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Beyond Capacity: Managing Demand at Europe’s Top Attractions

What is driving the travel industry’s biggest challenge in European destinations – and what to do about it

Authors: Chris Adams, Kristin Dunne, Anne Failing, Douglas Quinby

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Summary

Dubbed “overtourism,” the issue of rising visitor volumes has become one of the most pressing challenges facing the global travel industry, and the challenge may be no more acute than in the travel experiences sector, where the “must-see” cultural monuments and institutions in Europe’s top cities – and the many tour operators seeking to bring their customers there – are on the front lines of the overtourism challenge every day.

Four of the top five – and six of the top 10 – most-booked experiences by both U.S. and European travelers respectively are visitor attractions, according to Arival’s 2025 U.S. Experiences Traveler Outlook and 2025 European Experiences Traveler Outlook reports. 

However, consumer surveying cannot capture all of the intricacies of traveler behavior, so we undertook an analysis of online guest review counts of tours, activities and attractions across Europe. In the spring of 2025 we analyzed all listings from Tripadvisor’s “Things to Do” category for Europe. This report is the result of that analysis.

WHAT’S IN THIS REPORT:

  1. Attractions: The Epicenter of Overtourism
  2. Impact on Tour Operators: Ticket Access Challenges
  3. Travelers Won’t Help: Intentions vs. Actions
  4. The Future of Travel’s Top Spots
  5. The Path Ahead: Actions to Take Today
    • Practical Steps for Industry: Visitor Attractions & Tour Operators
    • Practical Steps for Destinations: Destination Organizations
  6. Additional Resources          

REPORT PARTNER

Arival thanks the following organization who participated in the report production and publication:

Destination Wayfinder

Destination Wayfinder is an industry-led initiative and destination management tool enabling destination organizations to measure, monitor and improve destination stewardship capability and outcomes. Through strategic investment in research, technology and collaboration with the Global Stewardship Innovation Lab—a network of thought leaders, researchers, and stewardship practitioners—Destination Wayfinder delivers a best-practice destination management framework designed to guide organizations toward sustainable and regenerative outcomes. Learn more at DestinationWayfinder.com. 

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Beyond Capacity: Managing Demand at Europe’s Top Attractions
What is driving the travel industry’s biggest challenge in European destinations – and what to do about it Authors: Chris Adams, Kristin Dunne, Anne Failing, Douglas Quinby
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