A Million-Dollar Question

Imagine: tomorrow, Venice, Barcelona, or Dubrovnik launches an advertising campaign "For Rich Tourists Only".

What would happen?

  • After a week: Political scandal, accusations of elitism, #TravelEquality hashtags

  • After a month: Economic collapse, mass layoffs, pleas for tourists to return

  • After a year, the same authorities who fought "overtourism" are begging airlines to restore flights

What's the Hypocrisy?

  • Cities want selective tourism - money from mass tourism without the masses themselves. They dream of tourists who:

  • Spend like millionaires

  • Behave like museum curators

  • Arrive invisibly and disappear without a trace

But economics doesn't work that way.

The Uncomfortable Truth

  • 1.4 billion international tourists per year isn't much for a planet with 8 billion people.

The problem isn't quantity, but concentration:

  • 70% of tourists go to 10 countries

  • 80% travel during the 3-4 summer months

  • 90% photograph the same places

Honest Conversation

Instead of complaining about "bad tourists," let's admit:

  • Tourism is a conscious choice of economic development

  • Popularity is the result of marketing investments

  • Growth problems are the price of success, not tourists' malicious intent

Proposal

  • Stop speculating with terms. If the problem is real, act honestly:

  • Ensure tourist tax transparency - let every address see how €2-3 per day benefits residents (50% for infrastructure, 50% for address-based payments)

  • Develop alternative regions (instead of concentrating everything in centers)

Important: These are reflections on the topic, not literal calls to action. The goal is honest conversation about contradictions, not specific recommendations.

Your opinion: Are popular destinations ready for an honest choice between revenue and comfort? Or is "overtourism" a convenient excuse for other problems?

By Igor Repishevski