10 European destinations on the verge of breaking under mass tourism pressure

A new analysis by the British consumer magazine Which? Has revealed the European destinations that suffer the most from overtourism. Local infrastructures, ecosystems, and residents are on the verge of reaching a breaking point following an enormous amount of tourist arrivals.

Which?, a magazine published by the British Consumer’s Association, analysed tourism numbers for 2023 from the European Commission in order to identify both Europe’s busiest and quietest spots as far as tourists go. According to Which?, he European Commission’s definition of overtourism can be defined by three measures: number of tourists per resident expressed in overnight stays per resident (tourism pressure), overnight stays overall, and overnight stays per square kilometre.  

The analysis of the data revealed the Greek island of Zakynthos, with a local population of just 40.000, to be the most hit by tourism pressure. Every year, no less than 6 million tourists flock to the Mediterranean destination, resulting in 150 overnight stays per resident. Croatia’s Istria peninsula follows closely with 133 overnight stays, and Fuerteventura, one of Spain’s Canary Islands, comes in third. On the other end of the ranking stand Teleorman in Romania with as little as 20 overnight stays per 1,000 residents, followed by the Dytikos Tomeas Athinon region in Greece, and Călăraşi in South East Romania.

Which 10 destinations in Europe are suffering the most from tourism pressure?

1. Zakynthos, Greece – 149.88 overnight stays per resident

Zakynthos, one of the many Greek islands in the Ionian Sea, has been a tourist hotspot since the 1980’s. The island is known for its many nightclubs, bars, and restaurants. Moreover, it is home to one of Greece’s most photographed spots, Navagio Beach – also known as Shipwreck Beach or Smugglers’ Cove. The beach houses the wreck of the Panagiotis ship, loved amongst (amateur) photographers.

2. Istria, Croatia – 133.46 overnight stays per resident

The Croatian part of the peninsula of Istria in the Adriatic Sea is known for its breathtaking scenery, its picturesque towns, and its crystal blue waters. Tourists particularly like to stroll around the many towns spread along the coastline, such as the ‘pearl of the Adriatic’ Rovinj. The region has something to offer to everyone, even those interested in wine tourism, but seems to be suffering under the pressure of overtourism.

3. Fuerteventura, Canary Islands – 118.72 overnight stays per resident

Fuerteventura is one of Spain’s Canary Islands and has been a UNESCO biosphere reserve since 2009. The region is therefore loved by nature enthusiasts but equally attracts tourists looking for a lovely warm spot during the cold Europan winter months. Despite over tourism concerns by locals, the Canary Islands saw a tourist arrival increase of 2.1% over the first quarter of 2025.

4. Lanzarote, Canary Islands – 117.78 overnight stays per resident

The Canary Islands aren’t spared by tourists, as Lanzarote too is suffering from tourism pressure. The Playa Blanca in Las Palmas is one of Spain’s most polluted beaches and in order to combat overtourism, locals have even been warning tourists against non-existing dangers to scare them away.

5. Dodecanese Islands, Greece – 113.79 overnight stays per resident

While you might not be familiar with the term Dodecanese Islands in the Aegean Sea, you will certainly know some of them, such as Rhodes and Kos. Like many other parts of Greece, the islands are increasingly suffering from mass tourism. The Greek government has already announced several measures to combat the issue, such as filling hotel pools with seawater and increasing the cruise debarkation fee.

6. Tiroler Oberland, Austria – 112.71 overnight stays per resident

While the Tyrolean Oberland is a well-loved destination amongst tourists looking for a beautiful place to hike, bike, climb, and ski in particular, tourism is taking its toll on the region. The high number of overnight stays per residents can also partly be explained by the fact that the region is fairly sparsely populated.

7. Pinzgau-Pongau, Austria – 109.01 overnight stays per resident

Austria might not yet have taken a lot of measures against overtourism but it is one of the countries to apply a tourist tax on overnight stays. Recent surveys have showed that local residents are increasingly in favour of lowering the amount of tourists.

8. Cyclades, Greece – 104.15 overnight stays per resident

The Cyclades island group (consisting of 220 islands) in the Aegean Sea include tourist favourites such as Santorini and Mykonos. Santorini alone welcomes around 3.4 million tourists annually – however, that number may be slightly lower in 2025, given the fact that seismic activity caused a state of emergency at the beginning of the year. Moreover, many of the Cyclades including Paros, Syros, and Mykonos were hit by catastrophic floods at the end of March 2025.

9. Kerkyra (Corfu), Greece – 100.08 overnight stays per resident

Corfu is one of the most beautiful sailing destinations in Europe yet with locals suffering from the consequences of overtourism, tourists may want to plan their trip off-season in order to profit from the best circumstances.

10. Außerfern, Austria – 97.30 overnight stays per resident

Part of Tyrol, Außerfern is known for its beautiful mountainous landscapes. Those mountains aren’t easy to exploit for anything else than tourism, which explains the importance of tourists in both summer and winter.

“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,” said Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel.

Visitor numbers and overnight stays per square kilometre

As far as sheer visitor numbers go, the Spanish island Mallorca welcomed 51 million overnight stays in 2023, while Paris saw 44 million overnight stays and Rome 41 million. Paris also hosted the most tourists per square kilometre (418,280), followed by Athens (88,534.92) and Copenhagen 63,943.88).