Tourism at risk from too many tourists.

It’s that time of the year again when tourism industry people look to the 2020 horizon, cogitating on what the 12 months ahead holds for Ireland. While record visitor numbers have mixed with concerns over Brexit fallout during recent years, a mood of generally optimistic caution prevails amongst seasoned players in the business as the new year edges closer. Many cities around the world are already grappling with visitor numbers so large that they are negatively impacting local commerce. Cities like Barcelona, Venice, Rome and Paris are well known for their over-powering crowds during the summer months, and while Dublin and Ireland are nowhere near these levels of saturation yet, the danger signs are gathering. In addition, the growing concern around sustainability will trouble tourism over the next decade as air travel. Tourism is responsible for 5% of all global greenhouse gas emissions — with transport, including flying — accounting for three-quarters of this. Around 1.4bn people now travel and holiday around the world every year, and while this has brought significant economic benefits to many regions, its environmental impact has been largely ignored up to now. Recent government statistics showed that Ireland’s tourism revenue targets of €5bn, and visitor numbers of 10m were reached seven years early — prompting the establishment of new targets for 11.6m arrivals and a revenue of €6.5bn by 2025. The Destination 2030 study by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) listed Amsterdam, Barcelona, Paris, Prague, Rome, San Francisco, Stockholm, Toronto, and Vancouver, as the urban centres most likely to be particularly stretched to cope.“Tourism authorities in many major cities around the world are working incredibly hard to prepare for the future,” said WTTC president and CEO Gloria Guevara.