Man the gates, the tourists are coming! Popular European destinations such as Barcelona, Paris and Venice are being laid to siege by an unrelenting influx of tourists, prompting residents to take to the streets in protest, sometimes disruptively so. It is a tourism meltdown, and an untenable situation for those living in the very cities tourists flock to.

Budget airlines, cheap transport and low-cost accommodation have fueled this migration headache, and many of the discontented would scoff at the idea of us South Africans celebrating Tourism Month in September.

But, surely there are lessons to be learned from Europe’s overtourism dilemma? Prof Elmarie Slabbert, director of the research unit Tourism Research in Economics, Environs and Society (TREES) at the North-West University (NWU), concurs.

“As popular tourism destinations such as Barcelona and Venice struggle to manage overtourism, tourist numbers in South Africa are growing steadily. We welcomed 8.92 million foreign visitors to South Africa in 2024, but have not reached our pre-pandemic number of 10.22 million. Tourism is an economic driver in South Africa, and although we want to grow tourist numbers, it should not happen at the expense of our natural resources and our people.”

She stresses that the warning signs should not be ignored. “During peak seasons, popular South African tourism destinations such as Kruger National Park and the Garden Route are operating at capacity, but the scale of these visitor numbers is moderate considering the overseas overtourism phenomenon. Overtourism, mostly experienced by residents, leads to protests against tourists who feel they overuse resources, crowd cities, and almost invade residents’ spaces. Tourist accommodation available in residential areas also brings the tourists into neighbourhoods, which can disturb communities if visitors behave unruly.”

Slabbert argues that the pressure is felt most acutely by residents. “In many cases, infrastructure cannot deal with masses of tourists at a specific time, and it is the residents who feel the pressure. Food prices increase, moving in one’s own residential and retail areas is challenging, and to some extent, one does not feel welcome in one’s own city or town. Residents then protest and scare tourists away, but also send a message to governing bodies that tourism needs to be better managed.”

South Africa, she believes, is not yet at that point, but could reach it unless diversification strategies are deliberately pursued. “Although not currently a major problem in South Africa, tourists should be managed to ensure that they not only visit the hot spots but also venture into the rural areas where many tourism gems can be

found. A continuous focus on the same destinations, such as Cape Town, will attract more people to this area, but marketing organisations need to diversify tourism experiences and create more hype about other areas. This should be done intentionally so that we do not get to a space of overtourism.”

She explains that South Africa’s distance from Europe offers a natural buffer, but not a permanent one. “South Africa is a long-haul destination and thus not easily accessible for tourists from the North. Their trips to SA are well planned and structured, but to a large extent focused on the hotspots. It is only with the second trip that these tourists move to other areas for different experiences. Access for our visitors from Africa is easier, but they require different experiences, for example, visiting family and friends – again, one should diversify the product to spread our visitors across SA.”

Practical solutions already exist, Slabbert adds. “For tourism products such as national parks, it is easier to manage visitor numbers since they have a quota for day visitors (and a gate). These types of strategies contribute to avoiding overtourism. It is even more important to involve local communities so that they directly benefit from tourism, as involvement increases their tolerance levels of tourist numbers.”

She highlights the role of innovative marketing in spreading demand across the year. “Target marketing strategies should also contribute to diversification so that South Africa not only attracts tourists during peak seasons, but also, for example, retired visitors who can travel at different times or digital nomads who can work from SA, stay longer and contribute to the tourism economy.”

Her final message is clear: “South Africa should realise the opportunity to emphasise the fact that tourists are still welcome in SA and that we value their visit!”

Prof Elmarie Slabbert