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overtourism

American

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

noun

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

overtourism

But complaints about badly-behaved tourists are sparking debate about overtourism.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

But today, the most visited tourist attraction in Spain has become a symbol of Europe’s overtourism problem.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026

The city is so synonymous with overtourism that some travelers have sworn off it completely—yet even amid cruise ship bans and entry fees for day-trippers, crowds keep coming.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 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

A "warts and all" assessment of the impact of the North Coast 500 road trip has been ordered amid concerns about overtourism.

From BBC ● Dec. 9, 2025

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023