The ten most overcrowded tourist destinations in Europe have been revealed by Which?, with a Greek island topping the list. Zante was the capital of overtourism according to the study, with 150 overnight stays to every resident.
This measure was based on figures by the European Commission (EC), which compares the number of overnight tourist stays with the number of residents. Zante has around 40,000 islanders in total, and in 2023, there were a staggering six million overnight stays. Three other Greek regions made the top ten list alongside two Canary Islands, three destinations in Austria and one in Croatia.
Second on the list was Istria in Croatia, the largest peninsula within the Adriatic Sea, with 133 overnight tourist stays for each resident.
Tourists looking for a quieter Greek experience may look to Dytikos Tomeas Athinon (western Athens), which had one of the lowest ratios, with 64 visits per resident.
The third most overcrowded region, maybe unsurprisingly given the number of overtourism protests, was Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands, with 118 overnight stays for every resident.
The EC also measures overtourism by the total number of overnight stays, which Majorca topped, with more than 51 million overnight stays in 2023. The island’s population is just 966,000.
At the other end of the scale, Which? found that Lille had around two overnight stays for every resident in the Nord region.
Teleorman, Romania is the least visited place in Europe, with just 20 overnight stays per 1,000 residents in 2023.
Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel said: “What this data shows is that overtourism has overwhelmed some of Europe’s most popular destinations.
“With so many fantastic places in Europe, the truth is, you are going to have a far better holiday in a destination where there are not hundreds or even thousands more tourists than there are locals.
“Try Estonia for stunning coastlines and, yes, warm weather, during summer. Or if you want to stick with Spain, Murcia is a great option.”