Jamie Biesiada
In recent years, a spotlight has shone on overtourism, with many in the industry attempting to figure out how to reverse the issue.
And it hasn't gone unnoticed by travel advisors' clients.
According to Jack Ezon, founder and managing partner of New York-based Embark, overtourism "has turned into a paranoia for many of our clients."
Ezon addressed overtourism in his most recent report on travel trends. He publishes a quarterly report on the luxury market and distribution.
"While this is no new trend, we are finally seeing it translate into client conversations and influence decisions," Ezon wrote.
Embark's clients don't want to feel like tourists, he said. They crave local experiences, like boutiques and restaurants. They eschew mass cruise lines that tourists pour out of, thinking it's "soooo not cool," Ezon said.
It's resulted in some interesting things. First, clients are requesting secondary destinations they can explore or secondary neighborhoods that feel more "local" in primary destinations. They're also changing schedules to visit cities during quieter times, Ezon said, or looking for "elite access" to sites. And they're calling for "local and authentic experiences that do not feel staged."
Another trend Ezon calls concerning is a strong anticruise sentiment.
While Ezon concedes that mass cruise lines have opened up the world to the middle class, smaller destinations can't handle the influx of thousands that come off ships in port, and often, locals don't benefit (cruise passengers often eat on their ships, and ship calls might keep away tourists staying in a local hotel in fear of the crowds).
But even the cloud that is overtourism has its silver lining, Ezon said: "It presents an amazing opportunity for destinations to reinvent or market themselves to attract new visitors." It also opens up secondary experiences in popular destinations and has left travelers willing to pay a premium to visit certain destinations. (Ezon's example was Rwanda, which charges $1,500 per day to enter Volcanoes National Park and see its gorillas.)
Paying for elite access to a destination is bifurcating classes, Ezon said.
"The big question is whether other destinations will begin to focus on a wealthy segment, thereby discriminating against middle-income wanderlusters," he said.
If that happens, its impacts on the local economies could be great. The destination could also lose its "gritty authenticity" that attracted wealthy travelers in the first place, Ezon posited.
To see Ezon's full report (which details much more than overtourism) or get added to the list of subscribers for future editions, email Ezon at [email protected].