WTTC Unveils Six-Point Strategy to Combat Tourist Overcrowding in Major Destinations, ET TravelWorld

As the global Travel & Tourism sector enters peak season, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has released a new report calling for a balanced, forward-looking approach to managing growing visitor numbers in high-demand destinations. The paper—Managing Destination Overcrowding: A Call to Action—underscores that overcrowding is often a symptom of deeper issues like underinvestment in infrastructure, fragmented decision-making, and lack of local engagement.

Travel & Tourism is expected to contribute nearly USD 11 trillion to global GDP in 2024, supporting 357 million jobs worldwide. Governments earn over USD 3.3 trillion annually from tourism-related tax revenues. WTTC argues these earnings must be strategically reinvested to strengthen infrastructure, improve planning, and ensure that the sector continues to benefit both residents and visitors.

The report sets out six key actions to improve destination management, including organising inclusive stakeholder taskforces, developing shared vision and planning strategies, using evidence-based data to assess pressure points, monitoring regularly and acting proactively, investing transparently in infrastructure and sustainability, and empowering local communities through participation.

Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, said, “Travel & Tourism brings huge benefits including jobs, investment, and deeper cultural understanding. But growth needs to be managed carefully. This isn’t about stopping tourism, it’s about making it work for everyone.”

The paper also warns that short-term measures such as tourism taxes and visitor caps may not address underlying challenges and could result in long-term economic losses. WTTC estimates that if 11 major European cities imposed caps, it could result in a GDP loss of USD 245 billion and nearly 3 million jobs over just three years.

The report highlights successful models from destinations such as Barcelona, Flanders, Dubrovnik, and Iceland, which have adopted strategies including public-private partnerships, community consultation, and reinvestment of tourism levies into environmental protection.

WTTC urges global tourism leaders to view this as an opportunity to reshape the future of the sector—ensuring sustainability, protecting destination identity, and preserving economic benefits for generations to come.