OVERTOURISM occurs when too many visitors converge at the same destinations on holiday, causing detrimental impacts on the environment, local communities and visitor experiences.
Venice, Amsterdam and Barcelona are all struggling with overtourism. A recent CNBC report said 'Protesters in Spain told tourists to 'go home'. Instead, more arrived."
On July 6, thousands of anti-tourism protesters marched through the streets of Barcelona, shouting: "Tourists go home!". But tourist arrivals continued to rise, with some 10.9 million arriving in August.
In any case, the number of protesters is relatively small compared with those who welcome visitors. For every demonstrator, there could easily be a hundred or more residents relying on the tourism trade for providing accommodation, food and beverages, transport, personal services and goods.
One example of overtourism in Malaysia happened in Pulau Sembilan, south of Pangkor Island. It is blessed with stunning rock formations, beautiful beaches and unusual "blue tears" of seawater that appear at night due to bioluminescent phytoplankton.
Up to 400 people used to swarm the island daily, though the regulations set 120 visitors, causing damage to the pristine white sandy beach and threatening to wipe out the plankton.
In March 2017, the Perak government had to close the island indefinitely to visitors. The island is still closed to the public as restoration efforts are still being carried out.
Overtourism can be a bad thing, but we cannot just blame foreign tourists. Locals also contribute to the sector and can be just as guilty of not caring about the environment.
Recently, Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said that trawlers were the main culprits that disrupted reefs and their marine life around Talang-Talang and Satang islands off the coast near Kuching.
The point is, let's learn from the cities that experienced overtourism and address the challenges that come with it.
YS CHAN
Kuala Lumpur