How agents can help control overtourism

Can visitors and citizens in mass tourism destinations ever happily co-exist? Ken McLeod, president of travel trade organisation the Scottish Passenger Agents’ Association, believes they can, but travellers need to be more aware of what they can do to support sustainable tourism, and that’s where agents can help.

"Travelling has never been easier, and people are travelling now more than ever but the wealth of opportunities available carries the risk of mass tourism. Mass tourism may be a global industry, but revenue is mainly distributed across multi-billion pound international businesses. The profit made is not generally invested in the tourist destination. Rather, transnational companies continue to prosper whilst very little is contributed towards sustaining a city’s culture or environment. Notwithstanding, mass tourism plays a crucial role in stimulating the global economy and creates employment opportunities. Yet, a strong need for more sustainable ways of engaging in tourism remains, since most of the income generated is not allocated to the preservation of top tourist destinations. Ultimately, this can have detrimental effects on the environment and its people.

Many tourists have probably come across the concept of sustainable tourism. However, the idea is not as straightforward as opting for public transport over a rented vehicle or opting to stay in accommodation with green credentials. It is also about maintaining the local environment and communities through an infrastructure that is considerate towards the scarcity of resources and actively seeks ways of minimising depletion of the resources. In view of these issues, sustainable tourism operates with the goal of valuing travelling whilst also being sensitive to the environment, the local communities and the culture of a tourist destination.

Just a few years back, you would have been able to get a ticket to the iconic Sagrada Fam-­lia in Barcelona after just 45 minutes of queuing. But now, the tickets are selling out by the first half of the morning and having a pre-purchased ticket does not spare you the queues. A stroll down La Rambla, Barcelona’s main street, is no longer conceivable without having to drag yourself through the dense crowd. Another destination under threat from its negative effects of mass tourism is Bali, an island in Indonesia. As a location, it typically attracts visitors wanting to get away from stressful city lives to immerse themselves in the tranquillity that the island offers. However, Bali is now becoming something different. The island is loosening its constraints on construction planning, allowing new hotels to take over virgin land. Mass tourism has also congested the streets of Depansar, Bali’s capital, increasing the levels of pollution.

On the whole, the tourism industry’s contribution to sustainability is still considerably low. However, with such a growing concern for the environment and endangered communities, many travel agencies have taken up the responsibility to commit to sustainable tourism and now see it as their duty to direct their customers towards more sustainable ways of travelling.

Travel agents need to be quite upfront with their customers about what to expect in destinations that are known to be overcrowded. If someone wants to visit, for example, Barcelona or Rome, we need to explain how busy the cities are and how long they may have to wait to gain entry to key attractions. Travel agents can very easily promote sustainable tourism by suggesting travel outside seasonal and peak times in an attempt to minimise overcrowding and reduce over-tourism. Educating customers about ways of becoming more responsible travellers should always be on the agenda for travel agents. It’s in all of our interests to safeguard communities and cultures, preserving the very things that make them attractive destinations."