Last summer, a friend of mine spent his holiday in South Tyrol, my home region in Northern Italy, and went climbing in the Dolomites. He then posted a photo on social media. Someone had sprayed on the rock along the route, clearly visible to every climber who had to pass this spot: “South Tyrol: 0.5 million locals vs 9 million tourists. And you think you are welcome?”
There were various places in South Tyrol that were visited by up to 10,000 people per day last summer, so-called hotspots. The paths leading to these locations were generally littered with rubbish, and the meadows and forests on either side of the paths were trampled and also littered. The roads leading to the starting points of these popular hiking trails were congested with traffic, resulting in traffic jams, and public transport was sometimes hopelessly overcrowded. This led to heated discussions about overtourism in the region. While the tourism sector is delighted with the growing number of tourists, more critical voices are being raised. Locals feel that their quality of life is being impaired.They point to the environmental costs caused by traffic and water consumption in the luxury segment of tourism, with its wellness facilities and swimming pools. In contrast, agriculture in this region is increasingly suffering from water shortages due to the changing weather conditions caused by climate change. Another consequence of tourism is the enormous increase in the cost of housing. It is more profitable to rent out accommodation to tourists than to local young people or young families. Rental fees and accommodation costs are particularly high in cities and tourist hotspots.
But, at the same time, there is no question that tourism plays an important economic role and generates economic value for South Tyrol, as it does for many other regions. In the past, it was thanks to tourism that the population in many areas, for example, in remote valleys or high mountain villages, experienced an economic upswing. Tourism provided prosperity for many families. But tourist behaviour has changed. Whereas in the past most tourists came from within the country or from neighbouring countries, such as Austria and Germany, and spent longer periods of time here, today’s tourists usually only spend a few days in the country and increasingly travel from distant countries, for example, China and Japan. (A side note: until Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine started, many tourists came from Russia, especially in winter to go skiing. Since February 2022, this number has decreased significantly.)
However, the problem is not only a local one in South Tyrol. We know from the news that many cities and regions are now discussing the negative consequences of high tourist numbers. In Venice, Palma de Mallorca, Barcelona and other places, the local population is protesting against tourism and demanding measures to curb it. Problems there also include rising rental fees, overburdened infrastructure, rubbish and noise, and the feeling of the local population of being displaced. Interestingly, there have been almost no protests in France, which, alongside Spain, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe. An article in Forbes magazine[1] suggests several possible reasons for this, one being thatFrench residents, i.e. domestic tourists, contribute 50% to 70% of the country’s tourism revenue and usually spend their holidays travelling within their own country. However, there is a significant number of tourists who use France as a transit point from northern to southern Europe and vice versa, meaning they spend very little time in France and consequently spend less money in the country. The author of the Forbes article therefore asks whether a longer stay not only means that tourists bring in more money, but also whether longer stays tire the locals more. The majority of foreign tourists in France come from neighbouring countries and spend more than just a few days at their destination. Tourist numbers from Asia, especially China, are still well below pre-coronavirus pandemic level, unlike in other European countries.
It is interesting that tourists from China are perceived as a “demanding clientele” in many European countries, for example, in Austria. Possible reasons for this are that only the economically privileged upper class in China can afford to travel abroad, and they have corresponding expectations, and that communication is often more difficult due to language barriers. The fact that Chinese tourists are usually not individual travellers but travel in well-organised group tours also makes contact with these group members and local people more difficult. Chinese tourists more often have problems with the lack of punctuality of public transport, with shops being closed on Sundays, or with shops closing early in the evening compared to their home country.
Let’s pause for a moment and ask ourselves, “Why do people travel as tourists? Is it just a status symbol, or is there more to it than that?” Many people use their time to engage in tourism. They love travelling. Discovering new countries, immersing oneself in other cultures, sampling culinary specialities from other regions, meeting new people, etc. are very enriching experiences. For many, it is also important to simply get away, to leave their own four walls and escape everyday life for a short time. When we are travelling or on holiday, we appreciate hospitality and warmth. I would say that the heart of tourism is encountering other cultures and new people. Welcoming guests broadens our horizons and also allows hosts to learn about new ways of life and perspectives. I remember that the mountain farm where I grew up offered farm holidays. Guests who returned year after year became our friends. They saw the children grow up and took part in family life. At Christmas and Easter, despite the distance and long before the times of internet, email and social media, we exchanged greetings by letters and postcards and looked forward to seeing each other again the following summer.
These days, however, we are also experiencing a dramatic form of tourism that is no longer pleasant. Apart from discussions about the question of how tourism can be made sustainable from an environmental point of view, for example in terms of carbon dioxide emissions caused by arrival and departure as well as transport within the country, tourism nowadays often lacks a fundamental element, namely, the encounter between people of different origins, languages and cultures. I do not understand the point of tourism where people rush to reach certain places to take a photo of themselves. Once, during an international conference in Chicago, I met a person from a Central Asian country. We introduced ourselves, and when she learned that I was from South Tyrol, she proudly took out her mobile phone and showed me a selfie she had taken at Lake Braies in the Dolomites. She told me that she had stopped over in Milan, travelled to South Tyrol and returned to Milan to continue her journey. She had seen nothing of the country and spoken to no one. Now she was happy to meet a “real South Tyrolean” to show him the selfie. She said that she had been negatively struck by the presence of so many people, when she had expected a lonely mountain lake. Unfortunately, she couldn’t stay long at that place, only about fifteen minutes, and then she had to return to Milan so as not to miss her connecting flight. At first I was speechless, then I told her to come back and stay in South Tyrol for at least two weeks, because this region really has a lot to offer. Her answer was a clear ‘no’: “I don’t return to places I’ve already been to.” This person, who was otherwise very likeable, became for me a symbol of a kind of caricature of the tourist that we currently encounter in large numbers in our country.
I don’t want to be misunderstood, because I hope my introductory remarks have made it clear that I value tourism. I therefore do not wish to join in the chorus of general criticism of tourism. However, we must ask ourselves what kind of tourists we want to attract, or what kind of tourists do we want to be ourselves. How can we shape tourism in such a way that it does not impair the quality of life of the local population or destroy the environment?
It is essential to take into account not only the interests of the tourism sector, but also those of all the people who live and work in a tourist region. I consider the form of advertising that uses influencers to be highly questionable, whose only achievement is to pose aesthetically in certain places and then encourage their so-called “followers” to follow them to exactly those places. It is, therefore, not surprising that these places become hotspots for people who are mainly interested in taking a selfie in the same spot, and not about getting to know this place and the people who live there.
This is certainly only one aspect of the current complex situation surrounding the phenomenon of overtourism. However, it is clear that various current developments are not positive. We must ask ourselves in which direction we want to develop tourism, both from the perspective of tourists and hosts. I believe it is important that we offer people who visit our homelands to relax, enjoy the culture and experience nature the opportunity to get to know our country, its nature, its people and culture first and foremost. Likewise, all local people in the hosting regions who are confronted with the consequences of tourism in their countries on a daily basis must be able to benefit from it, including those who do not work in the tourism sector. Sustainable tourism that wants to have a future must take into account the various aspects that characterise sustainability. It must consider ecological and social aspects as well as economic ones. This means that tourism should not only be seen as a source of financial value. Its impact on social and ecological aspects must also be taken into account. If tourism loses general social acceptance in a region and a hostile attitude towards tourists spreads, then social tensions will increase, and tourists will no longer feel comfortable. Measures are also needed to ensure that tourism is ecologically responsible and sustainable, as otherwise the foundations of tourism in many countries, namely, the beauty of nature and landscapes, will be destroyed. Sustainable tourism has to minimize the CO2 emissions, with transport and housing accounting for a large proportion of this. This applies to travel to and from the tourist destination as well as travel within the holiday resort. It applies also to sustainable housing with low water and energy consumption that rely on renewable energies, energy-efficient construction and water-saving technologies.
The extent to which tourism affects different areas of life and the issue of sustainability is also evident in the fact that it is linked to a wide range of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth), SDG 12 (responsible consumption and production) and SDG 17 (Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development).[2]
I would like to conclude my essay on this topic that I believe will become increasingly important by expressingmy hope that tourism has a future and can be made sustainable, i.e. ecologically sound and socially acceptable. I say this as someone who lives in a region that owes a large part of its economic boom to tourism and who, as a tourist, has been grateful and delighted to visit and get to know many beautiful regions of our world.
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[1] See Alex Ledsom: Overtourism. Why Does Spain Face More Tourism Backlash Than France?, The Forbes of July 5th, 2025, online: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexledsom/2025/07/05/overtourism-why-does-spain-face-more-tourism-backlash-than-france/ (10.10.2025).
[2] Cfr. e.g. World Tourism Organization and United Nations Development Programme (2017), Tourism and the Sustainable Development Goals – Journey to 2030, UNWTO, Madrid, DOI: https://doi.org/10.18111/9789284419401