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

However, a record 36.8 million arrivals from across the globe last year has also led to fears of overtourism affecting the daily lives of many in Japan.

From Barron's

They contend that being on the list can be a poisoned chalice, of either overtourism or undertourism.

From New York Times

Florence, Italy, where the Art for Tomorrow conference is taking place this week, became a World Heritage site in 1982, and it has long suffered from overtourism.

From New York Times

Bali is part of a growing number of popular travel destinations fed up with overtourism.

From Washington Post

Amsterdam has tried for years to address overtourism concerns, restricting some tours of the historic Red Light District before the pandemic and voting to move sex workers to an erotic center outside of the district in 2021.

From Washington Post