Tackling overtourism

Travel agent: Welcome to Jolly Journey. How can I help?

Woman: I'm looking to book a holiday.

Travel agent: Sure. Oh, we've got some great prices on dirty beaches and overcrowded towns. Plus, you can help drive up the housing prices for the locals.

Woman: Um, look, I don't think that's what I'm after.

Travel agent: I think it is.

Reporter: Yep, while going on holiday can be a lot of fun, tourism can have its downsides. And recently, some of the world's most popular destinations have been struggling with overtourism. It's turning sights like this … to this.

Woman: Is there really all that rubbish there?

Travel agent: Sure is. And that's not the only damage you'll be doing to the environment.

Reporter: Yeah, overtourism can put huge pressure on natural resources, transforming natural environments or damaging them through overuse.

Woman: I don't like the sound of this at all.

Travel agent: Well, if damaging the environment isn't your thing, would helping destroy a historical monument tickle your fancy?

Reporter: Tourists can also cause a lot of damage to historic sites, sometimes accidentally and sometimes on purpose. From the pyramids of Ancient Egypt to Angkor Wat in Cambodia, there have been countless reports of tourists vandalising structures with graffiti, to posing with statues and causing serious damage.

Woman: Listen, I don't think you understand. I just want to go somewhere where I can soak in a different culture.

Travel agent: How about destroying traditional ways of life?

Reporter: In some places, tourism can lead to local people changing their way of life, because it's more profitable than traditional ways of making money, and important parts of their culture can be turned into tourist attractions. Plus, in some popular tourist areas, it's more profitable for businesses to cater for tourists than locals, meaning that they miss out on the goods and services that they need. There's also been a lot of anger around the world about the effect tourism is having on housing prices.

Real estate agent: More than half of the rentals are holiday rentals, which leads to a price increase that is unaffordable for local people and for workers.

Reporter: In places like Spain's Balearic Islands, it's become really hard for locals to buy a house or rent.

Majorca resident: We can't live with rents at the prices they're at. Workers are being driven off the island.

Woman: This is awful. Someone should do something about this.

Reporter: Well, there are efforts being made around the world to deal with the problem of overtourism. Quite a few places have brought in a so-called 'tourist tax', which is a small fee paid by travellers when they visit certain holiday destinations. For example, visitors to Bali will have to pay $15, which the government says will go towards conservation and infrastructure.

Meanwhile, some countries have put limits on visitors to some famous sites or brought in rules for how tourists have to behave.

Woman: So, are there any good things about tourism?

Reporter: Well, yeah. Tourism is actually really important. It creates jobs, helps put money into local communities, plus it's a great way of sharing and learning about different cultures. But experts say it's really important to be a responsible tourist. That means being respectful to local cultures and the environment, trying to stay for more than just a night, and visit places off the beaten track.

Woman: Phew, you know, for a while there I was thinking I didn't ever want to travel again.

Travel agent: Really? What made you think that?

© ABC