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Europe has long been home to destinations that offer people all types of touristic experiences\u2014from adventure to beach-side leisure and historic tours.<\/p>\n
That has made it a museum of the world, attracting visitors from across the globe and at a rate that\u2019s been growing somewhat constantly, barring the COVID-19 blip.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Now, we\u2019re living at a time where overtourism has taken hold of Europe\u2019s most popular cities. Anti-tourism protests have gripped Spain<\/a> over the past few weeks with activists taking to the streets and squirting visitors with water pistols.<\/p>\n Does this come as a surprise? Maybe to a few because it\u2019s still relatively uncommon to see locals take to the streets to protest tourism. However, academics predicted that tourism would reach this point long before it made headlines.\u00a0<\/p>\n One of the earliest models explaining this was by George Doxey, who developed the so-called \u201cIrritation Index<\/a>\u201d (or \u201cIrridex\u201d) model in 1975. He suggested that when a place starts welcoming tourists with euphoria, but as their numbers increase, the sentiment evolves into apathy and irritation. The final stage\u2014which we see signs of now\u2014is antagonism towards tourists.<\/p>\n The sentiment turns negative in response to a deteriorating quality of life among locals, such as when affordable housing becomes out of reach. City authorities are responding to this by curbing tourists subtly through additional charges<\/a> and caps on short-term rental facilities, as the number of visitors since the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions eased has jumped.\u00a0<\/p>\n This approach has been more reactive than preemptive. It\u2019s also true of cities that once desired tourists, but when that happened, they didn\u2019t know how to restrict them. Barcelona, for instance, wasn\u2019t on the map until the 1990s when it hosted the Summer Olympics<\/a>. It is now among Europe\u2019s most visited cities and is where much of the recent tourism<\/a> backlash is centered.<\/p>\n \u201cThe main reason is the places that are experiencing overtourism are places that didn\u2019t take measures to prevent it happening years and years ago,\u201d said Richard Butler, emeritus professor in hospitality and tourism management at the University of Strathclyde, who has studied tourism trends in Europe.<\/p>\n To be sure, mass tourism isn\u2019t just the fault of authorities, visitors or support services alone. Enabled by affordable travel<\/a>, it\u2019s been a force for good<\/a> by creating jobs, promoting cultural exchange and generating revenue for city councils.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOne thing that tends to get forgotten in the overtourism clamor is that locals are a part of it. They have been, at some point, willing participants in this,\u201d he told Fortune<\/em>. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t mean they have to experience all the litter, garbage [and] noise disturbance that they\u2019re experiencing now. But they\u2019re not entirely blameless.\u201d<\/p>\n Butler thinks that locals\u2019 sentiments can\u2019t be boxed into one type or the other, as their emotions could be different depending on their exposure to tourists. For instance, a souvenir shop owner may think differently about tourism than the residents of a popular neighborhood.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThere are people who hate tourism and want to see it all go, there are people who want to see more tourism, and there\u2019s the mass in the middle who are a bit pissed off with some aspects of tourism but see it has value or money,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n A model he devised, Butler\u2019s Life Cycle, examines tourism\u2019s impact on a destination in various stages<\/a>. As tourists find a place, it starts developing and growing to support many visitors. Ultimately, it hits a stagnation point as the tourist count has peaked. From that point on, it\u2019s up to the city to chart the path forward, either resulting in a decline in tourism or a rejuvenation with more investments and attractions.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we\u2019re seeing now is not so much tourists not going because it\u2019s crowded as locals resenting it because it\u2019s too crowded. You\u2019re going over whatever is the \u2018limit,\u2019\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Does that mean tourism needs to stop growing altogether? Not really. In fact, if it halts, it\u2019ll probably be seen as a \u201cwarning\u201d of sorts, Butler said. Instead, there needs to be more dialogue to find a balance between what kind of tourists<\/a> residents are comfortable with while continuing to bring in money for local businesses and the tourism industry.<\/p>\n \u201cTourism is a mixed blessing. It does bring all the money, it does bring disturbance,\u201d Butler said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nRecommended Newsletter:<\/strong> The Fortune Next to Lead newsletter is a must-read for the next generation of C-suite leaders. Every Monday, the newsletter provides the strategies, resources, and expert insight needed to claim the most coveted positions in business. Subscribe now. Sign up for free<\/a>.<\/div>\n