At ITB Berlin 2018, the world’s leading travel trade show and industry think tank, the issue of over tourism was a hot topic. Fuelled by a rising middle class in Asia and cheaper travel, tourism has been booming in many parts of the world. Iceland for example has grown at an average annual rate of 28% over the past five years and many other countries have received double digit growth in visitor arrivals. This growth is coming at a cost, infrastructure is struggling and there is a backlash from some local communities.
In a panel session to find solutions to better balancing tourism growth, the Mayor of Dubrovnic emphasized there was not a single solution, cooperative between all stakeholders, effective measurement tools, better traffic management and good communication with visitors were all vital. The issue of over tourism is likely to be an increasingly felt other parts of the world, so it is important in proactively address tourism management.
Firstpoint designs and delivers multi-faceted destination and international development projects and creates campaigns that engage and drive actions. We are already working with travel destinations and organizations who understand the issues related to responsible development of tourism.
For further information on the ITB sessions please go to https://www.itb-berlin.de/en/
Read more about Overtourism here:
https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/2017/10/29/overtourism-plagues-great-destinations-heres-why/