Is selective tourism a dream for local governments or a dangerous illusion?

Images from last summer holiday – a tourist boom at the seaside and in the mountains, resulting in outrage. It’s time to stop pretending that we can have “tourism without tourists.” Instead of fighting crowds, it’s worth understanding that popularity is a choice. Let’s not fight its consequences, but consciously manage it. Let’s not restrict tourism; we cleverly redirect it. It sounds good, but implementing it is a completely different story – we’re talking about a generational perspective.

Imagine Barcelona, Rome, Venice announcing a new promotional campaign with the slogan: “Only for wealthy tourists.” What might the scenario look like?

The media would quickly pick up on the story. A political storm, accusations of elitism, public protests, and a wave of criticism and outrage on social media. After some time, the first signs of a crisis would appear. There would be a decline in visitor numbers, layoffs in the tourism sector, and government appeals for tourists to return.

The same cities that recently declared their fight against “overtourism” would begin to strive to restore connections and rebuild interest from mass consumers.

This is a hypothetical scenario, but it illustrates a certain mechanism. Many popular tourist destinations are currently trying to balance the desire to limit visitor numbers with maintaining tourism revenues. In practice, this means attempting to create a new model: “selective tourism,” profiting from mass tourism without its presence.

The Ideal and Unrealistic Tourist

As the saying goes, “…let’s not go down that road.” The model of such a tourist, although attractive in theory, contradicts the realities of economics.

Many city authorities would like to attract tourists who:

• spend like luxury customers,
• move quietly and smoothly,
• treat cities like museums,
• disappear without a trace, without traffic jams, trash, or noise.

Is selective tourism a dream or an illusion?

However, this is utopia, because tourism is a mass phenomenon. Nearly 1.5 billion people travel worldwide annually, and this number is constantly growing (according to the UNWTO, by 2030, it will be 2 billion trips, and spending on them will grow much faster). With 8 billion people on Earth, this isn’t a shocking number. The problem isn’t the global scale, but their concentration.

Because:

• approx. 60% of tourists visit just 15 countries,
• approx. 70% of tourists come from just 15 countries,
• approx. 70% travel during peak season (mainly in summer),
• approx. 90% focus on the same points on the map, taking photos for Instagram.

Tourism is a strategic choice

Instead of stigmatizing tourists alone, it’s worth taking a broader look at the issue.

• Tourism is not a side effect but a decision about the direction of economic development.
• The popularity of a destination is not accidental. It is the result of years of promotional campaigns and investments.
• Problems related to growth are a natural consequence of success. They do not result solely from inappropriate tourist behavior.

The need for transparency and accountability

If the problem of “overtourism” is real and not just a media buzzword, it is worth approaching it systematically. Are cities ready to make a fair choice between comfort and income? Or is “overtourism” a convenient excuse for not addressing other, more complex problems?

Possible solutions include:

1. Transparent accounting of tourism revenues – residents should see what they actually gain from the presence of tourists. For example, 5 złoty per person per day could be divided: 50% for infrastructure, 50% in the form of compensation (e.g., based on the location of residential addresses).

2. Development of alternative tourist regions and zones – reducing the burden on city centers and popular areas through investment in lesser-known places.

Are cities ready to make a fair choice between comfort and income? Or is “overtourism” a convenient excuse for failing to address other, more complex problems?

This article was originally published in Polish at https://2ba.pl/turystyka-selektywna-to-marzenie-czy-iluzja/