Marina speaks to the BBC One on overtourism

Professor Marina Novelli, Professor of Tourism and International Development and Academic Lead for the University’s Responsible Futures, appeared on BBC One’s Rip Off Britain programme as expert on the subject of overtourism.

Professor Novelli, who is globally renowned for her research on the impact of tourism, told the BBC: “The problem of overtourism is in need of much attention and research. The problem with tourism is primarily rooted in the lack of innovative planning strategies and sustainable management approaches.

“Much of the success of tourism is measured according to the number of visitors arriving at a destination, rather than the short, medium and long term positive and negative impacts that the sector brings to a destination. The currently widely used tourism growth paradigm does not work anymore.

“We need to look at how tourism can possibly create good change in a destination. We need to focus on the responsibilities of all stakeholders involved, for instance how travellers, local authorities, residents and businesses behave and whether they truly benefiting from a fast growing sector such as tourism.”

Professor Novelli has been involved in a high-profile research on Overtourism and is in the process of publishing an edited collection on the subject due to be published in June 2019, with colleagues Drs Claudio Milano (Ostelea, School of Tourism) and Joseph Cheer (formerly Monash University, who will join the Center for Tourism Research at Wakayama University in April 2019).

Novelli said: “In this volume, we focus on a set of case studies and report on the need to identify appropriate management approaches and implement policy responses. Addressing overtourism requires custom-made policies devised through the cooperation of destinations’ stakeholders and policymakers, but also measures to influence travellers to think more responsibly about where and how they to go on holiday.”

To view the Rip Off Britain programme (available on BBC One iplayer up to 30 days after being aired), go to: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0by950n/rip-off-britain-holidays-series-7-episode-3