The event takes place amid growing concerns over extreme weather events affecting the tourism sector.
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Thousands of travel industry representatives arrived at London’s ExCeL exhibition center on Tuesday for the trade event World Travel Marketwhile global tourism recently broke pre-COVID-19 pandemic records.
But the increase in the number of tourists sometimes puts a strain on local infrastructure.
“We see this phenomenon, for example, when cruises visit small islands that are not equipped to accommodate so many tourists at the same time. This is primarily a question of local infrastructure and management.”explains Andreas Fiorentinos, secretary general of the Greek National Tourism Organization.
For many European destinations, the negative social, cultural, political and environmental impacts of overtourism outweigh its economic benefits.
Local protests against overtourism are increasing
Anti-tourism demonstrations were organized at the start of the year in Spain – notably in the cities of Barcelona and Malaga, and on the Balearic Islands and the Canaries -, with local populations concerned about environmental damage and rising housing prices.
Many destinations are now introducing new rules to protect local citizens from the negative effects of overtourism.
In Croatia, for example, new regulations will soon be implemented to address housing issues linked to the massive influx of tourists.
“We are in the process of passing a law that will require the approval of 80% of tenants in buildings where short-term rentals are possible. This will significantly reduce the number of tourists in certain residential areas”explains Tonči Glavina, the Croatian Minister of Tourism and Sports.
Limit the carbon footprint of travel
Another central topic at the World Travel Market: concerns related to climate change while extreme weather events have an increasingly significant impact on tourism.
In terms of carbon footprint, the travel sector says it is not just aiming for net-zero, but wants to ultimately become net-positive.
“Statistics show that people are very aware of the impact of travel on the environment, and many now favor destinations with a low carbon footprint,” explains Jonathan Heastie, portfolio director at World Travel Market.
“We also see that weather conditions are increasingly affecting tourists’ travel choices.”he adds.
The World Travel Market ends on Thursday in London.
