SPOTLIGHT / The roads less travelled The extent of tourism in Venice is irking locals. Credit: Getty Images If there’s one word that’s been regularly bobbing up in travel headlines this year it’s “overtourism”. In the wake of the post-COVID tourism boom, and masses of Insta-obsessed holiday-makers hogging iconic landmarks, an international backlash has been accelerating, from Venice rolling out an entry charge for visitors to angry Barcelona locals spraying tourists with water pistols.
Meanwhile, a Japanese resort town has erected a temporary fence to prevent traffic-stopping visitors posing in front of Mt Fuji. All of which may be driving a counter-trend: visitors bypassing the well‐trodden tourist spots for lesser-known regional places or little-known city neighbourhoods. The buzzword? “Life-seeing”, as opposed to “sight-seeing”, which explores what everyday life is truly like for locals and discovering hidden, Insta-free gems that will make a visit stand out.
A recent survey by booking.com found that the majority of tourists want “authentic experiences that are representative of local culture” and this applies to internal as well as overseas travel. The trend has already reached our shores, according to Austrade (Australia’s Trade and Investment Commission), with 78 per cent of younger Aussies planning a local holiday in the next 12 months and regional locales figuring in the top five most-preferred places.
Surveys show a yen for experience rather.
