Is overtourism turning Lisbon into the next Venice?

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Few destinations have witnessed a boom in tourism over the last few years quite like Portugal. According to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), the country welcomed 6.8m overseas arrivals in 2010. By 2016 that figure had grown to 18.2m – an increase of 168 per cent. Globally, only Japan has seen a sharper rise in visitors this decade.

The UNWTO’s latest report does not have an exact figure for 2017, but last week Portugal’s economics minister gleefully reported that tourism revenue increased by 17 per cent, year-on-year, in 2017, and a further 14 per cent so far in 2018. “Portugal is living in a good moment of tourism,” said Manuel Caldeira Cabral.

But at what cost to the experience of both visitors and locals?

Unchecked tourism is good for the economy – but it causes problems. Rapid growth means strained infrastructure and overcrowding in big cities and at major attractions.

Caldeira insists Portugal is coping with the surge in visitors. Speaking at a World Travel & Tourism Council Leaders’ Forum in Lisbon, he highlighted efforts to encourage travel outside of the peak summer season, the promotion of trips to lesser-known destinations, as well as the construction of new hotels.