Local communities are frustrated and rightfully so, streets are overcrowded, rents are sky-high, ecosystems are degraded and cultural spaces are being commodified.

𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐚 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡:

The problem isn’t the tourist. It’s the system that welcomed them without limits.

From Barcelona to Bali, what we’re witnessing isn’t just a clash between locals and outsiders, it’s a failure of tourism models, regulations and governance. Many countries still run on outdated, volume-driven tourism strategies that measure success by numbers not by sustainability, community well-being or ecological balance.

No tourist arrives hoping to ruin a place.

They come because the marketing told them it’s beautiful.
They stay because infrastructure made it easy.
They overcrowd, not because they want to but because no one ever told them not to.

So instead of blaming individuals with backpacks or cameras, let’s talk about:

1. Broken policy that incentivizes quantity over quality
2. Lack of visitor caps or carrying capacity limits in sensitive regions
3. No reinvestment of tourism income into communities or conservation
4. Failure to involve locals in tourism planning and benefit-sharing

Tourism is not inherently bad. But when driven by profit and poorly regulated, it becomes extractive not enriching.

𝐈𝐟 𝐰𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞, 𝐰𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐮𝐬𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐫:

• Destination stewardship, not destination exploitation
• Regenerative models that give more than they take
• Transparent governance, fair taxes and local inclusion
• Education for tourists and policymakers

So no, I don’t blame the tourist, I blame the system that keeps inviting them without a plan. It’s time we stopped treating overtourism as a people problem and started fixing it at the root.

𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬, 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐯𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥.

Rohit P. - Follow