Too Many Tourists?

When Jules Coley visited Athens, Greece, a few years ago, she was struck by how crowded it was. “I couldn’t comprehend why there were so many people,” Jules, now 17, says. “It felt like I was an ant in a big anthill and everyone was trying to go the same way.”

Jules now travels around the world—to places such as Dubai, Costa Rica, and Croatia. She shares her trips with more than 5 million subscribers on her YouTube channel, JustJules. She avoids congested spots as best she can—but ending up in overcrowded places is often inevitable.

In fact, so many people are traveling these days that it’s growing increasingly difficult to evade large groups no matter where you go. There’s been a rapid increase in the number of international tourists over the past several decades. And although many governments encourage tourism, plenty of locals are fed up and calling for restrictions on how many people are allowed to visit.

“When a place has more people than it can handle, or where it starts to degrade the social and environmental fabric of the place, that’s when you start to get issues of overtourism,” says Rachel Dodds, professor of tourism management at Toronto Metropolitan University in Canada.

Jules Coley visited Athens, Greece, a few years ago. She was amazed by how crowded it was. “I couldn’t comprehend why there were so many people,” Jules, now 17, says. “It felt like I was an ant in a big anthill and everyone was trying to go the same way.”

Jules now travels around the world. She has visited places like Dubai, Costa Rica, and Croatia and shares her trips online. Her YouTube channel, JustJules, has more than 5 million subscribers. While traveling, she avoids crowded areas as best she can—but ending up in overcrowded places is often inevitable.

It is getting increasingly difficult to avoid large groups when you travel no matter where you go. There’s been a rapid increase in the number of international tourists over the past several decades. Governments often encourage tourism, but many locals are fed up. They are calling for restrictions on how many people are allowed to visit.

“When a place has more people than it can handle, or where it starts to degrade the social and environmental fabric of the place, that’s when you start to get issues of overtourism,” says Rachel Dodds, professor of tourism management at Toronto Metropolitan University in Canada.

In 1950, when air travel was still relatively new, about 25 million people worldwide visited foreign countries annually. That number has grown 3 to 5 percent nearly every year since then, according to Dodds. In 2025, more than 1.5 billion people traveled abroad.

Today it’s easier, faster, and cheaper to fly all over the world than it was decades ago. Families generally have more money to spend, and social media provides ample inspiration for places to visit. Even the expensive housing market in the United States and other countries plays into it, experts say, because when people can’t afford to buy homes, they’re more likely to spend on experiences.

“It’s a bit of a perfect storm,” Dodds says. “You add all those things together and you’ve got a whirlwind of problems.”

Many of the complaints about overtourism come from European and Asian countries, although some U.S. destinations have felt the pain too. U.S. national parks, for example, have struggled with record numbers in recent years, with popular parks such as Great Smoky Mountains, Zion, and Grand Canyon each seeing millions of visitors in 2025.

Of course, some places—such as islands in the Caribbean—depend on tourism to bring in money and create jobs for residents. That’s why many countries run tourism campaigns enticing visitors to stop by. But that’s beginning to change in some areas as the crowds grow out of control.

Take, for example, Fujiyoshida, Japan. The city once welcomed visitors with open arms to help rejuvenate its economy—but now many residents are regretting it. Roughly 42 million came in 2025, double the number a decade ago. And many have caused headaches, with reports of visitors using backyards as bathrooms, entering homes without permission, and leaving behind trash.

This year, the town canceled its marquee cherry blossom festival, declaring that “the peaceful lives of our citizens are being threatened.” Officials also banned news outlets from capturing picturesque scenes that “could contribute to overtourism.”

Despite the cancellation, thousands continued to flock to the town.

“I saw this gorgeous photo on social media, and I was like ‘How can I get myself here as fast as possible?’” says Julia Morrow, of Ohio, who went to see the cherry blossoms. “If you don’t get that photo, it’s like, what’s the point of the trip?”

In 1950, when air travel was still relatively new, about 25 million people worldwide visited foreign countries annually. According to Dodds, that number has grown 3 to 5 percent nearly every year since then. In 2025, more than 1.5 billion people traveled abroad.

Today it’s easier, faster, and cheaper than it used to be to fly all over the world. Families generally have more money to spend. Social media provides plenty of inspiration for places to visit. Even the expensive housing market in the United States and other countries plays into it, experts say. That’s because when people can’t afford to buy homes, they are more likely to spend on experiences.

“It’s a bit of a perfect storm,” Dodds says. “You add all those things together and you’ve got a whirlwind of problems.”

Many of the complaints about overtourism come from European and Asian countries. But some U.S. destinations have felt the pain too. U.S. national parks, for example, have struggled with record numbers in recent years. Popular parks such as Great Smoky Mountains, Zion, and Grand Canyon each saw millions of visitors in 2025.

Some places—such as islands in the Caribbean—depend on tourism to bring in money and create jobs for residents. Many countries run tourism campaigns inviting visitors to stop by. But that’s beginning to change in some areas as the crowds grow out of control.

Take, for example, Fujiyoshida, Japan. The city once welcomed visitors with open arms to help revive its economy. Now many residents are regretting it. Roughly 42 million people came in 2024. That is double the number of visitors 10 years ago. The visitors have caused problems, with reports of people using backyards as bathrooms, entering homes without permission, and leaving behind trash.

This year, the town canceled its marquee cherry blossom festival. It declared that “the peaceful lives of our citizens are being threatened.” Officials also banned news outlets from capturing picturesque scenes that “could contribute to overtourism.”

Despite the cancellation, thousands continued to visit the town.

“I saw this gorgeous photo on social media, and I was like ‘How can I get myself here as fast as possible?’” says Julia Morrow, of Ohio, who went to see the cherry blossoms. “If you don’t get that photo, it’s like, what’s the point of the trip?”

Governments are trying a wide variety of strategies to find a balance between welcoming visitors and maintaining order. Countries such as France and Greece have passed laws regulating Airbnbs and other short-term rentals. Ports from Ibiza, Spain, to Juneau, Alaska, have begun restricting cruise ship numbers. Places including New Zealand, the Galápagos Islands, and Venice, Italy, have instituted special fees for tourists. And in South Korea, authorities have imposed a curfew in a historic neighborhood of Seoul to clamp down on tourist excesses.

There have been some more creative attempts too. In the town of Fujikawaguchiko, Japan, for instance, officials installed a billboard-sized black mesh screen in 2024 to block a popular photo spot of Mount Fuji after tourists were caught climbing roofs, trespassing, and littering in the area. And lawmakers in Palma, Spain, announced last summer that they would remove more than 1,600 lounge chairs from local beaches.

Will any of these efforts work? Some experts remain skeptical.

“Once people have seen pictures of Venice and they’ve decided they want to go to Venice, there’s not a lot you can do to dissuade them,” Dodds says.

Of course, anti-tourism efforts don’t mean that people shouldn’t travel anywhere. The important thing is that if you do go somewhere, Dodds says, try to be respectful of local customs and considerate to those around you.

“You are a guest in someone else’s destination, so be mindful that you are visiting where they live,” she says. “Even learning how to say ‘please,’ ‘thank you,’ and ‘goodbye’ is making an effort to acknowledge someone else’s culture.”

Governments are trying a wide variety of strategies to find a balance between welcoming visitors and maintaining order. Countries such as France and Greece have passed laws regulating Airbnbs and other short-term rentals. Ports from Ibiza, Spain, to Juneau, Alaska, have begun restricting the number of cruise ships. Other places such as New Zealand, the Galápagos Islands, and Venice, Italy, have instituted special fees for tourists. And in South Korea, authorities have imposed a curfew in a historic neighborhood of Seoul to limit tourist excesses.

There have been some more creative attempts too. In the town of Fujikawaguchiko, Japan, for instance, officials installed a billboard-sized black mesh screen in 2024 to block a popular photo spot of Mount Fuji. Tourists had been caught climbing roofs, trespassing, and littering in the area. Lawmakers in Palma, Spain, announced last summer that they would remove more than 1,600 lounge chairs from local beaches.

Will any of these efforts work? Some experts remain doubtful.

“Once people have seen pictures of Venice and they’ve decided they want to go to Venice, there’s not a lot you can do to dissuade them,” Dodds says.

Of course, anti-tourism efforts don’t mean that people shouldn’t travel anywhere. The important thing is that if you do go somewhere, Dodds says, try to be respectful of local customs and considerate to those around you.

“You are a guest in someone else’s destination, so be mindful that you are visiting where they live,” she says. “Even learning how to say ‘please,’ ‘thank you,’ and ‘goodbye’ is making an effort to acknowledge someone else’s culture.”