10 Most Overcrowded Tourist Destinations In The World, As Per A Recent Ranking

Overtourism has become a significant concern for several countries worldwide in recent years. A new report has shed light on some of the world's most overcrowded travel destinations, highlighting the gravity of the issue with data. The rankings were put together by Go2Africa, a safari company. As per its website, in order to compile this report, it sourced official tourism figures from national tourist boards and reports to figure out how many people visited each country during a particular year. These figures were compared to the population data for the same year to calculate the ratio of tourists to local residents for each destination.

Also Read: Mallorca In Spain Hit By Overtourism, Locals Urge Tourists To "Stay Home"

According to these calculations, Vatican City is the world's most overcrowded destination. Its tourist-to-resident ratio is 7,709. It is followed by Andorra with 117 tourists per resident, and San Marino with 59 tourists per resident. Find out more below:

What Makes These Destinations Overcrowded?

The ratio for Vatican City is not surprising, given that it is just 0.44 square kilometres in size and has very few locals. "Its tiny population of 882 consists mainly of clergy, diplomats, and officials, making it unlike any typical country," the report stated. Moreover, Vatican City is one of the world's most famous pilgrimage sites with tremendous religious and cultural importance. Thus, it continually draws visitors from around the globe.

The report also noted that several of the overcrowded destinations are also small island nations that are highly sought after by cruise travellers. "These places often experience massive, short-term surges in visitors, which can strain local infrastructure and negatively impact local communities. Countries like San Marino, the Bahamas, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Antigua and Barbuda all experience heavy cruise traffic, often receiving more visitors in a day than they have locals."

San Marino. Photo Credit: Unsplash

Here's the list of the top 10 most overcrowded destinations, as per this report:

These Are The 10 Most Overcrowded Travel Destinations In The World:

1. Vatican City
2. Andorra
3. San Marino
4. Bahamas
5. Saint Kitts and Nevis
6. Antigua and Barbuda
7. Bahrain
8. Monaco
9. Malta
10. Hong Kong

Also Read: Another Move To Curb Overtourism In Italy: Ban On Check-In Keyboxes In Florence

The report also included a list of the most visited countries in the world, which attracted millions of people last year. Take a look below:

Here Are 10 Countries With The Most International Tourism

1. France
2. Spain
3. United States
4. Italy
5. Turkey
6. Mexico
7. Hong Kong
8. United Kingdom
9. Greece
10. Japan

In recent times, concerns about overcrowding have surged in many regions, domestically and internationally. World-famous destinations like Venice have implemented different measures to curb overcrowding. Closer home, certain hill stations in India also try to control visitor influx in peak summer.