The Conundrum of Riches

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France unveiled a series of strategies this month to tackle “overtourism” as the world’s biggest tourist destination is grappling with a surge of visitors following the lull caused by pandemic closures, Agence France-Presse reported.

Tourism Minister Olivia Gregoire said France needed to better handle peak-season influxes that threatened “the environment, the quality of life for locals, and the experiences for its visitors.”

Many of France’s famous historical sites and natural treasures report being overwhelmed by the number of visitors: This includes the famed Channel beach of Etretat, which saw a big rise in tourists thanks to the plot of the Netflix detective series “Lupin.”

Meanwhile, Paris – currently facing a housing shortage – is expecting 37 million tourists this year, just short of the pre-pandemic level of 38.5 million in 2019.

To mitigate some of the issues, local officials have already opted to cap visits to certain sites to limit the number of people.

Even so, the government admitted that there is a “serious lack of data” regarding the impact of overtourism in France. Gregoire told local media that authorities are planning to set up an industry monitoring group to identify the most at-risk sites and develop strategies for encouraging off-season visits.

Some of the suggested methods would include higher lodging taxes and access fees to help communities deal with the costs of welcoming throngs of visitors.

Authorities also propose to recruit social media “influencers” to raise awareness about the dangers of overtourism. This can be achieved by motivating individuals to explore lesser-known destinations or plan vacations during non-peak seasons, among other strategies.

France is the latest country to consider measures to mitigate overtourism. Recently, the Netherlands, Italy and others have considered imposing quotas, fees and other strategies to reduce the number of visitors to certain cities or districts.