Debate Night: Overtourism

The summer season is upon us! People are packing their bags, booking their flights, planning their activities, and looking forward to spending some time somewhere more exotic than what they're used to. Visiting somewhere other than home is a tried-and-true tradition for many people, and particularly in Europe, is considered an untouchable tradition.

Tourism has become more and more accessible throughout the years. Not only can more people in the West afford a vacation that could've been out of reach several decades ago, the potential tourism market has boomed. Tourists from Asia, particularly China and India, have become much more common, the former communist countries of Europe have largely been incorporated in European tourism, and more and more people from the Americas, North and South, make their way across the Atlantic. As a result, popular tourism spots have become very popular and very busy.

Locals have started reacting to this phenomenon. Some are saying that overtourism is causing massive overcrowding in their cities, is making renting unaffordable, and is changing the local culture from how it originally developed, to something that caters to international travelers. Others are saying that without this massive tourism influx, their cities and regions would be significantly worse off financially. Tourists spend lots of money in the local economy, after all.

So who's right? And what should we do about this problem? Come join us for a very summertime debate!

Due to the summer schedule we will not have an exercise prior to the debate.

Participants who wish to speak are highly encouraged to bring a paper and pen. You are welcome to participate even if you have no prior debating experience.