Balanced tourism - Europe's solution to the challenge of destination overload

Faced with the current overtourism situation in many European destinations, many European cities are participating in a project called “balanced tourism” to reduce the burden on famous tourist areas and find ways for people to benefit more from the tourist boom.

The famous Dracula Castle in Transylvania is one of the most visited destinations in Romania, attracting around 1 million tourists each year. The increasing number of visitors has forced local authorities to urgently find a solution so that Transylvania does not follow the path of other destinations in terms of overtourism .

However, Transylvania is not the only case, many European cities are in this situation today. Tourist attractions are flooded with tourists, streets, beaches, hotels are crowded, encroaching on the space of local people, but most of the income goes to corporations, large businesses, the people do not benefit much. That is also the reason why the research group "European Balanced Tourism" at Breda University of Applied Sciences , Netherlands was established.

A protest against overtourism in Barcelona, Spain on June 15. Source: Reuters

“We want to influence tourist behaviour, but it’s not easy,” said researcher Eugenio Van Maanen, who heads the “Balanced Tourism Europe” project. “How do we encourage them to explore alternative, less crowded destinations that still offer the same attractive experiences? The main goal of the project is to help partners improve strategies and policies to tackle overtourism, by distributing tourists across space and time.”

Launched in 2023 to transform the tourism industry, 6 cities and regions in Europe including Rome, Amsterdam, Seville, Tallinn, Krakow and Brașov - guided by Breda University of Applied Sciences (Netherlands), have come together to share knowledge, strategies and best practices to improve tourism. In particular, experts from famous tourist cities such as Rome, Amsterdam, Seville shared good experiences, experiences in facing challenges for emerging tourist cities in Europe, including sharing experiences of each land's characteristics in each season to avoid overcrowding in the summer.

A protester holds a placard reading "When you come, I have to go" during a protest against overtourism in Palma de Mallorca, Spain on June 15. Source: Reuters

“Our goal is to develop the entire urban area sustainably, including both urban and rural areas,” said Alina Nicoară, Deputy Director of the Municipality of Brașov, Romania. “If we can redirect the flow of tourists from the most crowded areas to less visited places, the entire community will benefit.”

The “Balanced Tourism in Europe” project also introduced a key initiative to attract tourists to remote areas, the local gastronomy initiative “Gastro Local”. People in rural areas, such as the village of Vama Buzăului, located near the Valea Zimbrilor nature reserve (Romania), have opened their homes to offer home-cooked meals to tourists for a fixed price of 16 euros.

"Before, there was no restaurant for tourists, now we can open our own kitchen thanks to the Gastro Local program. The dishes we provide for tourists are also the dishes we often eat at home" - Ms. Alina Tonie shared at the house participating in the Gastro Local program, where tourists from all over sit together to enjoy exquisite dishes made from local products and must be organic.

Locals who provide meals for tourists, in addition to health checks, must comply with the listed prices. In addition, 70% of products must be locally sourced. From the local culinary program, the joy is clearly seen on the faces of both tourists and locals. Not only does it help local people increase their income and introduce traditional culinary features, the program also helps tourists stay away from crowded and garbage-filled tourist areas.

Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/du-lich-can-bang-giai-phap-cua-chau-au-truoc-thach-thuc-qua-tai-diem-den-20250701142450039.htm