Measures introduced to curb overtourism in popular tourist destinations pose a “real challenge” for operators and cruise lines, according to the managing director of TTC Tour Brands.
Speaking at the 2024 Travel Weekly Future of Travel Conference, Kelly Jackson said navigating amendments to schedules to get around restrictions enforced to tackle overtourism had been “more challenging” than those forced by global geopolitical issues.
Discussing the 25-person limit for group tours introduced in San Sebastian and Venice earlier this year, Jackson said: “If we have a group of 26 we’ll simply split them into two separate groups, so effectively we increase the number of people, which doesn’t achieve the goal of the authorities.
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“These rules and regulations have good intentions behind them but they maybe aren’t quite as well thought out as they could be.”
Jackson said the challenges had forced the company to “relook at how we operate and the way we travel in our trips”.
“For example, instead of taking every group to the Vatican we’re taking some to hidden gems which are wonderful alternatives,” she added.
“We communicate itinerary changes to customers as soon as we learn of them and they understand, but one of the challenges is that we’re not given advance notice.”
Royal Caribbean EMEA vice-president Gerard Nolan said firms must adopt a long-term strategy to overcome the operational difficulties caused by overtourism measures.
He said Venice presents a “challenge to all of us”, referring to the ban on cruise ships entering the city centre implemented in 2021.
“We have to think about the longer-term strategy rather than what’s right in front of us as we’re never not going to have issues in that sense,” he said.
“The way we’re trying to navigate it is by investing in the local infrastructure: we have a 40-year concession to build a purpose-built terminal [in Venice] that can be sustainable, with hectares of land developed for the local community.”
Nolan added working with local authorities would be key if operators and cruise lines are to continue being allowed bringing passengers to popular destinations in a sustainable way.
He said: “We need to partner with local authorities and governments and find a way to bring guests to the region. As we all know, we bring a lot of value and benefit [to tourist destinations], and when done in the right way that can be very powerful.”