How to overcome overtourism?

Addressing overtourism is crucial, especially considering that, in the last year, 61% of travelers avoided oversaturated destinations; and to do so, it is necessary to opt for a holistic, data-based approach that contributes to balancing local resources, community well-being and tourism growth. This is one of the conclusions of the white paper “A roadmap to move destinations away from overtourism”, developed by Mabrian, a global data intelligence company for the tourism industry, in collaboration with Phocuswright.

Published as a prelude to Phocuswright Europe, which will take place in Barcelona (June 10-12), this white paper aims to include overtourism as a central issue in sustainable destination management. This report highlights the need to innovate in analysis and planning using comprehensive key performance indicators and tools that take advantage of data intelligence.

The report uses resources from Mabrian's data intelligence platform and Phocuswright research to explore how various dimensions of sustainability can be translated into useful indicators for destination planning.

Finding balance: from measurement to sustainable policy design

The white paper proposes how to establish a benchmarking and performance objective system that helps destinations create their own tourism sustainability models, which allow them to fight against overtourism. In addition, it includes success stories, with the practical application of these indicators in real scenarios of international destinations.

The seven proposed indicators interact with each other, so combined and personalized objectives can be designed that respond to the specifics of each destination.

Distribution of Tourist Spending: In addition to measuring spending per visitor and category, it is vital to understand how it is distributed. A destination less affected by overtourism tends to have a more uniform distribution of spending throughout its territory, which benefits both its economy and local well-being. The white paper gives as an example the Cabildo and the Lanzarote Tourism Board, which tracked the distribution of spending during the Saborea Lanzarote 2023 festival and discovered that income related to restaurants and other gastronomic experiences increased compared to the same period of the previous year, up to represent 37% of the island's total average tourist spending. Ultimately, it's about capitalizing on traveler preferences, since, as Phocuswright points out, between half and two-thirds of travelers want their destination spending to support the communities they visit.

Carbon Footprint - CO2 Emissions: Reducing CO2 emissions is crucial to minimize the environmental impact of tourism, taking into account that air transport represents 55% of the carbon footprint of the tourism sector (Travel Foundation Report). Analysis of CO2 emissions over time, and also by source and visitor market, as well as the relationship between traveler spending and emissions generated, can help destinations focus their efforts on attracting segments with a better expense-emissions ratio. For example, Turespaña implemented a strategy to attract travelers with this profile and, between 2022 and 2023, achieved a 4.9% reduction in the carbon footprint per visitor to Spain and a 5.1% increase in tourist income per traveler. 

Concentration of tourism supply: Density and human pressure are commonly associated with overtourism rather than sustainability, but there is a disparity in traveler perception. According to data from Phocuswright, while 43% to 61% of travelers avoided destinations last year due to sustainability concerns, only 13% to 21% consider visiting less-crowded destinations as a sustainable practice. Understanding the extent of the concentration of accommodations and attractions is crucial, both to increase the comfort of travelers and to ensure well-being among the inhabitants of the destination. Mabrian and Phocuswright's analysis cites the case of the tourism office of the Tamarindo region in Costa Rica, which used data intelligence to map the density of accommodations in its destination, resulting in a 16% decrease in concentration of accommodation supply in five years, which translated into significant improvements in hotel and destination satisfaction rates.

Perception of the sustainability of tourism: sustainable and effective management of overtourism requires designing measures and policies that anticipate the impact on inhabitants and visitors, with the aim of mitigating what Phocuswright calls "sustainability dissonance", that is, the gap between the intention to travel sustainably and the actual choices of travelers. Better segmented messages and strategies to encourage participation play a central role in perceptions of a destination's tourism sustainability, as demonstrated by the "Smart Streets" campaign implemented by the Seville City Office. This initiative highlighted the city's sustainable achievements and how they improved the experience for both locals and visitors. Thanks to this campaign, Seville experienced a year-on-year increase of 6 points in its Sustainability Perception Index, reaching 70 out of 100, more than 7 points above the national average for Spain. 

In addition to maintaining implementing measures and plans to measure and combat seasonality, the white paper proposes carrying out strategies to expand motivational diversification and reduce dependence on origins or source markets, relying on a greater diversity of experiences, attractions and tourist products. , which contributes to reducing seasonal demand and pressure on saturated areas, promoting alternatives distributed more evenly throughout the territory and the year.

As Madeline List, senior analyst at Phocuswright, explains, “a successful and consistent sustainable strategy involves designing good practices and implementing them at the right time.” Implementing effective measures against overtourism means “having a transparent, honest and data intelligence-oriented approach to understanding the impact of tourism on destinations,” says Carlos Cendra, Partner and Director of Marketing and Communications at Mabrian, “using a "holistic model capable of creating a lasting balance that preserves the environment and benefits both companies, inhabitants and visitors."

Fuente: Belvera Partners.