Protests at holiday spots across Europe have been sparked by tensions over mass tourism, with locals saying overwhelming numbers of visitors are damaging their way of life.
But climate change means more visitors are expected to escape rising temperatures on the continent and instead head to colder climates for travel.
Changes in global temperatures are having an impact on Wales’ tourism industry, for example, with a recent European Commission study showing a potential increase in global heat of 3-4°C could lead to a 16% increase in the number of visitors to west Wales.
But following protests by residents in places like Barcelona, Mallorca and Venice in response to “overtourism”, could places like Wales be at risk of becoming overwhelmed too?
Linda Osti, senior lecturer in tourism management at Bangor University, said Wales could in fact experience an “overtourism” if visitor numbers continue to grow.
But she said the key to avoiding conflicts with locals is finding solutions that benefit both people who live in the areas and those who visit them.
“There is no sustainable or regenerative tourism without host communities,” he added.
“We need to create cooperation and ensure that tourism benefits all members of the community.”
Ms Osti said the term “overtourism” was first coined by a journalist discussing Iceland in 2016.
“International tourism has come to Iceland and what he noticed was that there was a resentment from local people against tourism – so I hope Wales acts before we get to that point,” she said.
“There is also trust that needs to be rebuilt – we have reached a point where there is no longer trust in government and therefore there is a need to create trust and ultimately tolerance. Tolerance among all stakeholders.”
Even before global temperatures rose further, Welsh businesses were noticing more foreign visitors – with Visit Wales saying tourist numbers from Germany doubled between 2022 and 2023.
And the number of cruise ships arriving in Wales has risen to 97 this year – a 25% increase on last year.
Holidaymakers visiting north Wales this summer included French families who said they wanted to escape the heat at home.
Fabian Bars, who traveled from Paris with his wife Amelie and children to Ogwen Valley in Eryri, said: “We prefer this temperature. In Paris it is very hot in summer.”
Mrs Bars said: “Before we came, we were afraid it would rain during our holiday, but it’s fine and it’s not hot – it’s perfect.”
Elisabeth and Benjamin Veloppe visited Dolgarrog in Conwy from their home near Nantes with their children Wilhelmina and Aziraphale, and said the extreme heat elsewhere was a factor in their decision.
Veloppe said: “With children it is very important because the night is very hot, we cannot walk easily in the afternoon – it is very difficult.”
Mrs Veloppe said: “In North Wales there are lots of beautiful places, you can go hiking and there are little parks for children.”
Phil Scott of Ribride – a tourist boat company on the Menai Strait between Anglesey and mainland Wales – said that although summer is always busy, it would be better to attract people outside of peak times or the so-called “shoulder season”. between the summer and winter months.
He said: “We need the number of people in these seasons and older couples who don’t bring children with them.
“They are a different type of visitor, their demographics are different, their spending is different and their needs are different.”
Anna Hume, who grew up on Anglesey and works in Ribride in the summer, agreed that a longer season would create jobs.
“It’s great to have a summer job in tourism or hospitality, but there’s nothing that keeps young people here all year round,” she said.
“There aren’t enough jobs to support young people, so we end up moving and we can’t afford to buy houses here because there isn’t enough income.”
Frustrations over visitor numbers have been felt recently, albeit on a smaller scale, following the popularity of Llanddwyn beach on Anglesey – helped by its feature in HBO’s House of the Dragon -. led to anger over traffic congestion.
Neville Evans, councilor for the area with responsibility for leisure, tourism and maritime, said visitors should be directed to locations off the beaten track.
“Some of the more inland areas don’t get touched, so maybe it’s a matter of trying to take pressure away from some of the hotspots and focus more on the communities that don’t benefit without actually having an adverse effect on those communities as well.”
