The 10 most overcrowded tourist destinations in Europe are revealed by Greek islands top the list. Zante, the capital of overtourism, found to have stayed 150 overnight for all residents, according to research.
The measure is based on European Commission (EC) figures, comparing the number of tourists overnight to the number of residents. Zante has a total of around 40,000 islanders, and in 2023 it was an astounding 6 million overnight stay. Three other Greek regions have created a top 10 listings along with two Canary Islands, three destinations in Austria and three destinations in Croatia.
The second on the second list was in Istria, Croatia, the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea, where 133 overnight tourists from each resident stayed.
Tourists looking for a quieter Greek experience may turn their eyes to Dytikos Tomeas Athinon (West Athens), which had one of the lowest proportions, with 64 visits per resident.
Perhaps not surprising, but given the number of overtourism protests, the area that is perhaps not surprising was Fuerteventura, in the Canary Islands, with 118 continuous stays per resident.
EC also measures long mistakes in the total overnight stays of over 51 million nights in 2023, with Mallorca's top overnight stays. The island has a population of only 966,000.
On the other end of the scale, which? It was found that Lille has about two accommodations for all residents of the Nodal area.
Romania's Teleorman is the least visited place in Europe, and in 2023 he stayed just 20 nights per 1,000 people.
Rory Boland, which editor? The trip states: “What this data shows is that overtourism has overwhelmed some of Europe's most popular destinations.
“There are so many great places in Europe, the truth is that you will have a much better holiday in a destination that doesn't have hundreds or even thousands of tourists than the locals.
“Try Estonia for its stunning coastline. And yes, it's warm weather during the summer. Or, if you want to stick to Spain, Murcia is a great option.”
