11 Tourist Spots Where Locals Wish Visitors Would Stay Away: Local Insights Reported
Venice: The Sinking City Drowns in Day Trippers
Venice stands as the ultimate cautionary tale of tourism gone wrong. The problem stems from the sheer number of visitors who flock to the city daily – over 25 million tourists a year for a city with just over 50,000 residents. Picture this: for every local resident, there are roughly 400 tourists visiting each year. The influx is so great that Venice now charges visitors an entry fee during peak times, part of a desperate attempt to manage crowd levels and attract tourists.
The situation has become so dire that locals feel like prisoners in their own city. Narrow streets and iconic spots like Piazza San Marco are often too congested to enjoy, leaving both locals and tourists frustrated. What makes it worse is that many visitors are day-trippers who contribute little to the local economy while adding maximum strain to the infrastructure. Short-term tourists (some staying just mere hours) tend to invade the city en masse, take up space and use up resources, yet contribute little to the economy.
The city’s very foundations are suffering too. Overtourism in Venice is eroding the city’s foundations, with frequent flooding (the infamous “acqua alta”) exacerbated by climate change and human activity.
Barcelona: Where Water Guns Meet Tourist Frustration
Barcelona has become the poster child for anti-tourism protests in Europe. Widespread protests, including highly publicized incidents in Barcelona when residents sprayed tourists with water pistols. But these aren’t random acts of hostility – they’re desperate measures from locals who feel their city has been hijacked by mass tourism.
More than 32 million people stay in the city of 1.6 million residents yearly. That’s twenty times more visitors than residents annually. The housing crisis has become particularly acute, with protests erupting in 2024 over issues like overcrowding at Park Güell, prompting plans to restrict rentals by 2028. Local shops that once served residents now cater exclusively to tourists, selling souvenirs instead of groceries.
The city government has taken drastic action. Barcelona announced a plan last year to phase out all of the 10,000 apartments licensed in the city as short-term rentals by 2028. This represents a complete reversal from destination marketing to destination management, where the focus has shifted from attracting more tourists to protecting residents’ quality of life.
Santorini: Paradise Lost to Instagram Fame
Santorini’s stunning sunsets and white-washed buildings have made it an Instagram sensation, but this social media fame has come at a devastating cost. The growing number of foreign tourists – some 3.4 million visited the island last year, according to mayor Nikos Zorzos – are putting pressure on its outdated infrastructure and are pricing islanders out of the housing market.
For perspective, that’s 170 tourists for every one of the island’s 20,000 permanent residents annually. Zorzos says he has been pushing authorities for years not to allow a single extra bed on the island and has proposed a cap on the number of cruise ship visitors to 8,000 a day, down from around 17,000.
The mayor himself has expressed his desperation. “I feel like a prisoner. I want to change things, but I can’t,” he explains, sinking into a seat in his office. The Greek Prime Minister has acknowledged the problem, with Santorini “is a problem,” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told Bloomberg in early June. Starting in 2025, the island will implement new measures including visitor fees for peak days.
Maya Bay: Hollywood’s Environmental Disaster
Maya Bay in Thailand represents one of the most dramatic examples of how a single movie can destroy a natural paradise. The stunning bay, known for its towering limestone cliffs, crystal-clear waters, and unspoiled natural beauty, became internationally famous after it featured as a backdrop in the iconic 2000 film The Beach, starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
The environmental destruction was so severe that Maya Bay Beach was closed for over two years by the Thai Government to help the environment as it had become ruined by over-tourism. Before the closure, the bay’s coral reefs had been decimated and marine life had virtually disappeared. Before Maya Bay was closed for good a few years ago, the reefs there had suffered substantial damage, and there was very little to no marine life.
Now the bay operates under strict regulations. Each day, 4,125 tourists can visit, divided into 11 rounds, with each round not exceeding 1 hour and limited to 375 people per round, from 07:00 to 18:00. Maya Bay, located on Phi Phi Leh Island in Krabi, Thailand, will be temporarily closed from August 1 to September 30, 2025. This two-month hiatus is aimed at giving the natural environment the opportunity to recover after enduring the heavy impact of peak summer holiday traffic.
Tulum: From Eco-Chic to Overtourism Nightmare
Tulum was once the epitome of sustainable, bohemian travel – a place where eco-conscious visitors could experience ancient Mayan culture alongside pristine beaches. Once a tranquil paradise known for its pristine beaches, ancient Mayan ruins, and eco-chic vibe, Tulum has become a cautionary tale of overtourism.
The transformation has been swift and brutal. The surge in popularity, fueled by Instagram-worthy scenery, has brought overcrowding, environmental strain, and rising costs. What’s particularly shocking is how tourism has affected local poverty levels. The Guardian reported that locals are being pushed out by developers and despite the thinking that tourism helps local communities, poverty nearly doubled between 2015 and 2020.
The environmental destruction continues unchecked. Local ecosystems, including fragile mangroves and coral reefs, are threatened by unchecked construction and pollution too. The irony is palpable – a destination that built its reputation on sustainability has become one of the most environmentally destructive tourist spots in Mexico.
Cinque Terre: Fishing Villages Under Siege
The five picturesque fishing villages of Cinque Terre have been overwhelmed by their own beauty. Known for its colorful cliffside villages and breathtaking coastal views, these once-quiet fishing towns now see millions of visitors annually, way more than they can handle.
The impact on local communities has been particularly devastating. In places like Cinque Terre, it pushes up housing prices, forcing locals to leave because they can’t afford to live there anymore. The transformation of local businesses tells the story perfectly: local shops and services often start focusing on tourists instead of residents for example, stores in Cinque Terre now sell souvenirs rather than groceries.
Authorities have been forced to take action to preserve what’s left of the authentic character. To combat issues like congestion and cruise ships, local authorities have introduced visitor caps and encourage sustainable travel to protect Cinque Terre’s charm.
Iceland: When Everyone Goes to the Same Photo Spots
Iceland’s dramatic landscapes have made it a social media darling, but this has created severe pressure on specific sites. A small country with breathtaking landscapes, Iceland has been overwhelmed by tourists flocking to Instagram-famous sites like the Blue Lagoon and Diamond Beach.
The country’s small population (around 380,000) means that even moderate increases in tourism create disproportionate impacts. The infrastructure simply wasn’t designed to handle the volume of visitors drawn by social media posts. It’s best to travel during the off season (November to April) and travel to lesser known spots like the Sturlungalaug hot spring.
The concentration of tourists at specific “Instagrammable” locations means that while some areas are completely overrun, other equally beautiful parts of the country remain largely unexplored.
Bali: Indonesia’s Island Paradise Under Pressure
Bali’s transformation from a spiritual, cultural destination to a mass tourism hotspot represents one of the most dramatic changes in Southeast Asian travel. Once an idyllic paradise, Bali now suffers from traffic congestion, environmental degradation, and overcrowded beaches.
The island’s infrastructure was never designed to handle the volume of visitors it now receives. Traffic jams that last for hours have become commonplace, and the famous rice terraces are being converted into hotels and restaurants at an alarming rate. Water shortages affect local communities while luxury resorts consume enormous amounts for pools and landscaping.
The cultural impact has been equally severe, with traditional Balinese life increasingly pushed to the margins as the island adapts to serve international tourists rather than preserving its unique heritage.
Canary Islands: Locals Say “Enough”
The Canary Islands experienced some of the most organized anti-tourism protests in 2024. In October, thousands protested at holiday resorts in Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Fuerteventura, and Lanzarote under the slogan “Canary Islands has a limit.” Protests were carried out because locals believe overtourism is pricing people out of the housing market.
The protesters’ concerns go beyond just housing costs. Residents also claim that the arrival of millions of travelers yearly depletes already limited natural resources and damages the environment. Water, a precious resource on these Atlantic islands, becomes scarce when hotels and tourist facilities consume vast quantities while locals face restrictions.
“In 2025, there will be several demonstrations in tourist areas, among other protests that are being planned by different groups,” Rodríguez confirms, although he does not reveal any specific dates. This shows that the anti-tourism movement is far from over.
Dubrovnik: Game of Thrones Tourism Gone Wrong
Dubrovnik’s medieval walls and stunning Adriatic coastline gained worldwide attention as a filming location for Game of Thrones, but this fame has proven to be a double-edged sword. Buckling under the pressure of a trifecta of overtourism culprits – cruise ships, cheap flights, and Game of Thrones fame, Croatia’s historic seaside city of Dubrovnik has been forced to take measures to limit the number of daily visitors and protect its UNESCO status.
The city’s compact size means that even moderate increases in visitor numbers create severe congestion. Cruise ships disgorge thousands of passengers at once, overwhelming the narrow medieval streets. The local government has been forced to implement daily visitor caps to prevent the city from losing its UNESCO World Heritage status.
The transformation has been rapid and dramatic, with what was once a living, breathing medieval city increasingly feeling like a theme park designed solely for tourist consumption.
Amsterdam: Locals Fight Back Against Party Tourism
Amsterdam has taken some of the most aggressive measures against overtourism in Europe. Over the past years, more than 75 measures have been implemented to combat the negative effects of overtourism – from rules to regulate the capacity of B&Bs and vacation rentals to relocating and reducing sea and river cruises and banning coaches in the city centre.
The city’s problems stem largely from its reputation as a party destination, which has attracted visitors whose behavior often conflicts with local residents’ quality of life. Mbarki confirms that one of the ways they’ll do this in 2025 is by continuing to ban the addition of beds in hotels in the city, as well as the ban on the creation of new hotels.
Amsterdam represents a city that has fundamentally changed its approach from welcoming all tourists to actively discouraging certain types of visitors through policy and messaging.
The overtourism crisis isn’t just about numbers – it’s about the fundamental relationship between visitors and the places they visit. As the demand for travel shows few signs of slowing, overtourism is poised to remain a critical challenge for visitors, residents and affected destinations, experts say. These destinations didn’t become anti-tourist overnight; they were pushed to this point by years of unsustainable tourism practices that prioritized visitor volume over local wellbeing.
What’s clear is that the traditional model of tourism – where success is measured purely by visitor numbers and spending – is broken. The places locals wish tourists would avoid aren’t necessarily the world’s most beautiful destinations; they’re the ones where tourism has grown beyond the community’s capacity to manage it sustainably. The question now is whether the industry can learn from these examples before more paradise is lost.
