Are Tourists Detrimental to Travel?

The woman who scaled the Trevi Fountain to refill her plastic water bottle. The Michigan man under the influence who strayed off the path into a restricted zone near a boiling geyser in Yellowstone National Park. The Swiss teenager who etched her initials into the Colosseum, just months after a British tourist had done the same with his and his girlfriend’s initials.

This summer brought a series of increasingly shocking viral incidents. Although travelers’ blunders are not a new phenomenon, there seems to have been an alarming surge in misconduct this past summer. Even as crowds and heat have lessened, the unruly behavior persists. In early September, an Irish tourist climbed a recently restored statue in Brussels, causing $19,000 worth of damage, raising the question: What’s driving this outrageous behavior among tourists?

As heat waves swept across the world this summer, so did travelers eager to vacation after years of delays and cancellations: Europe alone reached 90 percent of pre-pandemic visitor levels in the first quarter, fueled by strong regional demand, according to the World Tourism Organization. Globally, air traffic in July was at 95.6 percent of 2019 levels, as reported by the International Air Transport Association earlier this month. If it seemed like everyone on your Instagram feed was vacationing in Greece or Italy this summer, the reality supports that notion. The Acropolis was so overwhelmed by visitors in July that new measures, like a time-slot system, had to be implemented at Greece’s most popular site, which attracts over 17,000 visitors daily.

Milena Nikolova, a behavioral scientist and the CEO of BehaviorSMART, collaborates with destinations and travel companies to leverage insights about human behavior for promoting more sustainable and responsible travel. Nikolova attributes much of the increase in poor conduct to the sheer volume of travelers now hitting the road.

“Travel has become more accessible and easier to pursue. When something is easy, its value diminishes,” says Nikolova. She highlights what she describes as the rise of “fast-food culture”: “Travelers are skimming the surface of their experiences; they’re not truly immersing themselves or thoughtfully connecting with their destinations.” The constant flow of media has further exacerbated the issue, turning local incidents into global headlines.

Historically, travelers have always displayed some level of poor behavior, notes JoAnna Haugen, founder of Rooted, a platform focused on storytelling that promotes sustainable travel and social impact. (We can trace this back to the poor conduct of early male explorers who colonized the globe, she points out.) Nowadays, documenting our journeys—often riddled with self-centeredness—has never been easier, which may explain why travelers feel compelled to trample wildflowers or chase bison for selfies.

“Social media has significantly influenced people to visit specific locations or engage in particular activities, often creating unrealistic expectations and encouraging inappropriate actions,” Haugen remarks regarding the rise of social media-driven tourism. She encourages travelers to reflect on their motivations: “If I couldn’t share this experience online, would I still pursue it?”

Haugen advocates for travelers to ponder deeper questions overall. “When considering travel, the initial query has always been ‘where,’ but I suggest travelers should not only ask ‘where’ but also ‘why.’ Why are we choosing to go somewhere? Why do we want to be part of this experience?”

Rather than focusing on the question of “what” activities to pursue, Haugen suggests rephrasing it to “how”—How will we engage in this experience in a manner that aligns with our “why”? One recommendation is for travelers to commit to tours that enhance their understanding of a location. AltruVistas, a philanthropic travel company, offers tailored group trips that delve into the more complex aspects of destinations, such as journeys into the heart of Israel and Palestine or exploring the African diaspora in Cuba.

“For far too long, the focus has been on travelers in the travel narrative. The locals, who contribute to the essence of the place, are the real protagonists,” she asserts. Haugen also emphasizes that the travel industry needs to move away from its sanitized portrayal, which suggests, “everything is beautiful and perfect.”

How can destinations inspire better behavior among travelers? Nikolova proposes awareness initiatives, guidelines, and pledges as effective tools. However, addressing overtourism is crucial—implementing permits and taxes, as well as promoting lesser-known destinations to alleviate pressure on popular spots where misbehavior is common. It’s a delicate balance, she notes, since raising prices through tourist taxes can make travel less accessible, raising important equity concerns. But allowing tourists free rein isn’t a viable solution either.

“Providing guests with guidance on appropriate behavior doesn’t make you a bad host,” she points out.

Amsterdam is one city that has successfully implemented such initiatives, launching various campaigns to raise awareness among visitors. “This is a city where people live and work,” says Maya Janssen, managing director of insights and marketing strategy for the city. “Unlike Venice, where many residents have unfortunately departed from the city center.”

Amsterdam’s latest initiative, “Stay Away,” targets British men aged 18 to 25 who visit in large groups primarily to party. “These aren’t the visitors who contribute positively to our city; they enjoy the freedom but lack respect for the residents and the city itself,” says Janssen. To combat overtourism and pollution, Amsterdam has also prohibited cruise ships from docking in the city center. However, Janssen emphasizes that changing the behavior of these groups is a long-term effort and results will take time. This fall, the city will launch a new campaign to highlight different aspects of Amsterdam—beyond its red-light district and coffee shops—to showcase what the local community takes pride in, according to Janssen.

When do movements become integrated into the social consciousness? Dan Moore, a tourism development consultant and adventure travel guide educator for over 15 years, played a key role in promoting the “Recreate Responsibly” campaign in Washington State during the early COVID days. “We saw a surge of individuals with minimal outdoor experience and no understanding of ‘leave no trace’ heading outdoors—due to closures everywhere else,” recalls Moore, now the COO of the Adventure Hub, a collective of travel companies in the Pacific Northwest. “Our public lands and outdoor areas suffered greatly.”

Instead of blaming inexperienced travelers for their lack of knowledge and poor actions, Moore states, “We recognized our failure to provide the necessary resources and infrastructure beforehand.” Collaborators from REI Co-op, the Outdoor Alliance, the Washington Trails Association, the National Park Service, and various public lands experts united to address these issues, forming the Recreate Responsibly Coalition and Campaign, which outlines best practices and guidance for responsible outdoor recreation.

Key principles of the “Recreate Responsibly” campaign include checking local conditions for weather and fire restrictions, ensuring that all identities and abilities feel welcomed and safe outdoors, and adhering to the established mantra of Leave No Trace, which has been ingrained in the outdoor community for over fifty years. Originally a hashtag in 2020 (which has since amassed over 5 billion impressions), “Recreate Responsibly” has evolved into a movement with over 3,000 participating organizations. To Moore's surprise, the phrase even made its way into the 2023 Netflix film Happiness for Beginners, as a character portrayed a backpacking guide.

Addressing the issue of “frenzied behavior around wildlife” is also crucial for travelers engaging in sDinogoi experiences. Emboo River Camp, the first sDinogoi lodge in Kenya to operate an entirely solar-powered fleet of sDinogoi vehicles, is spearheading the development of an SDinogoi Etiquette guide for the Maasai Mara. These guidelines, created by the Sacred Nature Initiative, a non-profit advocating for ethical wildlife tourism, include a code of conduct for sDinogoi guests as well as guidance for game drives. The Sacred Nature Initiative also encourages travelers to research their sDinogoi companies and lodges prior to booking to assess their commitment to environmental impact and support for local communities.

The pandemic highlighted the vital role of tourism in supporting local economies, showing that when approached thoughtfully, it can serve as a catalyst for social change and aid in conservation efforts. At its core, travel has the potential to enhance our understanding as global citizens, particularly when we engage with a destination beyond just capturing photos or using it as a backdrop for selfies.

“Traveling to countries with diverse cultural backgrounds has been shown to enhance your openness and tolerance for different ways of life,” explains behavioral scientist Nikolova. “By shifting your gaze from screens to the surroundings, immersing yourself in the environment, and seeking to understand the local context, you’ll have a richer experience. This awareness makes you less likely to overlook and harm the places you visit.”