Brits may want to steer clear of Europe’s “hyper-tourist” cities where locals are outnumbered by more than 20 to one.
The issue of holiday hotspots being swamped by tourists has intensified over the past year, with demonstrations erupting in Greece and Spain as residents become frustrated with congested public services and roads, and soaring rents due to Airbnbs and hotels driving up prices.
While Athens, Majorca, Malaga and Barcelona have been at the centre of the unrest, a recent study from Money Transfers revealed that they are not among the locations with the highest ratios of tourists to locals.
The European location with the most tourists per capita is Heraklion in Greece, which welcomes over 6.5 million annual visitors, according to the study.
Last year, its visitor numbers increased by seven percent from 2023, the Deputy Regional Governor for Tourism announced. This means that Heraklion has approximately 22 tourists per resident – a surge that can result in overcrowding, especially during peak tourist seasons, according to the Mirror.
The appeal of Crete’s capital is evident, with Heraklion rich in history and culture, featuring attractions like the Palace of Knossos and several museums. However, the influx of tourists can put a strain on local resources and infrastructure.
Locals in Crete have had enough, with tensions rising over the influx of tourists, illustrated by blunt graffiti in Chania: “Migrants welcome, tourists can f*** off.”
An agitated local took to Reddit lamenting the woes of overtourism: “It’s not nuclear science, overtourism is killing locals lives and local societies, the same is happening to every major destination. Accommodations, working conditions etc are killing the lives of locals and especially in a country like Greece, where all the important infrastructure, hotels etc are sold out the benefits of all that overtourism is minimum.”
Overtourism isn’t exclusive to Crete; it’s also a critical issue for Rhodes, which sees an alarming 20.3 tourists per resident, according to a study by Money Transfers.
Rhode Trip, composed of native islanders advocating for sustainable tourism, stated pointedly: “Rhodes suffers from overtourism, excessive use of natural resources during the half of the year and environmental abuse. The rapid growth of tourism, since the 1960s, was not followed by the appropriate development and tourism is being treated as an INDUSTRY.”
Venice, another European city, also made it into the top ten. The city has been grappling with its popularity and the need to preserve its unique charm.
In an attempt to generate revenue from the millions of annual visitors, authorities introduced a daily visitor tax last year.