Work

A proposal for an overtourism index

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: The rise of mass tourism has led to overtourism, where visitor numbers surpass a destination's sustainable capacity, causing environmental degradation, resource overuse, and social tensions. This study introduces a novel tourism intensity index tailored for small littoral towns, using the Cinque Terre (Italy) as a case study. Employing the Peña Distance method (DP2), the research quantifies tourism pressure and provides a framework for assessing overtourism risks. The resulting index aids in identifying policy interventions and strategies to mitigate overtourism, fostering long-term sustainability for vulnerable destinations. This approach offers a quantitative tool to address the critical challenges posed by overtourism, with implications for sustainable tourism management in similar contexts globally.

Source: Annals of Tourism Research

DOI: 10.1016/j.annals.2025.104042

Authors: Claudia Burlando, Enrico Musso, Tiziano Pavanini, Susanna Traversa

Institutions: University of Genoa, Politecnico di Milano

Language: English

Topic: Diverse Aspects of Tourism Research

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Sustainable cities and communities

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,060