This study for the European Commission provided solid evidence on the phenomenon of overtourism by analysing the multiple root causes and effects of overtourism at destination level, differentiated by type of destination (urban, rural, island, coastal and mountain tourism). The project team conducted a thorough literature review of up-to-date evidence on overtourism, analysed available data sources on overtourism and conducted 15 case studies. The project team organised six stakeholder workshops, focussing on peer-learning, best practices, and contributing to the dialogue among EU tourism stakeholders on the topic of sustainable tourism.
Based on these findings and workshops tailored by destination types, the consortium developed indicators to detect potential risks of overtourism and related impacts. Best practice examples were also added to the study to accompany destination managers and help them to address the signals collected via the indicators. ÖIR was in charge of quantitative analysis and overtourism indicator development, as well as conducting a share of the case studies. Furthermore, we organised six destination workshops (urban, rural, island, coastal and mountain destination plus EU) as well as the outreach campaign.
