Dealing With Overtourism

A new report by the World Travel and Tourism Council, in partnership with McKinsey, a worldwide consulting firm, has pinpointed some of the destinations struggling most with overcrowding. The report, "Coping With Success: Managing Overcrowding in Tourist Destinations", considered a number of factors to determine which locations were worst hit, The Sun reported.

They included factors such as local residents who felt alienated, degraded tourist experiences, overloaded infrastructure, damage to nature and threats to culture and heritage. The seven cities with the highest scores in a combination of these different factors spanned the globe.

They included Amsterdam, Dubrovnik, Kuala Lumpur, Macau, Rome, Venice and Warsaw. The report suggested that different locations should spread visitors out across the entire year, instead of dealing with huge hordes at certain times.

Tourists are being encouraged to visit lesser-known parts of popular holiday destinations in order to ease pressure on the busiest areas. For instance, Iceland is promoting the town of Akureyri, which features waterfalls and hot springs, to ease the burden on other areas of the country.

Britain has also been working to attract tourists out of London and into other parts of the country.

Certain places have attempted to introduce bans to deter any more holidaymakers, like a recent ban on new tourist shops in Amsterdam. But the report warned that should only be treated as an extreme last resort.

"Travel and tourism will only grow, creating new jobs, new opportunities, and new experiences, as well as being a force for peace in the world," the report said. "But many destinations are struggling to strike the right balance of meeting the needs of businesses, local residents, and tourists."