We all love to travel. And we know that tourism can bring many benefits to both travellers and local economies. However, mass travel is a growing trend that can have an array of impacts.
The World Tourism Organisation predicts that the international flow of tourists will reach almost 2 billion by 2030.
With a large number of those tourists concentrated in a small number of destinations, it is clear that this may have consequences.
But what exactly is mass tourism, how does it affect the travel industry and what is being done to curb it?
Read on to find out.
Mass travel meaning
Mass travel can be defined as “the movement of a large number of organised tourists to popular holiday destinations for recreational purposes.”
Generally, mass travel is characterised by the mass consumption of standardised travel packages, resulting in extreme numbers of tourists to a given destination.
Mona Lisa crowded view at the Louvre Museum, Paris, France
It is the result of uncontrolled growth and can be present in both big cities, beach resorts, rural villages, national parks and remote islands.
And, in today’s market, mass travel is not only caused by tour packages. The rise in budget airlines has made travel more accessible, and social media has further popularised some destinations. It is now easier than ever for independent travellers to book trips, and while this is not necessarily a bad thing, it can lead to overtourism.
The dark side of mass travel
Imagine arriving at your dream destination only to find it overwhelmed with tourists trying to capture the perfect Instagram shot, the streets crowded with tour groups and huge lines to get into the attractions.
Boat attraction for whale watching
While tourism has many benefits, such as creating jobs, boosting economies and helping to revitalise destinations, mass travel can also lead to a number of negative economic, environmental and socio-cultural impacts.
- Rising costs can push locals out of cities
- High water consumption
- Increase in waste
- Burden to local infrastructures
- Exploitation of local workers
- Housing shortages due to short-term rentals
- Pollution from transportation such as cruise ships and airplanes
Examples of cities where you can find mass travel
Overtourism can be challenging for travellers or for local residents. Aside from its environmental and economic effects, it can prevent us from having authentic travel experiences.
Some of the destinations where you can find overtourism:
- Venice, Italy
- Machu Picchu, Peru
- Santorini, Greece
- Barcelona, Spain
- Angkor Wat, Cambodia
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Dubrovnik, Croatia
- Reykjavik, Iceland
- Maya Bay, Thailand
Venice elevated view of the crowd at Gondola Ferry Pier in Saint Mark square.
This doesn’t mean that we should simply stop tourism to these destinations. There is a reason why they became popular in the first place, and it is no surprise that more and more travellers continue to visit them.
Consider travelling in off-peak times, try to spend your money in local businesses and visit some lesser-known sights rather than the main tourist attractions. Or, discover some off-the-beaten-path destinations as an alternative.
Mass travel restrictions
Over the past years some restrictions have come into place regarding mass travel.
Dubrovnik limited the daily number of cruise ships that can dock there each day to two, while Venice placed a total ban on cruise ships from entering its UNESCO-listed lagoon.
View of Dubrovnik, Croatia
Cities such as Barcelona have also clamped down on short-term rentals, introduced a tourism tax and encouraged travellers to visit neighbourhoods outside of the old town.
In 2019, access to Machu Picchu became limited to specific scheduled times due to a lack of infrastructure and the inability to control huge crowds.
Amsterdam is another city that has fought back against overtourism, and has capped the number of overnight tourists per year.
Another measure to stop mass travel is to promote alternative destinations. The French government has recently invested in marketing unknown cities to decrease the flow of tourists to Paris.
While there is still much more to be done, these steps are crucial in order to prevent further negative impacts of mass tourism.
Sustainability in tourism
As we discussed in sustainability in tourism, the demand for more responsible travel is only going to increase. The solution for mass travel is not to stop travelling, but rather to find more sustainable ways to do so.
The Covid pandemic has amplified these issues; in 2020, we went from overtourism to zero tourism in a matter of days.
Sustainability is one of the key trends looking to the future of travel, and it is now a necessity that companies in the industry consider how they can be more responsible.
The World Tourism Organisation defines sustainable tourism as “tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities”.
Sustainable travel can counter the effects of mass tourism by allowing tourists to connect with and help local communities. The rise of the travel experience means that more and more travellers are now looking to engage with local cultures, gain knowledge and travel more consciously.
Tourism Review explains that now is the ideal time for the industry to act. By educating tourists and reinforcing the importance of environmental preservation we can generate better experiences for both travellers and locals.
Why we support sustainable travel
Here at Nezasa, we are passionate about making travel as sustainable as possible. We believe that responsible travel is key to the revitalisation of the industry, and that is why we aim to promote more personalised, authentic and memorable trips and move away from mass travel.
Our solution to make tourism greener
We support sustainable travel initiatives through our TripBuilder platform, where users can choose from an array of different types of transportation, accommodation and activities.
Rather than offering standardised tour packages, we offer travel companies and their customers the opportunity to design highly personalised and flexible itineraries.
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