Inevitably solutions are going to come first and foremost from local councils and mayors that run a particular city or site – and these changes will come at the request of local residents. Be it banning airbnb, avoiding cruise ships, and what would likely be an unpopular move amongst tourists – putting up prices in order to detract lower spending tourists.

That could mean an increased city tax rate when staying in a hotel, or an increase in prices for attractions fees and public transportation. We are starting to see more and more the creation of a double set of prices, one for local residents and another set for incoming visitors, and this will become more and more widespread.

The end result will be that, although you might continue to find low-cost airfares to a particular destination, the overall vacation spend-cost will substantially increase.

It is not more than 3 years ago I was in Barcelona and I can just say: no charm. No charm at all. Dubrovnik…more or less the same. It has gone so far that the local inhabitants are furious for all the tourists, and that puts the local government in an incredible awkward position. Should they limit tourism and earn less money?

I don’t believe social media or the internet is fully to blame for over tourism, but as you suggested people see real people doing amazing things, not celebrities, and they want a piece for themselves, who can blame them? It’s my belief that going travelling for the photo game, is the wrong idea of what travel should be about. Immersing yourself in culture is great, shared on the internet or not! It has just become a shame that there seems to be a lack of respect for the people running the tourism industries in these over crowded places, as well as for the locals living there. Here’s hoping that creating conversation about this important topic will one day create a difference.

People who can travel, even if they spend only $50/day and live in hostels or couch-surf are still privileged. I don’t care if you managed to pay off all your college debt by some miraculous reason (mommy+daddy), I don’t care if you then worked a minimum to medium wage job for a few years to save 20,000 to travel the world for a year or longer. You traveled and you are privileged. There are so many people who cannot do this, and I don’t mean lazy or unmotivated people, or people not willing to give up their Starbucks coffee to save for a trip. I mean people who are so dirt poor, they are working three jobs just to make ends meet and feed their families and hardly get to see their kids at night because they have to work so late. These people are not privileged.

So you inspire someone to save their disposable cash for a long time and then quit their “boring” day job and travel the world. You write blog posts about destinations and they see them and they add those destinations to their list. YOU are creating this. Then they go there and they are feeling oh-so-free and can do whatever they want. They are not working. They are “living” and You Only Live Once, so why not do it big in that destination. Why not have 10 tequila shots, they are after all, half the price of what you would pay at home. Why not yell in the streets and wake the sleeping workers. You don’t live there. You don’t care. You can do whatever you want. You saved the money and are on this trip and making it the time of your life. Because it’s freedom! but it turns out in the end, when the trip is over, it isn’t freedom. It’s “back to reality”

You see, you don’t think you have a Nomadic Matt effect, but you do. All of the large travel blogs do. Legal Nomads, Gary, Brooke, The Blonde Abroad, etc, etc, etc. You were probably one of the first…Not even 1/4 of the people would have known about these places if you hadn’t posted or written about it. A lot of people might not even think about going to some of the destinations if you hadn’t shown it to them. You have inspired thousands if not millions of privileged people with spare cash to travel to all the destinations that you have shown them. And privileged people typically have been sold on this idea that when you travel or vacation, you are living in a fantasy world, far far away from “real life” and you can do whatever you please. Heed every whim and fancy you have.

You have had your part in ruining those destinations and don’t you dare tell me you haven’t. You sent thousands of people there. You added to that. You and every other travel blogger out there. It’s so sad and hypocritical to see you writing about this overtourism movement that has started and will keep going. And I hope it does. I hope that other countries disallow Westerners altogether from entering the country. After all, what have we done for them? Nothing except destroy their economy and treated their environment like our playground, our trashcan, our toilet. Our governments have spilled blood to ensure that the routes of trade, military, and people are kept open to benefit their pockets and keep their citizens thinking they are satisfied.

If you do one thing, just accept who you are and what this blog is and what it does. Just be honest. And don’t insult people by writing against something that you helped get worse…

You really think that limiting the amount of cruise ships from 8 to 4 per day and banning short term rentals is going to fix this problem. Let’s take Barcelona for example, it’s not going to make a lick of difference to the summer crowds. You are just regurgitating nonsense that is being proposed by local politicians trying to appease the masses. Those same politicians are too greedy to turn away the tax revenue from mass tourism. Sure they’ll turn a way a few here and there, but it’s not going to change the atmosphere much. I really wish you could fix over tourism by just “trying”, but I think the solutions outlined here have been short sighted.