The summer time of 2024 was a tipping level for a lot of locations in Europe, as hovering customer numbers brought on tourism to turn into a burden quite than a profit.
With mass tourism displaying no indicators of slowing in 2025, many hotspots have introduced in measures to mitigate its destructive results.
Some strikes appeared apparent: limiting cruise ships, rising vacationer taxes and capping customer numbers.
However different efforts to curb customer numbers have made headlines due to outside-the-box pondering from each officers and residents.
Listed below are a number of the strangest overtourism measures which were introduced in to this point this 12 months.
Notting Hill residents paint iconic colored homes black
Notting Hill, a neighbourhood in West London, first gained vacationer fame within the 90s due to the eponymous romantic movie starring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant.
Extra lately, its photogenic, candy-coloured homes have made the realm a social media darling.
However the crowds of snap-happy vacationers have begun to frustrate residents, who’re elevating complaints about litter, noise and a scarcity of privateness.
Locals report incidents of influencers strolling as much as entrance doorways to take footage, setting out picnics, and even asking one house owner to go inside in order to not destroy a photograph.
Now, some residents have resorted to portray their homes in much less eye-catching hues like black and gray to discourage the cameras.
Householders have additionally erected ‘quiet zone’ indicators and hung chains and ropes in entrance of the steps main as much as their entrance doorways.
Police verify hikers’ footwear in Italy’s Cinque Terre
Italy’s Cinque Terre is known for its sunny-coloured, cliff-clinging villages linked by vertiginous strolling paths.
The mountaineering routes draw 1000’s of tourists in spring and summer time, to the extent that the Cinque Terre nationwide park authorities have needed to introduce security measures.
In addition to introducing one-way techniques, park authorities introduced in a ban on open or smooth-soled footwear (like flip-flops) in 2019.
Inappropriate footwear can value a would-be hiker a fantastic starting from €50 to €2,500.
Within the newest on-line tips for visiting the park, officers now say checks can be carried out by police to make sure walkers are correctly kitted out.
Barcelona creates particular selfie zone at Sagrada Familia
Till lately, Plaça Gaudí, the sq. in entrance of the Sagrada Familia church, had been exploited by vacationers for a TikTok pattern that brought on appreciable disruption.
It concerned guests balancing their telephones on metro escalators to movie themselves whereas the enduring monument appeared within the background. The pattern led to vacationers clogging station exits and was finally banned.
Barcelona metropolis council has now determined to assemble a particular zone beside the Sagrada Familia the place guests can take a breather – and a selfie – earlier than getting into the church.
The 6,200-square-metre ‘anteroom’ can be situated between the Nativity façade of the basilica and Plaça Gaudí on Carrer de la Marina.
Benidorm cracks down on renting mobility scooters
Within the Spanish resort city of Benidorm, authorities have introduced hefty fines for the inappropriate use of mobility scooters.
Police say vacationers have been renting the automobiles for enjoyable and with out correct insurance coverage, and driving round at harmful speeds.
The council has now emphasised that the usage of mobility scooters is strictly restricted to these with a real want.
Guests violating the foundations face fines of as much as €500.