Mirjam Peternek McCartney, chief executive and founder of Lemongrass, says the issue will take time to solve but the questions we ask now will shape the future
Writing this post has been harder than I expected. After 25 years in the tourism industry, reading countless books and hosting discussions on overtourism, I thought I knew where to begin.
I initially planned to focus on common solutions – visitor quotas, fees, carrying capacity, or social media’s role. While these are valuable tools, my experience shows overtourism isn’t just about numbers or linear policies. It’s a symptom of a complex system where local communities, global economics, biodiversity, and cultural heritage are deeply interconnected. Addressing it requires understanding and tackling the underlying dynamics.
As systems-thinking pioneer Donella Meadows said: “The world is a complex, interconnected, finite, ecological – social – psychological – economic system. We treat it as if it were not, as if it were divisible, separable, simple, and infinite.”
To address overtourism, we must move beyond linear answers and start asking the right questions. Below, I outline the questions we need to ask to create the systematic change essential for solving overtourism.
Question 1: What Is the Purpose of the Change? And what might the unintended consequence be?
Overtourism is often framed through visible problems – crowds, strained infrastructure, and environmental degradation. But what happens when the interventions designed to solve these issues fail to address the deeper dynamics and create unintended consequences?
The Galapagos Islands provide a compelling example of how well-intentioned solutions can lead to unintended consequences. Strict visitor caps and high entry fees are designed to protect the fragile ecosystem, but they have also shifted the focus towards attracting high-end, luxury tourism. However, luxury tourism increases economic leakage, with much of the revenue bypassing local communities. The pandemic further exposed the vulnerability of this model, leaving residents economically devastated when tourism came to a halt.
This highlights a crucial question: Are the changes we implement truly supporting the long-term well-being of all stakeholders, or are they simply shifting the problem elsewhere? Addressing overtourism requires us to look beyond surface-level solutions and carefully consider how each intervention fits into the broader, interconnected system.
Question 2: Who Are the Stakeholders – Really?
Too often, tourism stakeholders are narrowly defined as those with financial investments: hoteliers, operators, or DMOs. This perspective excludes critical voices – local communities, marginalised groups, indigenous peoples, and even nature itself.
Hawaii offers a stark example of the consequences of this oversight. Twenty years ago, when I worked for the Hawaii Tourism Authority, we marketed the destination with little thought for the long-term impact on local communities or the environment. Today, we see the results: cultural displacement, environmental strain, and local frustration.
Other destinations, like New Zealand, have incorporated indigenous knowledge, consulting Māori tribes. At Lemongrass, we have recently appointed a Director of Nature to our senior management team, ensuring that nature’s voice is central to all decisions. Other organisations in tourism should consider similar approaches.
This leads to the second critical question: How can we ensure that all voices – including those of nature and future generations – are heard and valued in tourism planning?
Question 3: How Can We Foster Collaboration?
Addressing overtourism requires collective effort. It’s not a solo mission but a symphony of collaboration among local governments, businesses, communities, environmental groups, and other critical government agencies. DMOs and NTOs alone cannot tackle the complexities of overtourism; they must partner with departments responsible for housing, infrastructure, waste management, and natural resource protection to create holistic solutions.
Vienna’s 2025 Visitor Economy Plan brings together diverse stakeholders to balance economic benefits with community well-being, while Barcelona’s tourism strategies redistribute impacts more equitably. However, fragmented governance in places like Venice often leads to piecemeal measures, like visitor fees, that fail to address systemic issues.
The question is: How can we cultivate meaningful collaboration that breaks down silos, fosters accountability, and ensures shared responsibility for sustainable tourism?
Question 4: Are We Embracing a New Kind of Leadership?
Tourism systems are dynamic and full of interdependencies. Addressing them requires bold leaders who are willing to experiment, fail, learn, and adapt.
Meadows reminds us, “You can’t intervene in a system without changing it… but you can watch what happens, learn, and try again.” Leaders must embrace iterative processes, using feedback loops to refine strategies and ensure solutions remain responsive as conditions evolve.
Are we fostering leadership that prioritises continual learning, adaptation, and responsiveness to feedback?
Question 5: What Does Success Really Look Like? New KPIs to focus on
For too long, tourism success has been measured by growth – more visitors, higher revenues, increased occupancy. But these metrics are unsustainable.
The Travel Foundation’s Creating Equitable Destinations report emphasises new KPIs focused on community well-being, environmental health, and cultural preservation. Shifting the focus from quantity to quality ensures tourism benefits everyone, not just a few.
How can we redefine success to reflect long-term well-being for people, places, and the planet?
A Call to Action
Overtourism is a wicked problem, but not an insurmountable one. By asking the right questions and embracing systems change, we can move toward solutions that are thoughtful, inclusive, and sustainable.
This isn’t about quick fixes or simple answers. It’s about rethinking the entire system – challenging assumptions, listening to all voices, and creating a tourism model that values people, places, and nature equally. The journey will take time, but the questions we ask now will shape the future we build together.