Overtourism or Global Excess

Hypertourism should not be confused with traditional vacations. While the latter historically represent a social conquest dedicated to rest and rejuvenation, hypertourism is the culmination of a globalized system based on excess. This phenomenon is characterized by an extreme intensification of mobility where the pursuit of “more and more” takes precedence over the true meaning of the experience. Several factors drive this trend: global population growth, the rise of consumer society, and unregulated capitalism seeking unlimited profit. Today, tourism colonizes every corner of the planet, from the peaks of Everest to disaster zones like Chernobyl, and even reaching Antarctica.

An expansion facilitated by digital tools.

This “platform capitalism,” as Remy Knaffou calls it in his book, with players like Airbnb, has turned accommodations into financially optimized products, while social networks now dictate travel desires through a quest for social visibility and “Instagrammable” images.

This logic of infinite growth now faces increasingly difficult physical and social barriers to ignore. Socially, hypertourism creates deep divides by radically transforming the real estate market to the detriment of local residents. Simultaneously, the ecological impact of the sector becomes unsustainable. Tourism is responsible for about 8.8% of global greenhouse gas emissions, mainly carried by air traffic whose growth forecasts are incompatible with decarbonization goals. Even the most fragile environments suffer the consequences of this human presence. This tension inevitably leads to growing hostility from local populations, who organize networks to defend the habitability of their cities against “touristification.”

Tourism, a democratic and political challenge.

Currently, the system operates on a lack of accountability for actors who capture profits without bearing the cost of the resulting nuisances. Moving away from hypertourism involves shifting from a profit logic to a balanced territories logic, where well-being is favored over the growth of visitor numbers. This requires setting voluntary limits on capacity, as some resorts or regulations already do, and reducing dependence on long-haul travel in favor of national or European clients using low-carbon transportation like trains. The government must also reinvest in social justice by firmly regulating digital platforms to protect permanent housing and promoting a more solidarious popular tourism. Finally, travel should no longer be considered an absolute and unlimited right, but rather an exercise in individual responsibility, encouraging everyone to prefer scarcity, proximity, and moderation to preserve the habitability of the Earth.

To learn more: Remy Knafou, “Hypertourisme. Le tourisme à l’épreuve de sa démesure” published by Editions du Faubourg.