In the last decade overtourism has changed completely tourism industry. This research investigates the impacts that overtourism has worldwide, how it all started, how destinations trying to adapt to this new era of mass travelling and how specific places took advantage of this rapid growth. It examines in depth the phenomenon in the island of Santorini; the effects that it has in local residents, seasonal employees and tourists’ experience. Social media and the new reality of sharing economy (e.g Airbnb) are some of the main reasons of this rapid change that famous and unique destinations around the world are facing. Interviews were conducted in order to understand more the opinions of all the involved stakeholders, what actions they are taking and what measures they are implementing within the next years in order to eliminate all the negative impacts that crowded places have causedAnalysis of the findings and the responses demonstrate that a key element and maybe the most important one is the collaboration of all stakeholders and especially public sector. It is essential for that reason, when decisions are made regarding the future of a destination and the development planning to take into consideration everyone’s’ point of view and respect the quality of locals’ lives social and cultural heritage of the destination. Results also indicate that sustainable tourism is one parameter that has to be followed and tourists are keen to welcome eco-friendly solutions and reduce their impact in the environment. Further research is needed to identify other factors that could strengthen the effectiveness of the measures that need to be implemented and lead to a more controlled growth and a bright future for tourism.
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