Overtourism: UNESCO heritage site Kotor is suffering from an overcrowding of tourists. (Image: iStock)
Located along the picturesque Adriatic Bay, the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Croatia, Kotor in MontenegroThe city faces a significant influx of tourists who crowd its narrow streets and raise concerns about the environment. These visitors arrive every day in hundreds of boats, yachts and cruise ships that dock at the port.
This surge in tourism has sparked debate over whether to increase the 1 euro fee paid by cruise ship passengers to enter the city. It has now also raised concerns for locals.
This influx of tourists has significantly affected the city’s infrastructure and quality of life. Medieval streets, which served as a great testimony to history, are now filled with heavy traffic and overcrowded with people.
The increasing number of tourists in the region is further increasing housing costs, making it increasingly difficult for residents to live in their own town. Locals support the increase in the visitor fee for their own benefit. In addition, the environmental impact of mass tourism is becoming apparent.
Overtourism in Europe
Kotor is not the first city to face this situation. Several European cities such as Venice, Barcelona, Zurich and Santorini have also experienced similar situations, leading to protests and policy changes. For example, one of Switzerland’s most iconic landmarks, the Alpine lake, has limited access to tourists. Switzerland’s tourism agency recently said it has been trying to balance the flow of tourists throughout the year to protect the Alpine country from the risks of overtourism.
At a press conference in Zurich, Swiss tourism officials said they wanted to “direct tourists to the right places at the right time.” Agency director Martin Nydegger said there were “localized, temporary bottlenecks, well known to the industry,” according to an AFP report. For example, to cope with the sudden influx of Asian travelers to the central Swiss village of Iseltwald, which was featured in the South Korean Netflix series “Crash Landing on You,” authorities imposed a fee of five Swiss francs ($5.55) on tourists wishing to visit the series’ famous pontoon.
Croatia has also implemented measures to control tourist numbers. Dubrovnik, another UNESCO World Heritage site, introduced a “Respect the City” scheme in 2017, limiting the number of cruise ship visitors to 4,000 at any one time.
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