughly three-quarters (78%) of those who said they avoided destinations impacted by overtourism in the past year said they would do so on their next trip as well.

Consumers feel overtourism is a major problem for local populations

While many discussions about overtourism center on sustainability and the environment, the impacts to local communities are much more wide-ranging. From quality of life issues (for example, declining quality of public resources like parks, trails and transportation) to affordability (locals being priced out of housing) to cultural impacts, overtourism can have deep and lasting effects on communities. Travelers do seem aware of these impacts, with at least one-third of U.S. adults saying that all but one effect on locals is a “major problem.”

Interestingly, despite the fact that baby boomers are less likely to have actively avoided locations burdened by overtourism, they express higher levels of concern about many of the impacts on local communities. They are 23 percentage points more likely than Gen Z adults to say traffic congestion is a major problem (64% vs. 41%), and 20 points more likely to say the same about overcrowding in public areas (54% vs. 34% for Gen Zers). This may not be completely travel-related, as baby boomers express more worry than younger consumers in many areas of life, but travel brands and destinations must still be aware of this disparity.

While baby boomers are more likely to express concern about the impacts of overtourism, it’s not because younger travelers are writing off the issue. In fact, the average share of those saying that the effects are “not a problem” is similar across generations. However, younger generations are more likely to say that they don’t know or have no opinion on the impacts. This could perhaps point to a lack of firsthand knowledge given their more limited travel experiences, but also may be rooted in the fact that they’ve avoided some of these tourist hotspots in their own trip planning, and are more comfortable choosing less popular or off-the-beaten-path destinations.

Travel dupes are on the rise as consumers seek to avoid overcrowded destinations

One bright side of the growing awareness and concern of overtourism is the potential democratization of destinations. For young people in particular, who are more attuned to news about overtourism and more willing to adjust their behaviors, there is an opportunity for less-well-known destinations to capture their attention.

Notably, this group is also more engaged in “dupe culture” — whereby consumers seek out cheaper alternatives to popular premium or luxury products — than older generations. Their embrace of this approach primes them to also be interested in destination dupes. For example, heading to Montreal to enjoy the French-influenced culture without the crowds of Paris, or booking flights to Cambodia to soak up the sunshine when everyone else, inspired by The White Lotus season 3, is set-jetting off to Thailand. 

While tourist hotspots are trying to quell the influx of visitors, this is the time for other destinations to step in. They may reach visitors through messaging and communications — showing travelers how they can have a “dupe” experience in an unexpected location — but may also encourage new visitors via accommodation offers or flight routing. One only needs to look as far as stopover programs in Iceland and Portugal that significantly impacted tourism numbers in their respective countries. And while iconic locations and attractions may have evergreen appeal, now is the time to encourage travelers to add a few new entries to their bucket list.