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SVN Solovelanet Global
by Alessandro Gallo
O v e r t u r i s m
Chrarter market
Overcrowding from tourism is a growing problem in
many European destinations – but is there also an
'over-tourism' problem at sea?
Z
adar (Croatia) - Going up the channel which leads
into Zadar is almost like crawling along the main
street of a big city, with hundreds of boats going up
and down the channel. Stopping in a roadstead is
impossible because of the crowding and once back
in Zadar, you find several dozen yachts queuing to
refuel. This means spending a few hours starting and
stopping the engine in an effort to keep the boat still
in a narrow body of water, while surrounded by do-
zens of other skippers doing exactly the same thing.
Around the world and for some years now, many
have been discussing the worrying phenomenon
which has become known as 'overtourism', or
excessive tourism. Consider the Italian city of Veni-
ce, for example. The inhabitants of the lagoon city
are facing serious problems, having to deal throu-
ghout their daily lives with the thousands of people
who crowd the streets and make it hard to walk.
The phenomenon is partly fuelled by major social
networks which encourage people to visit the most
popular locations, those with the highest number of
'likes'. However, a backlash is now developing with
many potential tourists considering overtourism
as an important factor in the choice of destination.
Many are now steering clear of overcrowded areas
and choosing to go elsewhere.
At the start, a roadstead in Maddalena
island. Small picture on top, a landscape of
Cilento. Here above, a view of Palinuro
