The Diplomat
Spain leads, together with Italy, France and Portugal, the ranking of overtourism in European destinations during the summer period, according to a study carried out by the sustainable travel platform Evaneos and the consultancy Roland Berger.
The study also places Greece as one of the destinations most overexposed to tourism. For this reason, the platform has decided to eliminate Mykonos and Santorini from its offer from 2025 until further notice, reports Europa Press.
The first ‘Overtourism Index’, which analyses 70 of the most frequented holiday destinations in the world, seeks to evaluate their level of exposure to visitors.
To measure the degree of exposure to overtourism, each destination is scored from 1 to 5 on the basis of four objective criteria: the density of tourists per inhabitant, the density of tourists per square kilometre, seasonality and the maturity of the host country in terms of sustainability. This last evaluation criterion takes into account factors such as the social impact of tourist activity, the state of the host infrastructure or the development of transport.
Among the destinations studied, the impact of overtourism falls into three main categories: coastal tourism, which affects the major European destinations in summer, and urban tourism.
Coastal overtourism: Greece and Croatia
Coastal tourism is the category of destinations most exposed to overtourism with an average score of 4 on a scale of 5. The cause is a particularly high rate of tourist arrivals (from 3.2 to 9.9 tourists per inhabitant) in relatively small (1,600 to 8,000 tourists per km2) and fragile host territories. Among the most affected countries are Cyprus (4.4), Mauritius (4.2), Greece (4) and Croatia (3.8).
While the major European destinations can accommodate a high density of tourists, they endure a particularly high flow during the summer in a large part of their territory: up to 43% of visitor arrivals are concentrated in the third quarter in these countries.
Spain, with a score of 3.6 out of 5, leads together with Italy, France and Portugal the ranking of overtourism in European destinations during the summer period, which means that it is among the most exposed destinations during June, July and August.
«These destinations need, first of all, to implement measures to de-seasonalise arrivals, promoting these destinations in spring or autumn, which would allow a better distribution of tourists over time. This requires raising awareness among travellers about the problem of overtourism and for tourism players to act with offers that are more sensitive to seasonal pressure,” says Aurélie Sandler, co-CEO of Evaneos.
In the specific case of Spain, the country welcomes around 78 million tourists in a year, who contribute 9% of the GDP (according to 2019 data). There are 4 international tourists per inhabitant, and 156 tourists of this type per km2, a more than considerable volume.
In addition, 41% of visitors choose the summer to come to Spain, which represents an excessively high level of seasonal concentration, while the country’s maturity in terms of sustainability remains considerably below the pass mark (2 out of 5), according to this study.
Urban overtourism
Excessive urban tourism affects European capitals above all. Although these destinations are more mature in terms of sustainability and less economically dependent on tourism than other destinations (5% of GDP on average), capitals and cities account for up to 37% of arrivals in the third quarter and their average score is 2.6/5.
In the top 3 are European cities such as Copenhagen (Denmark), with a score of 3.8, followed by Amsterdam (Netherlands) with 3.7 and Dublin (Ireland) with 3.4.
As a result of the study, Evaneos has decided to stop offering trips to two of the most overexposed destinations: Mykonos and Santorini from 2025 until further notice, despite being among the best-selling trips on the platform.
The decision to remove Mykonos and Santorini from the catalogue during the summer was taken in conjunction with local Evaneos agencies, who know first-hand the pressure that overtourism puts on ecosystems and scarce resources such as water during the months of July and August. The measure seeks to better balance tourist flows on the islands, and to distribute stays to the months of June and September.
“The purpose of our model is to offer an alternative based on sustainable tourism and an authentic experience. Unfortunately, visiting Mykonos and Santorini during the summer does not meet any of these criteria,” stresses the co-CEO of Evaneos.
The platform has drawn up an action plan together with local agencies in the region, which includes the promotion of alternative itineraries, such as the Peloponnese or mainland Greece. “Far from pointing the finger at these destinations, the aim of this strategy is to encourage and support local agents so that they can offer a more positive experience for travellers,” adds Sandler.
