A councillor of a little village has claimed that the beautiful area is being exploited by a certain type of tourists.
Bourton-on-the-Water, located in the Cotswolds, is home to around 4,000 residents. The village is full of honey-coloured stone architecture and picturesque scenery drawing many people to visit. It is also a vibrant area that boasts numerous things to do, and a wealth of shops, restaurants, cafes, and tea rooms, making it the perfect spot for a day-trip or short staycation.
However, residents and councillors claim that the village is being ruined by “TikTok tourists”.
This group of visitors travel to Bourton-on-the-Water to use the idyllic scenery as a backdrop for their selfies, Instagram reels, or TikTok videos rather than to appreciate what the village offers.
Jon Wareing, Costwold district councillor, said: “This kind of visitor tends to have little real interest in the heritage, culture or natural environment they are exploiting for clicks. They are the ultimate hit-and-run tourist.”
According to Mr Wareing, the village, also known as the Venice of the Cotswolds, has faced its fair share of issues in recent years.
The councillor said that he had seen reports of locals facing verbal and physical abuse, and rising traffic congestion. He also noted that rubbish is being piled up in the village “especially on the green”, reports the BBC.
But tourism itself is not the only issue.
He added: “It’s a combination of over-tourism and fast tourism, which refers to people flocking to honeypot locations for the sole purpose of content creation.”
Despite Bourton’s small population, the village welcomes around 30,000 tourists a year, which is 7.5 times the number of residents.
In May 2024, Mr Wareing tabled a motion to get the council to accept that tourism was a problem for Bourton, but it was rejected by six votes to four.
He said: “The recent Bank Holiday weekend provided an illustration of a volatile public sentiment on this topic on social media. This is so destructive for our community and is deeply worrying.”
