overtourism

American  

[oh-ver-toor-iz-uhm] / ˌoʊ vərˈtʊər ɪz əm /

noun

1. a situation in which too many tourists travel to a popular destination, causing the place to suffer negative environmental, economic, and sociocultural impacts.

   From packed viewpoints to water shortages, Santorini is the most visible face of overtourism in the Greek islands.

---

Etymology

Origin of overtourism

First recorded in 1990–95; over- ( def. ) + tourism ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

overtourism

For years, big cruise ships funneled crowds into destinations like Venice and Barcelona, fueling overtourism concerns and prompting officials to impose restrictions on cruise traffic, ship size and visitor volume.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

Tourists will have to pay a two-euro entrance fee from February to get close to Rome's Trevi Fountain, officials said Friday, in a bid to tackle overtourism.

From Barron's ● Dec. 19, 2025

City officials have a similar plan to avoid the overtourism trap.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2025

"When today we see overtourism in south Bali, then we will see overtourism in north Bali in the future," he said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2025

But the people who live there claim they are now seeing the overtourism problems being experienced across Europe.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2025