overtourism

[oh-ver-toor-iz-uhm]

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of overtourism¹

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

Example Sentences

"Bali is a crucible in a lot of ways of overtourism," she says.

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

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Sanseito's rise in popularity reflects growing unease over immigration and overtourism - issues the ruling government also sought to address with a new committee it created days before the election.

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Getting past the fear means travel that is not merely transactional or feeding into overtourism.

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The influx of visitors to countries such as Spain and Greece have also fuelled heated protests against overtourism.

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