Are Too Many Americans Traveling Abroad?

Some reflections on tourism — and better ways to journey

The history of protest in Europe is long and varied. But until earlier this month, I don’t think I’ve ever seen this variation on the theme.

The most visited city in Spain, Barcelona took in nearly €10 billion from tourist spending last year. So why would Barcelonans start squirting their guests with water pistols?

Because tourism is one thing, overtourism another.

It was already starting to emerge as a phenomenon last year, but overtourism has exploded in 2024. By one estimate, over 4.7 billion tourists will travel the globe this year, as more affordable prices release pent-up desire to travel after the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tourism is a massive economic force, accounting for nearly 10% of global GDP. But according to activists, so massive an influx of travelers can also skew housing prices, move the workforce towards low-paying, unstable jobs, and cause more air, noise, and other pollution.

“What we want is a city for citizens, and not for tourists,” explained one of the protestors in Barcelona. And it’s not just people in the Catalan capital, or other Spanish cities like Seville and Granada. According to a report in The Independent, Amsterdam has targeted advertising and fines at drunk Britons, the tiny Austrian village of Hallstatt has erected a barrier to block a popular selfie spot, Mexicans staged an anti-tourism protest earlier this year in Oaxaca, and UNESCO is trying to get the Peruvian government to preserve Macchu Picchu from tourist littering and vandalism. Venice has started charging a city entrance fee, and Barcelona will join other cities in raising its tourist tax this fall.

As a European historian at a Christian college who believes that travel carries both educational and spiritual benefits and a sometime tour guide who wants to approach that work responsibly, let me suggest a few ways of rethinking travel in an age of overtourism.