“Chasing the Ghost of ‘Hypertourism'”

THE mass tourism has received much criticism in recent years, but evidence of its increase GDP show that the tourism sector, most of which is fueled by mass tourism, remains a major economic engine for the country.

However, one specter increasingly haunts our country, that of “hypertourism” (extreme tourism). And perhaps – in some cases – the apparent inability to manage tourist flows conjures up images of ‘hyper-tourism’ and we shall see, but the obsession, expansion and ambiguity with which this specter is evoked makes it appear that it is a social plague, a breeder of fears, something we must get rid of, no matter the cost.

The spark of “hypertourism” ignited the media primarily as a phenomenon that is mostly seen in the country’s popular destinations. The critical point is that the term “hypertourism” has now spread and automatically extended to any type of destination, regardless of the actual number of tourists that each destination can accommodate. A number that is always difficult to determine.

In this unbounded diversion of the term “hypertourism”, its very semantics have changed to such an extent that it is no longer possible to know whether the revulsion goes to the transcendence of the tourist phenomenon or to tourism itself, considered in itself, almost as if it were treated as harmful a substance, a minimum amount of which must be “tolerated”, or worse, which is limited to the minimum amount possible.

If we could filter through the concept of “hypertourism” the post-message that being a tourist destination is a negative event, while until now every place has been racing to be defined as a tourist destination, the consequences would be very negative in the field of hospitality, both for the national economy, as well as for local economies. Let us recall that almost all consolidated municipalities in the country are already considered touristic and that for many of them tourism is of vital importance. Indeed, some mountain resorts would not even exist (be abandoned, as is the case with those without tourism) if the hospitality economy were abolished or greatly reduced.

The main scenario is a growing, almost explosive, global demand for tourism. So the problem is choice. Who chooses and how? Usually the main criterion is the price. It’s not right, but it inevitably happens. Second, more specific point: do we understand when we should talk about “hypertourism”? Do we have objective metrics? Are the indicators derived in terms of capacity, relative to population and/or number of hotel rooms? If we don’t have it, we need to create these indicators. But in fact, even the most neutral or objective indicator only partially solves the problem, since the importance of nad does not lie in the number, but in the ability to manage tourist flows: there are cities that have no problem receiving a million people in one month and other destinations , which cannot accommodate a few dozen more people. In the first case, the figure is large, but no one perceives it as a problem, in the second, everyone will define it as “hypertourism”.

In fact, what needs to be discussed is the ability of individual destinations to manage the flows they wish to have.

To do this requires research (for example, trying to find out the actual number of visitors) and decisions about the organization of the city. One thing in this aspect is clear: visitors cannot stay without accommodation. For example, in a related study by Grant Thornton conducted on his behalf Hotel Chamber of Greece it is stated that now the number of beds available in the center of Athens, through rental accommodation, reaches 63.2 thousand, compared to 34.95 thousand hotel beds, while in the whole of Attica the beds are 1.68 times more on offer (114 000 beds at 67.8 thousand hotels). Nationally, from 2019 to 2023, shared economy beds increased by 100%, reaching 857.7 thousand, while during the same period, hotel beds reached 886.1 thousand, increasing by only 3.5%. It is clear that the growth is due to the explosion of short-term rentals on digital platforms.

Therefore, if there is “hypertourism”, it must necessarily be related to this form of accommodation, and therefore we have to think about whether we should talk about “hypertourism” or “overrentals”.

So how does one combat “hypertourism” when it actually exists and in the time periods when it does? Provided that there will also be the desired balancing and on the short-term rental side a balance can be achieved based on some parameters (population and/or hotel rooms).

If we assume that all this happened and move away from the concept of “hypertourism”, we have to face another big problem: the significant “polarization” that characterizes our country very strongly in several destinations and points of tourist interest. For example, indicatively speaking, more than 100 impressive archaeological sites have been registered, scattered over almost the entire Greek territory, many of which grace the World Heritage List of UNESCO and 203 archaeological museums, according to the Directorate of Archaeological Museums, Exhibitions and Educational Programs website.

Of the 4 million tourists who visited the archaeological sites and museums in our country in the first eight months of 2023, 2.7 million were for the archaeological site and museum of the Acropolis, 665,000 for Knossos and 375,000 for the archaeological site of Epidaurus. That is, more than 90% of visitors to three museums – archaeological superstars and very few visitors to a huge network of archaeological sites and museums, which are distributed in almost all geographical units of our country.

How to achieve greater balance both between and within different destinations, we currently know that tourists are not distributed and directed centrally. Logical would be this method proposed by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein in their book”The nudge, the gentle push” (2008). An exciting strategy that Obama he had used it with his government in many areas.

It is an approach based on behavioral economics and psychology that aims to influence people’s choices and behavior in subtle and positive ways without resorting to coercion or mandatory regulations. It uses the concept of inducements, i.e. small changes in the supply and presentation of options that can lead people to the desired decisions.

In today’s tourism, however, there is a reverse push in the sense that the mechanism of clickbait (we know that today everything is done on the Internet: travel inspiration, information, bookings and purchases) polarizes the user’s attention towards the most popular sights and destinations. To achieve, for example, maximum consumer attention, it is sufficient to offer very low prices in well-known destinations: an offer of 50 euros for a hotel room with a view of the Acropolis would attract more attention than a corresponding offer of 30 euros for a room in Corinth. And this is because the ultimate goal of any website or application on the Internet is to capture the interest of users and make them spend time online. The polarizing effect of clickbait is deadly.

So how could we actually unload already congested destinations, where and when such a thing might arise, by pursuing a “second best” tactic that directs attention to less popular destinations, making second-rate destinations and attractions valuable, especially if it is also reinforced by the rhetoric that those who choose the “second best” are better than those who choose the first in combination with appropriate supporting transport and ancillary services and a sustainable program of public investment in infrastructure and projects for reconstruction. Specialized in destinations, each with its own brand, its own defined product/market and its own distinctive message. complexity; Nothing more than what has already been applied internationally in other fields, from fashion to food.

Maybe it’s time to learn to better manage tourist flows and highlight lesser-known destinations. It is enough to apply thought and skill to tourism as well, without raising ghosts or worse, without creating and motivating far-fetched fantasies.