Protests in holidaying hotspots across Europe have been triggered by tensions over mass tourism, with locals claiming overwhelming numbers of visitors are harming their way of life. But climate change means more visitors are expected to escape rising temperatures on the continent and instead head towards cooler climes for trips away. Changing global temperatures are having an impact on Wales’ tourism industry, for example, with a recent showing a potential rise in global heat of 3-4C could see a 16% increase in visitors to west Wales.
But following protests by residents in places like Barcelona, Majorca and Venice in response to "over-tourism", could places like Wales be at risk of becoming overwhelmed too? Linda Osti, a senior lecturer in tourism management at Bangor University, said Wales could indeed experience "over-tourism" if visitor numbers continue to grow. But she said the key to avoiding conflict with locals is to find solutions which benefit both people living in areas and the people visiting them. "There is no sustainable or regenerative tourism without host communities," she added.
"We need to create co-operation and make sure that tourism is profiting every member of the community." Ms Osti said that the term "over-tourism" was first coined by a journalist discussing Iceland in 2016. "International tourism arrived in Iceland and what he noticed was there was a resentment of local people against tourism - so hopefully Wales would be acting before we get to that.