Europe has an impressive offering of interesting holiday destinations, with sun-soaked beaches, snowy ski resorts, and springtime city breaks aplenty. Many have become tourist hotspots, attracting millions of global visitors every year. This means that even some places once considered ‘hidden gems’ now face overtourism .
Albania, a small country in the Balkans, is one example of European countries facing an unprecedented tourism surge. More than 7.5 million tourists visited Albania last year, and more than 10 million are expected to visit next year.
But it’s not just the places that were once lesser-known to global visitors that are overcrowded. A study conducted by the Holidu team identified the cities with the highest ratio of tourists to residents earlier this year . While London, Barcelona or Paris may come to mind, the famous capital cities did not make the cut.
Instead, a rather unexpected destination took the top spot..