The 2010s was a boom decade for tourism, fueled by the expansion of budget airlines, the rise of Airbnb, and Instagram putting travel on constant display — in 2019, international arrivals worldwide reached a record 1.5 billion. But with that surge came consequences: City centers were packed, neighborhoods became hollowed out in favor of short-term rentals, and the strain on the environment became harder to ignore.
Then the pandemic brought everything to a halt. For the first time in years, cities remembered what life was like without a swarm of visitors. When borders reopened, many places decided that they didn’t want to go back to how things were — so much so that new rules, restrictions, and outright bans seem to be what just might define travel in the next decade. All over the world, cities and countries are trialing new ways to keep tourism in check — here are a few examples that stand out:
Barcelona, Spain
Few cities are more closely associated with overtourism than Barcelona, which went viral in 2023 when frustrated locals protested by spraying tourists with water guns. Just last year, the city’s mayor announced a plan to phase out all short-term rental licenses by 2028, an initiative aimed at curbing a trend that has been growing unchecked for years. If it stands, this phase-out would be one of the most aggressive tourism rental policies anywhere in the world.
The hope is that limiting these types of rentals will help Barcelona feel like a real city again, not just a destination for tourists. And while it may be among the first places to take such drastic measures, other cities are closely watching — don’t be surprised if copycat policies begin to pop up in other locations across the globe.
Dubrovnik, Croatia
Thanks in part to the popularity of Game of Thrones and a steady stream of cruise ships docking nearby, in the late 2010s, Dubrovnik became one of the most heavily visited spots in Europe — and a textbook case of overtourism. The UNESCO-listed Old Town is compact with narrow streets and surrounded by medieval walls, which means there’s a limit to how many people it can realistically accommodate at once. At its peak, the Old Town was seeing over 10,000 cruise passengers in a single day, making it feel less like a functioning city and more like a theme park.
To counter this, the city has capped the number of cruise ships allowed to dock each day, installed cameras to monitor foot traffic at the gates, and introduced daily visitor limits. The city is betting on quality over quantity, and now focusing on attracting visitors who will spend more time — and more money — in the city rather than just quickly passing through.
Kyoto, Japan
In Kyoto, the impact of tourism has been felt most strongly in the historic Gion district, famous for its lantern-lit narrow lanes and Instagrammable teahouses. The area became so overrun with visitors stopping for photos and blocking doorways that in 2019, the city took the unusual step of entirely banning photography in certain areas. The measure helped ease congestion, but more importantly, it drew a clear line against intrusive tourist behavior.
It’s an interesting example, because rather than restricting visitor numbers outright, Kyoto focused on how tourists behave. Now, the message is clear: tourism is welcome, but not at the expense of the people who call Kyoto home.
Maya Bay, Thailand
Another victim of pop culture fame, Maya Bay was catapulted into the mainstream spotlight after The Beach was filmed there in 2000. By the 2010s, boatloads of tourists were arriving daily, and the area’s fragile ecosystem couldn’t keep up — overcrowding left the bay on the brink of collapse, with boat engines clouding the water, coral reefs dying off, and local species beginning to disappear. The government eventually shut down access to the bay to give the environment time to recover.
When the bay finally reopened in 2022, strict new rules were put in place: boats are now banned from entering the bay directly, daily visitor numbers have a strict limit, and swimming is prohibited in order to protect the reef. These restrictive measures are proof that some places are choosing sustainability over tourist dollars.
Yosemite National Park, USA
During the pandemic, Yosemite introduced a day-use reservation system to control crowds and to allow for social distancing. But what started as a temporary measure quickly revealed an unexpected upside: fewer cars on the roads, less strain on the trails, and less congestion at the park’s most popular attractions and viewpoints.
The system has since been adapted into a permanent seasonal requirement, making Yosemite a calmer, more intentional experience for those willing to plan ahead. By keeping daily visitor numbers under control, Yosemite is protecting its landscapes while also improving the visitor experience — a balance that many other National Parks are now considering for themselves.
Venice, Italy
Venice has struggled for years to manage its millions of annual visitors, many of whom arrive on cruise ships and only stay for the day. In 2024, the city introduced a fee for these short-term arrivals — the first regulation of its kind in Europe, and a move designed to safeguard the city’s delicate streets and vulnerable waterways.
Some critics of the new rule argue that an “admission fee” makes the city seem even more like a gated attraction, while supporters see it as the first serious attempt to manage the scale of tourism. As the rule is still new, its long-term impact remains to be seen — but what is clear is that regulating the tourist experience is now on the table, and the measures are only likely to get stricter in the years ahead.
Across the world, more and more restrictive measures are being put into place as destinations push back on the impact of mass tourism. Recently, Amsterdam has banned new hotels in its city center, Bali is trialing a new tourist tax, Santorini has also put a limit on cruise ships, and Peru’s Machu Picchu now requires advance reservations. At the heart of these changes is emphasizing the quality of life for locals over the tourist experience, and it’s a trend that even more destinations are likely to shift towards as tourism numbers finally seem to have bounced back post-pandemic.
