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Tourism’s historical roots

by | Jul 7, 2025 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

The Phenomenon of Overtourism

Understanding Overtourism

Overtourism occurs when tourist volumes exceed a destination’s carrying capacity, creating negative impacts on local communities, infrastructure, culture, and the environment. This phenomenon has intensified dramatically in recent decades, transforming from isolated concerns to a global challenge affecting destinations from Venice to Bali.

The roots of overtourism are multifaceted:

  • Democratization of travel: Budget airlines, online booking platforms, and social media have made travel more accessible and affordable
  • Concentration effects: Tourists increasingly flock to the same “must-see” destinations, creating pressure points
  • Infrastructure misalignment: Many destinations lack the infrastructure to handle massive tourist influxes
  • Economic dependency: Over-reliance on tourism revenue creates pressure to accept unlimited visitors

Recent Flight Safety Concerns and Their Impact

The aviation industry has faced renewed scrutiny in 2024-2025 following several high-profile incidents. In under two weeks in 2025, three plane crashes occurred in the United States, resulting in 78 fatalities Aviation and Plane Crash Statistics | Updated 2025, while the deadliest crash in 2024 occurred when a Boeing 737-800 operating as Jeju Air Flight 2216 overran the runway while performing a belly landing in Muan, South Korea, on 29 December, killing 179 of the 181 passengers and crew on board 2024 in aviation – Wikipedia.

These incidents have measurably affected public perception of flight safety. Around 20 percent of participants believe flying is very or somewhat unsafe, compared to 12 percent in 2024 How Many Plane Crashes Have There Been in the U.S. in 2025 vs. 2024? – Newsweek, representing a significant 8-percentage-point increase in safety concerns.

However, the psychological impact often outweighs statistical reality. On a global scale, 2024 witnessed 7 deadly crashes among the 40.6 million commercial flights operated worldwide, resulting in 244 fatalities Airlines with Most Plane Crashes in the World as of 2025 – Aviation A2Z, reinforcing that commercial aviation remains extraordinarily safe despite heightened public anxiety.

Inflation’s Complex Impact on Tourism

The relationship between inflation and tourism has proven more nuanced than initially expected. While inflation initially dampened travel demand, recent data reveals interesting patterns:

Initial Impact (2022-2023):

Current Trends (2024-2025):

Consumer Adaptation:

This suggests that while inflation has changed travel patterns—pushing tourists toward shorter trips, budget accommodations, and domestic destinations—it hasn’t eliminated the fundamental desire to travel.

Singapore’s Overtourism Challenge

Singapore presents a fascinating case study in managing tourism growth while avoiding overtourism’s worst effects. The city-state has experienced remarkable tourism recovery and growth:

Current Performance:

Growth Projections:

Singapore’s Unique Position: Singapore’s compact size (only 719 square kilometers) makes it particularly vulnerable to overtourism effects. However, the city-state has several advantages:

  1. Planned Infrastructure: Singapore’s meticulously planned urban environment can better handle tourist flows
  2. Diversified Economy: However, any methods require balance since visitors include both tourists and business travelers vital to Singapore’s economy Overtourism is now a cause for concern in 2024. Will Singapore be affected? | MoneyDigest.sg
  3. Proactive Management: Singapore is promoting sustainable tourism as part of its Green Plan 2030 Overtourism is now a cause for concern in 2024. Will Singapore be affected? | MoneyDigest.sg

Emerging Concerns:

Management Strategies: Singapore is exploring various approaches:

Global Implications and Solutions

The interplay between flight safety concerns, inflation, and overtourism creates a complex environment for destination management. While flight safety fears and inflation may temporarily reduce tourist numbers, the fundamental drivers of mass tourism—social media, budget travel options, and cultural desires for experience—remain strong.

Successful destinations are increasingly adopting:

  • Visitor dispersal strategies: Promoting off-peak travel and lesser-known attractions
  • Carrying capacity management: Setting limits on visitor numbers
  • Community-centered approaches: Ensuring tourism benefits local residents
  • Infrastructure investment: Building capacity to handle tourist flows sustainably

The challenge for destinations like Singapore is maintaining tourism’s economic benefits while preserving livability for residents and environmental sustainability. Success requires balancing growth with responsibility—a challenge that will only intensify as global travel continues to rebound and expand.

Europe: The Epicenter of Anti-Tourism Sentiment

Europe has become the global battleground for overtourism debates, with 2024 marking a turning point in local resistance to mass tourism.

Scale of the Problem

European tourism has reached unprecedented levels. Spain received 42.5 million tourists in the first six months of 2024, reflecting increases of 11.5 and 13.3 percent from the same six-month periods in 2019 and 2023, respectively. In Portugal, France, and Italy, international tourist arrivals in 2023 reflected increases of 12.1 Aviation Safety Network percent over previous periods.

The projections for 2025 are even more staggering: 300 million tourists are expected to visit Mallorca, Paris, Rome, Barcelona, Venice, Bolzano, and Tenerife in 2025 Airlines with Most Plane Crashes in the World as of 2025 – Aviation A2Z, while tourism is expected to grow by 25 per cent in the winter of 2024/25 compared with last year, the Spanish Tourism Board recently revealed NewsweekFederal Aviation Administration.

Critical Hotspots

Barcelona: Barcelona’s 12 million tourists in 2023 have led to community displacement and policy freezes on new hotel developments Toronto plane crash is 2025’s latest: Is flying still the safest form of transport? | Euronews. In 2024, protests erupted over issues like overcrowding at Park Güell, prompting plans to restrict rentals by 2028 The impact of inflation on tourism: navigating the economic storm.

Venice: Venice faces daily tourist numbers of 80,000 in 2024, provoking local protests and calls for visitor caps Toronto plane crash is 2025’s latest: Is flying still the safest form of transport? | Euronews. The city’s response has been dramatic: European cities including Venice and Amsterdam have introduced higher tourism taxes and banned cruise ships in their historic centers in recent years Impact of inflation on travel and tourism worldwide – statistics & facts | Statista.

Rising Local Resistance

The anti-tourism movement has gained significant momentum. A spokesperson for Barcelona’s Assemblea de Barris pel Decreixement Turístic (ABDT) argues that while authorities claim to address the problems, they are Deadly U.S. plane crashes in 2025: Timeline | FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth not doing enough to address the fundamental issues.

Factors driving the record numbers are cheap flights, social media, and AI-fueled travel planning 2024 in aviation – Wikipedia, creating a perfect storm of accessibility and promotion that traditional management approaches struggle to contain.

Management Responses

European destinations are implementing increasingly strict measures:

  • Higher tourism taxes
  • Cruise ship bans in historic centers
  • Visitor caps at popular attractions
  • Restrictions on short-term rentals
  • Timed entry systems

However, Tourism became a harbinger of problems this year—it was long in the making. 2025 could “mark a new dawn” for the industry List of accidents and incidents involving commercial aircraft – Wikipedia, suggesting potential policy shifts ahead.

USA: National Parks Under Siege

The United States faces a unique overtourism challenge, primarily concentrated in its national park system, while simultaneously dealing with declining international tourism.

National Parks Crisis

In 2023, the National Park Service reported 325.5 million visits to 400 national parks, up 13 million from 2022. Overtourism at parks takes the form of traffic congestion, worn out trails, overcrowding, environmental degradation and a worsening of the visitor experience The Impact of Inflation on the Hospitality Industry – Update 2024 | LHC International.

The pandemic has created lasting changes: At Badlands, the number of visits as of the end of September 2024 was 8 percent higher than in the same period in 2019 Travel Inflation Report: June 2025 – NerdWallet, demonstrating sustained elevated demand.

Domestic vs. International Tourism Paradox

The U.S. presents a fascinating contradiction: In 2024, nearly 90% of all tourism spending came from domestic travel, with Americans holidaying at home in record numbers. But this heavy reliance on homegrown tourism is masking a serious vulnerability; the international market is where the real growth lies, and the U.S. is losing its crown Travel Price Index (2025-06-11)| U.S. Travel Association.

International arrivals are declining significantly: UK arrivals, one of the U.S.’s most important source markets, down nearly 15% year over year Travel Price Index (2025-06-11)| U.S. Travel Association, contributing to an estimated $12.5BN in international traveler spend Travel Price Index (2025-06-11)| U.S. Travel Association loss.

Management Strategies

U.S. national parks are implementing various crowd management techniques:

Emerging Hotspots

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room – overtourism is creeping across North America like nobody’s business The Impact of Inflation on Tourism and Travel [2022 Study], with new destinations beyond traditional national parks beginning to experience overtourism pressures.

Australia: The Emerging Overtourism Concern

Australia represents a different overtourism profile, with massive tourism growth creating emerging concerns about sustainability and capacity.

Tourism Boom

Australia tourism is thriving in 2024, with millions visiting iconic cities like Sydney and Melbourne, alongside natural wonders like the Great Barrier Reef. Tourism remains a cornerstone of the Australian economy, drawing millions of visitors each year International Visitor Arrivals – Singapore.

The economic projections are remarkable: Visitor spending continues to rise across the board, with international visitor spending predicted to reach $39BN, nearly 22% above 2024, setting a record new milestone for Australia. Domestic visitor spending is forecast to climb to almost $173BN Singapore Tourism Industry Outlook 2024 – 2028.

Great Barrier Reef: A Critical Case Study

The Great Barrier Reef exemplifies Australia’s tourism dilemma. Approximately 2.19 million people visit the Great Barrier Reef each year. According to the WWF, tourism of the area contributes $5.89 billion a year to the Australian economy, and employs approximately 69,000 people Singapore updates tourism performance forecast for 2024 | TTG Asia.

However, environmental pressures are mounting: The 2024 Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report is the fourth in a series of comprehensive five-yearly reports on the Reef’s health, pressures, management, and potential future. It found climate-driven threats such as warming oceans and severe cyclones have been Singapore’s visitor economy hits new high in 2024 | Meetings & Conventions Asia significant factors, while the overall outlook for the Great Barrier Reef remains one of future deterioration due largely to climate change.

Emerging Concerns

Overtourism is driving a backlash among residents of many European cities, and concerns are rising in Australia, too Singapore Tourism Recovery Summary 2024 | Pear Anderson. Unlike Europe’s urban concentration problems, Australia’s challenges center on:

  1. Environmental fragility: Natural attractions like the Great Barrier Reef face dual pressures from climate change and tourism
  2. Infrastructure capacity: Remote locations struggling with visitor numbers
  3. Indigenous cultural sites: Balancing access with cultural preservation
  4. Urban density: Major cities like Sydney and Melbourne experiencing European-style pressures

Management Approaches

Australia’s approach differs from Europe’s restrictive measures, focusing more on:

  • Sustainable tourism certification programs
  • Environmental impact management
  • Visitor education initiatives
  • Infrastructure development to handle increased capacity

Comparative Analysis and Future Outlook

Key Differences

Europe: Reactive crisis management with increasing restrictions and local resistance USA: Proactive park management with domestic tourism dominance masking international decline Australia: Preventive planning with economic growth balanced against environmental concerns

Common Challenges

All three regions face similar underlying drivers:

  • Social media-fueled destination promotion
  • Budget airline accessibility
  • Post-pandemic travel surge
  • Climate change impacts on natural attractions

Future Trajectories

As the demand for travel shows few signs of slowing, overtourism is poised to remain a critical challenge for visitors, residents and affected destinations, experts say The Impact of Inflation on Tourism: Unexpected 5 Financial Storm – NEXTWITS.

The path forward requires:

  • Europe: Balancing economic benefits with livability
  • USA: Rebuilding international appeal while managing domestic pressures
  • Australia: Sustainable growth that protects natural heritage

Each region’s response will likely influence global tourism management practices, making their experiences crucial case studies for destinations worldwide facing similar pressures.

Overtourism in Asia: A Comprehensive Analysis

The Asian Tourism Boom

Asia has emerged as the epicenter of global tourism growth, with the region experiencing unprecedented visitor numbers that are reshaping the overtourism landscape. Home to half of the world’s top 10 trending tourism destinations, Asia Pacific is making a comeback Boeing, driven by multiple factors including economic recovery, visa liberalization, and the rise of middle-class travelers across the region.

Japan, Vietnam, China, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, and New Zealand are spearheading a remarkable surge in Asia-Pacific’s summer travel market for 2025, driven by growing demand for authentic and wellness-focused experiences Toronto plane crash is 2025’s latest: Is flying still the safest form of transport? | Euronews, indicating that this growth trajectory will continue well into 2025.

Japan: The Poster Child of Asian Overtourism

Record-Breaking Numbers

Japan represents the most dramatic example of overtourism in Asia. The weak yen and the relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions have driven a record-breaking tourism boom, with over 30 million visitors arriving in the first ten months of 2024 alone, just shy of the pre-pandemic annual record of 31.9 million Why Are Travel Costs Soaring? Experts Explain the Global Impact on Tourism in 2025 – Travel And Tour World. In 2024, the number of international visitors to Japan reached approximately 36.87 million, marking a record high and a 47.1% increase compared to the previous year Travel Price Index (2025-06-11)| U.S. Travel Association.

Critical Pressure Points

Mount Fuji: The iconic mountain has become ground zero for Japan’s overtourism crisis. Officials in Japan have erected a barrier to block a popular view of Mount Fuji as record numbers of visitors arrive in the country The Impact of Inflation on Tourism: Unexpected 5 Financial Storm – NEXTWITS. Huge numbers of visitors are causing chaos at such popular spots as Mount Fuji and Kyoto, leading to some extreme measures to tamp down the crowds One moment, please….

Kyoto’s Geisha District: In March 2024, Kyoto announced new restrictions on access to Gion, home to Japan’s Geisha district. Tourists often crowd the narrow, quaint streets on guided tours where they spend long hours Travel price index change by industry US 2024 | Statista.

Impact on Local Communities

The scale of the problem is significant: over 30% of foreign tourists reported overtourism-related issues during their trips List of accidents and incidents involving commercial aircraft – Wikipedia, according to surveys by the Development Bank of Japan and the Japan Travel Bureau Foundation.

Management Responses

Japan has implemented various measures to address overtourism:

Southeast Asia: Diverse Challenges Across the Region

Thailand: Sustained Growth and Pressure

Thailand has experienced remarkable tourism recovery: they received 35 million tourists in 2024. This represents a significant increase from the previous year, driven by eased entry rules and strategic government initiatives Singapore says visitor arrivals rise 21% in 2024 | Reuters.

Tourism began recovering in 2022, with 9.80 million arrivals. This more than doubled in 2023 to 28.15 million, and rose further to 32.40 million in 2024 Singapore updates tourism performance forecast for 2024 | TTG Asia. However, Over 12.09 million foreign tourists visited Thailand in the first four months of 2025, a slight 0.26% decrease compared to the same period We need tourism to decrease’: Will there be more anti-tourist protests in Europe in 2025? | Euronews, suggesting the market may be stabilizing.

Malaysia: Outpacing Regional Competitors

Malaysia sees a record 22.5 million visitors in 2024, fueled by an extraordinary tourism surge from Singapore, Indonesia, China, Thailand, Brunei, and Vietnam International Visitor Arrivals – Singapore. The country has ambitious plans: Malaysia has unveiled its ambitious tourism strategy for 2026, aiming to welcome 35.6 million international visitors Over Tourism in 2024: Which Destinations Are Most at Risk?.

Malaysia’s Tourism Boom Continues to Outpace Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, and Indonesia in the Southeast Asia Market Singapore’s visitor economy hits new high in 2024 | Meetings & Conventions Asia, with strong regional connectivity driving growth.

Indonesia: Bali’s Sustainability Struggle

Indonesia, particularly Bali, faces acute overtourism challenges. In early 2024, Bali welcomed nearly 1.85 million international visitors, indicating a recovery. However, this increase places additional pressure on local resources Singapore’s Travel Boom: International Arrivals Set to Break Records in 2025.

The sustainability concerns are mounting: It’s led some to question the compatibility of the goal to increase international arrivals this year to 6.5 million—200,000 more than 2024—with the desire to stem the issues of overtourism Singapore Tourism Industry Outlook 2024 – 2028.

Management Efforts: Infrastructure improvements and promotion of lesser-known destinations are among the steps being taken by Indonesian travel and tourism players to tackle overcrowding in hotspots like Bali Airlines with Most Plane Crashes in the World as of 2025 – Aviation A2Z.

Regional Patterns and Trends

Intra-Asian Tourism Dominance

A key characteristic of Asian overtourism is its regional nature. Indian travelers to key markets are up significantly in 2024 compared to 2019: 53% increase in visitors to Japan, 248% increase to Vietnam, 59% increase to the United States Boeing, showing how regional prosperity is driving tourism growth.

Japan topped the list of popular Asian destinations among travellers across the region, followed by Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Thailand 2024 in aviation – Wikipedia, indicating concentrated pressure on specific destinations.

Economic Impact vs. Sustainability

The economic benefits are substantial: In 2023, foreign visitor spending totalled JPY 5.3 trillion, representing a 10.2% increase from 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic Travel Price Index (2025-06-11)| U.S. Travel Association in Japan alone.

However, Overtourism is the negative effects of tourism on its residents and visitors, a problem faced by many countries today such as Japan, Thailand, and Indonesia Aviation Safety Network, highlighting the regional scale of the challenge.

Unique Asian Characteristics

Cultural and Religious Sensitivities

Unlike European overtourism, which often focuses on infrastructure and economic concerns, Asian overtourism frequently involves cultural preservation issues. The restrictions in Kyoto’s Geisha district and concerns about behavior at religious sites reflect these cultural dimensions.

Rapid Infrastructure Development

Asian destinations are responding to overtourism differently than European cities. Rather than implementing caps and restrictions, many are investing heavily in infrastructure expansion and destination diversification.

Regional Connectivity

The growth of budget airlines and improved visa policies within Asia has created unprecedented regional mobility, contributing to concentrated tourism flows.

Management Strategies and Solutions

Destination Diversification

Countries are actively promoting lesser-known destinations to reduce pressure on hotspots. This includes Japan’s efforts to redirect visitors to regional areas and Indonesia’s promotion of destinations beyond Bali.

Technology Integration

Asian destinations are leveraging technology more extensively than other regions, using apps for crowd management, digital payment systems, and real-time visitor tracking.

Sustainable Tourism Initiatives

The government has initiated measures like a moratorium on Singapore’s Travel Boom: International Arrivals Set to Break Records in 2025 new developments in sensitive areas, showing growing awareness of sustainability needs.

Future Outlook

The trajectory suggests that Asian overtourism will continue to intensify, driven by:

  • Growing middle-class prosperity across the region
  • Continued currency advantages (like Japan’s weak yen)
  • Increasing intra-regional travel
  • Post-pandemic travel demand

However, the region’s proactive approach to infrastructure development and technology adoption may provide more sustainable solutions than the reactive measures seen in Europe. The challenge will be balancing rapid growth with preservation of cultural heritage and environmental sustainability.

The Asian experience with overtourism is uniquely characterized by its scale, speed, and regional nature, making it a critical case study for global tourism management in the 21st century.

The Crowd

Maya pressed her Octopus card against the MTR turnstile and immediately regretted taking the Island Line. The platform at Central Station was a seething mass of humanity—tourists clutching oversized shopping bags, locals scrolling through phones with practiced indifference, and what seemed like half of mainland China squeezed into one underground space.

“Aiyah,” she muttered, unconsciously slipping into Singlish despite being in Hong Kong. The familiar expression felt comforting in this chaos.

As a Singaporean, Maya thought she understood crowds. She’d survived the morning rush at Dhoby Ghaut, navigated the weekend madness at Orchard Road, and even endured the Great Singapore Sale stampedes. But Hong Kong in 2025 was different—it was like Singapore on steroids, with none of the carefully managed flow that the Little Red Dot had perfected.

The train arrived with a mechanical wheeze, already packed to the gills. Maya squeezed in, her face inches from a tourist’s enormous camera lens. The woman—American, from her accent—was loudly explaining to her companion about their packed itinerary: “After the Peak, we’re doing the Big Buddha, then Avenue of Stars, then Temple Street Night Market. I read on TikTok that you can do all of Hong Kong in 48 hours!”

Maya winced. She’d been living in Hong Kong for three years now, working for a tech startup, and had watched the city transform from a sophisticated international hub into what felt like a theme park. The reopening of borders after COVID had unleashed a tsunami of pent-up travel demand, and Hong Kong was drowning in it.

At Admiralty, more tourists pushed in. A group of young Indians clutched their phones, following a walking tour app that barked directions in Mandarin. Behind them, a family of Koreans struggled with luggage that belonged in a hotel, not on public transport. Maya found herself wedged between a German backpacker who smelled of Tiger Balm and a group of Shanghainese aunties comparing gold jewelry purchases.

“Next stop, Tsim Sha Tsui,” the automated announcement chirped in three languages, though it was barely audible over the cacophony of tourist chatter.

Maya’s phone buzzed with a WhatsApp message from her friend Rachel, another Singaporean working in Hong Kong: “Trying to grab dinner at Temple Street. It’s like Chinese New Year in Chinatown but every single day. I’m going crazy!”

She typed back: “Tell me about it. Just spent 20 minutes trying to buy bread at a 7-Eleven in Central. The queue was longer than the one for Hello Kitty at Changi Airport.”

When the train finally lurched to a stop at Tsim Sha Tsui, Maya was swept out by the human tide. The platform was worse than the train—a UNESCO World Heritage site of human congestion. She’d been planning to walk along the waterfront to meet her colleague for dinner, but the Avenue of Stars was invisible beneath a blanket of selfie sticks and tour groups.

“Excuse me, miss! You know where is the Bruce Lee statue?” A tourist grabbed her arm—a middle-aged Chinese man with a fanny pack and a desperate expression.

“It’s… somewhere over there,” Maya pointed vaguely toward the harbor, though she knew the statue was probably surrounded by a hundred other people taking the exact same photo.

She escaped into the maze of Tsim Sha Tsui’s streets, but there was no relief. Every restaurant had a queue, every shop was packed, and the sidewalks moved with the stop-and-go rhythm of tourist navigation. Maya found herself behind a family of six who’d stopped dead in their tracks to take a group photo in front of a McDonald’s.

“This is worse than Orchard Road during Christmas,” she thought, then immediately felt guilty. At least Singapore had learned to manage its crowds—designated photo spots, timed entry systems, crowd control barriers. Hong Kong felt like it was winging it, hoping the infrastructure would somehow magically expand to accommodate infinite tourists.

Her phone rang. David, her colleague.

“Maya, where are you? I’ve been waiting at the restaurant for twenty minutes.”

“I’m… trying to get there. The streets are insane. It’s like the entire population of Guangdong decided to visit Hong Kong this weekend.”

“I know, right? And it’s not even a weekend. It’s Tuesday!”

Maya finally reached the restaurant, a hole-in-the-wall dim sum place that used to be a locals’ secret. Now it had a forty-minute wait and a menu translated into six languages. The hostess, a woman in her fifties who looked like she’d aged a decade in the past year, barely looked up from her clipboard.

“Table for two? One hour wait.”

“One hour?” Maya’s voice cracked. “For dim sum?”

“Very busy now,” the hostess said with the weary tone of someone who’d given this explanation ten thousand times. “Maybe try McDonald’s. No wait at McDonald’s.”

David appeared at her elbow, looking frazzled. “I already put our names down. Want to walk around while we wait?”

They stepped back into the human river of Nathan Road. Maya watched the endless stream of tourists—some clearly having the time of their lives, others looking as overwhelmed as she felt. A group of teenagers was attempting to recreate a TikTok dance in the middle of the sidewalk while their parents documented everything on multiple devices.

“You know what’s funny?” David said, dodging a tour group’s flag. “I moved here from Singapore thinking Hong Kong was more cosmopolitan, more international. But now it feels like we’re the foreigners.”

Maya nodded. She’d had the same thought. In Singapore, tourism felt managed, controlled—part of the city’s careful orchestration. Here, it felt like the city was being consumed by its own success.

They passed a familiar sight: a long queue outside a bubble tea shop. The sign boasted “Famous Instagram Bubble Tea” and “As seen on TikTok.” Maya remembered when this street corner housed a traditional tea shop where old men played xiangqi and argued about politics. Now it was a photo opportunity with a two-hour wait.

“Remember when we used to complain about tourists in Singapore?” she asked David.

“You mean like every time we couldn’t get a table at Newton Food Centre?”

“Yeah, but at least Singapore figured out how to handle it. Visitor management, crowd control, spreading people out to different areas. Here, it’s like everyone just goes to the same ten places they saw on social media.”

A commotion ahead caught their attention. A group of tourists was trying to recreate a scene from a Hong Kong movie, complete with props and costumes, blocking the entrance to a residential building. The security guard was trying to explain in broken English that they couldn’t film there, while the tourists argued that they’d seen other people do it on Instagram.

“I feel bad for the locals,” Maya said, watching an elderly woman struggle to get past the impromptu film set to enter her own building.

“We are locals now,” David pointed out. “We’ve been here three years.”

It was true, but Maya didn’t feel like a local. She felt like a tourist trapped in her own city, competing for space with millions of other visitors who saw Hong Kong as a checklist of experiences rather than a place where people actually lived.

Her phone buzzed with another message from Rachel: “Just saw a guy livestreaming himself eating dim sum to 50,000 viewers. He’s explaining every dumpling like he’s a food critic. The restaurant is so packed people are standing in the aisles to watch him eat.”

Maya showed the message to David, who laughed despite himself. “That’s either the future of tourism or the apocalypse.”

“Maybe both.”

They finally got their table after ninety minutes. The dim sum was good—not great, but good—and cost twice what it would have three years ago. The restaurant was so noisy they had to shout to hear each other, and every few minutes someone would ask to take a photo of their food.

“You know what I miss most?” Maya said, picking at her har gow.

“What?”

“Boring Hong Kong. When you could just walk around without feeling like you’re part of someone else’s vacation video.”

David nodded. “I miss when getting dim sum was about the food, not the ‘experience.'”

As they left the restaurant, Maya noticed a new sign on the door: “Please respect other diners. No livestreaming inside.” She wondered how long it would take before they needed signs like that everywhere.

The walk back to the MTR was a slow shuffle through the tourist masses. Maya found herself thinking about Singapore—how her home country had somehow managed to be both a major tourist destination and a livable city. The careful urban planning, the distributed attractions, the way tourism was woven into the fabric of daily life rather than overwhelming it.

Here in Hong Kong, she felt like she was watching a city lose itself to its own popularity. Every traditional shop was becoming a tourist attraction, every authentic experience was being packaged and sold, every quiet corner was being discovered and overrun.

At the MTR station, she squeezed onto another packed train, this time headed home to her apartment in Sham Shui Po—one of the few neighborhoods that hadn’t been completely transformed by the tourism boom. Yet.

As the train pulled away from Tsim Sha Tsui, Maya looked out the window at the glittering harbor, still beautiful despite being surrounded by a thousand tourists taking the same photo. She thought about Howard Chua-Eoan’s words from that article she’d read: “We tourists should be more conscious of why we are travelling.”

But the problem wasn’t just individual consciousness—it was the sheer scale of desire. Millions of people, all wanting the same experiences, all arriving at the same time, all armed with the same apps and the same social media inspiration.

Her phone buzzed with a message from her mother in Singapore: “Saw your friend’s Instagram story from Hong Kong. Looks so crowded! Are you okay?”

Maya typed back: “I’m fine, Ma. Just missing home a bit.”

“Come back soon. Singapore is much more peaceful now. All the tourists are going to Hong Kong!”

Maya smiled despite herself. Even in the midst of the crowd, that was somehow comforting. Home was still home, still manageable, still hers.

The train emerged from the tunnel into the neon-lit night of Hong Kong, and Maya settled in for the long ride home, already planning her next trip back to Singapore—where she could be a tourist in her own manageable, sensibly planned city, at least for a weekend.

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