Will European nations start enforcing caps on tourism?

Rather than a ban on tourism altogether, locals are seeking a more balanced approach.

Certain policies towards this are already taking place in cities across Europe. Barcelona’s mayor recently vowed to prevent apartment rentals to tourists by 2028, while Mallorca and Dubrovnik have implemented limits on the number of cruise ships arrivals permitted per year.

Still, capping tourist rentals and lessening opportunities for large groups of visitors to arrive on shore does not solve the whole problem. The social and environmental impacts of year-round visitors also demands to be considered.

Representatives from UNESCO – the organization which designates heritage sites and encourages people to visit them to gain cultural enrichment – admit that it has become difficult to promote travelling for this very reason.

Part of the blame, is of course, the rise of travel influencers on social media. Areas of immense beauty have become hotspots for travellers, many of whom do not come to appreciate the history of a location and its remarkable architecture, but to snap the perfect photo.

‘We have evolved into what I call a selfie-motivated tourism,’ said Unesco’s senior project officer for sustainable tourism, Peter Debrine. ‘You know, they just want to take a photo of something without really any understanding of what it is and what it means to our past and future.’

Combatting this will require a shift in society’s way of thinking, away from the superficiality of travelling for our social media feeds and towards a desire to learn about and embrace a country’s unique history, culture, and traditions.

Without that, it wouldn’t be surprising to see stricter tourism laws like the ones in Dubrovnik and Mallorca enforced across additional European cities.