What strategies can destinations implement to alleviate excessive visitor numbers?

This series explores the challenges of overcrowding and examines potential ways to address them.

Posts one and two explore ways travelers can adjust their behaviors and how locations can regulate visitor numbers.

This article explores strategies for enhancing guest experiences, guaranteeing a memorable trip even during peak times at popular locations.

Regardless of our efforts to control demand,Certain locations will never lose their widespread appeal., especially during busy periods. Overcrowding can also be subjective. What one person views as “too crowded,” another may not find bothersome at all.

managing the impact of tourism. Beyond controlling visitor numbers, addressing the effects of tourism is also a key aspect of the solution.ensuring the visitor experience remains comfortable by avoiding a sense of overcrowdingSeveral methods can be employed to achieve this:

1. Develop improved infrastructure

eliminating queues. However, there comes a limit where infrastructure alone cannot resolve overcrowding. This season, Courchevel in the French Alps introduced a new gondola, boosting capacity by 25% and doubling its operational speed, nearly erasing wait times.removing wait times in an instantAirports continually seek methods to enhance passenger movement by adopting advanced technologies such as iris scanners for passport checks and full-body scanners at security checkpoints. Meanwhile, numerous small coastal resorts in Dorset and Devon, UK, provide complimentary park-and-ride bus services. Tourists leave their vehicles at designated areas outside the crowded, narrow lanes of historic towns and utilize the free shuttle buses to reach the beaches. Naturally,Improved infrastructure often entails substantial expenses.In the earlier article, we explored how entry fees help regulate demand. A portion of the revenue generated from these fees can be allocated to fund such expensive initiatives.

2. Deliver more accurate and comprehensive information

Encouraging guests to organize their trip in advance helps reduce waiting times. This straightforward approach ofinforming individuals about the periods with the highest activity levelsAllowing people to decide when to visit is frequently neglected. Google now incorporates this type of data for numerous locations in its search results, making the information more accessible.

When a guest reaches a destination, their preferences and requirements can vary from those of other guests. At the Louvre in Paris, while most will aim to view the Mona Lisa, some may prioritize quickly seeing the highlights, whereas others might plan to stay the entire day. Certain visitors may be accompanied by children, while others might have specific collections they’ve traveled to explore. Ensuring guests are aware of the locations of major attractions,assisting them in smoothly finding their way along a path that fits their needsIt will alleviate feelings of overcrowding. This usually involves high-quality maps, clear signage, and straightforward information. Combining this with live crowd updates enables guests to adjust their itineraries—a smart approach that could be implemented more broadly. Numerous theme parks already employ this strategy, displaying wait times for attractions on screens so visitors can decide when and where to go next.

3. Oversee the processes

The manner in which visitors navigate an attraction or explore a destination can contribute to overcrowding. Typically, a set path is established, and most individuals adhere to the same route. This results in bottlenecks, as certain people progress at a slower pace than others. In the simplest scenario,stream regulationrequires physically shutting a door and preventing visitors from progressing to the next phase of their tour until those in front have moved forward. However, for locations offering several possible routes,Providing multiple options for entry and exit points can significantly lessen the perceived crowding..

The Palace of Versailles near Paris offers various themed itineraries, which aid in dispersing crowds across different areas of the estate. Modern technology is playing a growing role in analyzing visitor patterns. Wifi and bluetooth track movement, providing insights into peak times and crowded spots. Meanwhile, Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna uses a computerized ticketing system to regulate room occupancy. The system determines the maximum allowable visitors and releases hourly tickets accordingly for same-day admissions.

4. Develop complementary activities to distribute visitor traffic

If the highlight of your trip occurs as soon as you get there, it might feel underwhelming. Visitors come to Stonehenge to witness its iconic stone circle, but grasping the remarkable engineering behind its creation and discovering its purpose enriches the visit significantly. As an immensely popular destination, it often draws large crowds.Steps have been implemented to oversee the visitor experience and prevent excessive crowding.A recently opened visitor centre, located approximately a mile from the stone circle, allows guests to explore information about the site while they wait for their scheduled time to approach the stones. From there, visitors make their way leisurely toward the stone circle.

Creating themed driving routes connecting nearby sites and providing bundled tickets for complementary attractions are other effective strategies to enhance visitor experiences.improve the experience at destinations while also distributing visitors more evenlyMore broadly, even minor adjustments can yield unexpected results. For instance, Canterbury Cathedral in the UK and Santiago de Compostela in Spain observed that implementing silence in the crypt led to shorter visitor stays and increased reverence.

Innovative technologies provide countless methods to oversee visitor flow at attractions and improve engagement. With tools like smartphone applications, augmented reality devices, and other advancements, the future of tourism promises to be more captivating and interactive.We will explore several of these technologies in an upcoming installment of this series.

The upcoming article in this series explores strategies to assist local communities in addressing challenges linked to overcrowding.

Additional resources for exploration:

1. Balancing success: Addressing overtourism in popular travel locations
2. Managing Visitor Overcrowding at Natural and Cultural Heritage Locations – WTO Report