Press release

Which? reveals the destinations most plagued by overtourism - and where to go instead

Zante, Mallorca and Paris are among the European destinations with a claim to be most affected by overtourism, according to new Which? research.
5 min read
Press Team

Zante, Mallorca and Paris are among the European destinations with a claim to be most affected by overtourism, according to new Which? research.

Amid growing concerns of overcrowding, protests and increasingly angry locals warning of 'mobilisation' in some of Europe's most popular hotspots this summer, Which? analysed European Commission (EC) tourism numbers from the most recent set of complete data in order to find where holidaymakers might avoid and where to go instead.

The consumer champion’s analysis highlights the areas with the greatest influx of tourists - and suggests those seeking a quieter, more authentic holiday experience might find destinations such as Murcia, Lille or Estonia could provide the perfect alternative.

The EC’s definition of overtourism can be defined by three measures. 

The first measure from the EC is the number of tourists per resident, known as ‘tourism pressure’. It calculates how many nights tourists spend in a region, compared with the number of residents. For example, if 100 tourists spend five nights in a town with 100 residents. The ‘tourist pressure’ figure would be five overnight stays to every one resident. 

By this measure, Zakynthos - also known as Zante - in Greece is the capital of overtourism. Only around 40,000 people actually live there, but it had a staggering six million overnight stays in 2023, most in the sprawling, raucous resorts along the south coast - that means 150 overnight stays for every person who lives there. 

Zante does not have the most visitors in absolute terms, but compared to residents the volume of tourists is huge. The results of this level of tourism vary, but broadly it means a holiday there is mostly spent in the company of other tourists while shops, restaurants and cultural experiences will often be aimed (and priced) at tourists rather than locals.

The same measure also suggests holidaymakers should ignore descriptions of Istria in Croatia as the country’s ‘best-kept secret’. It was second only to Zakynthos, with 133 overnight tourist stays for each resident. 

At the other end of the scale, Which? found that Lille had around two overnight stays for every resident in the Nord region that it administers. 

For travellers determined to visit somewhere with little chance of bumping into British tourists, Teleorman, Romania is the least visited place in Europe. The area recorded just 20 overnight stays per 1,000 residents in 2023.

The second measure from the EC is most overnight stays overall. This makes Mallorca the most visited place in Europe by holidaymakers, with over 51 million overnight stays in 2023. The island’s population is just 966,000. It is this imbalance between the number of tourists and residents that arguably provides the best gauge of just how overrun with tourists a destination has become. 

In comparison, Paris (population 2.1 million) had around 44 million overnight stays in 2023. Tourists are likely to have shorter stays in Paris compared to Mallorca where tourists may spend a week or two.

The third measure for overtourism according to the EC is overnight stays per square kilometre, which may be most relevant for cities. Paris, unsurprisingly, has by far the most tourists per square km - a huge 418,280 overnight stays - followed by Athens and Copenhagen. 

Many cities and regions have recently introduced tourist taxes and controls on short-term rentals. In Amsterdam, which also appears near the top of the list for overnight stays per square km, tourists will pay around €22 a night on top of the standard hotel rate.

In Spain, there were 17,493 overnight stays in the Malaga region and 5,501 in Alicante per square km according to Which?’s analysis. For those wanting to stick to Spain, Murcia is the least visited part of its Mediterranean coast – there were 486 overnight stays per square km.

For a quiet seaside holiday, Haapsalu, Estonia is a seaside resort that has around 120 overnight stays by tourists per square km.

Overtourism is already so prevalent that popular destinations are now actively trying to reduce the number of arrivals. As a result, travellers may now be resistant to visit certain areas like Spain due to the increase in tourist tax and overtourism protests, so it is more worthwhile than ever for travellers to consider alternative destinations for their holidays.

Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel said: 

“What this data shows is that overtourism has overwhelmed some of Europe's most popular destinations. With so many fantastic places in Europe, the truth is, you are going to have a far better holiday in a destination where there are not hundreds or even thousands more tourists than there are locals.

“Try Estonia for stunning coastlines and, yes, warm weather, during summer. Or if you want to stick with Spain, Murcia is a great option.”

- ENDS - 

Notes to Editors

Breakdown of figures:

Tourist pressure (tourists per 1,000 residents)

Ten highest:

  • Zakynthos (149,886.95)
  • Istarska Zupanija (Istria in Croatia) (133,466.93)
  • Fuerteventura (118,720.31)
  • Lanzarote (117,785.17)
  • Dodecanese Islands - Kalymnos, Karpathos – Iroiki Nisos Kasos, Kos, Rodos (113,790.45)
  • Tiroler Oberland, Austria (112,716.37)
  • Pinzgau-Pongau, Austria (Salzburg Alps) (109,009.7)
  • Cyclade Island group-  Andros, Thira, Kea, Milos, Mykonos, Naxos, Paros, Syros, Tinos (104,152.63)
  • Kerkyra, Corfu (100,079.59)
  • Außerfern, Austria (97,299.12)

Ten of the lowest:

  • Benevento (398.17)
  • Rybnicki, Poland (351.1)
  • Targovishte, Bulgaria (332.15)
  • Arr. Soignies, Belgium (284.11)
  • Podunavska oblast, Serbia (277.83)
  • Severoistočen, North Macedonia (177.84)
  • Olt, South West Romania (148.3)
  • Călăraşi, South East Romania (123.97)
  • Dytikos Tomeas Athinon, region near Athens (64.13)
  • Teleorman, Romania (21.54)

Tourists per square km (highest)

  • Paris (418,280.1)
  • Central Athens (88,534.92)
  • Copenhagen (63,943.88)

Tourists per square km (Lowest)

  • Svalbard, Norway (2.4)
  • Teleorman, Romania (1.21)
  • Jan Mayen, Norwegian volcanic island (0)

Most overnight stays (highest)

  • Mallorca (51,193,029)
  • Paris (43,919.010)
  • Rome (41,135,744)

Overnight stays (Lowest)

  • Zasavska, Slovenia (22,990)
  • Teleorman, Romania (6,983)
  • Jan Mayen (uninhabited Norwegian island) (0)

Jan Mayen is not accessible, except by permission of the Norwegian government. 

2023 European Commission tourism numbers- https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/tour_occ_nin3/default/map?lang=en

The World Tourism Organization predicts that by the end of this decade, the flow of international tourists will be at almost two billion.

The map illustrates the ‘tourist pressure’ figure which would be overnight stays per thousand residents. 

Image of map available on request. 

About Which? 

Which? is the UK’s consumer champion, here to make life simpler, fairer and safer for everyone. Our research gets to the heart of consumer issues, our advice is impartial, and our rigorous product tests lead to expert recommendations. We’re the independent consumer voice that influences politicians and lawmakers, investigates, holds businesses to account and makes change happen. As an organisation we’re not for profit and all for making consumers more powerful.

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