Autumn 2024. Ten years after my first trip to Seoul in 2014, I am returning to the Republic of Korea, better known as South Korea. Not solo this time, but with Oriol, who has never been to Korea. On the itinerary: flying with Qatar Airways to Incheon via Doha, the capital Seoul, the historic city…
Tag: Overtourism
OVERTOURISM | Alternatives for Venice, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Santorini, Paris, Dubrovnik, London and Rome?
Overtourism was an issue in 2024 and still is in 2025. An increasing number of cities, grappling with the less appealing aspects of mass tourism, are implementing measures to curb the influx of visitors. One strategy is not to go to these hotspots, but to find alternatives. And if we all do that, those alternatives…
France welcomed 100 million international visitors in 2024
Driven by the Olympic and Paralympic Games and cultural events, France is consolidating its position as the world’s leading tourist destination in 2024 with 100 million international visitors. The French Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty is delighted.
Belgians book Asia, vintage travel and boutique hotels for spring and summer 2025
Overtourism? Inflation? Worrying world events? What are those? According to the Association of Flemish Travel Agencies or Vereniging Vlaamse Reisbureaus (VVR) Belgians have already booked more holidays in 2025 compared to the same period last year.
QUESTION | Should you be scared of travelling to South Korea?
Autumn 2024. Ten years after my first trip to Seoul in 2014, I am returning to the Republic of Korea, better known as South Korea. Not solo this time, but with Oriol, who has never been to Korea. On the itinerary: flying with Qatar Airways to Incheon via Doha, capital Seoul, the historic city of…
SPAIN | 94 million international visitors and €108.7 billion tourism income in 2024
Spain‘s tourism industry experienced an unprecedented year in 2024, breaking records with 94 million international visitors. The country is a prime example of an area struggling with overtourism. Vilified by citizens, but a major pillar of the economy and the welfare and prosperity of the kingdom.
NORWEGIAN GETAWAY | Skipping Santorini to make it a Sea Day
July 2024. Steve and I are cruising on the Norwegian Getaway, a Breakaway class ship by Norwegian Cruise Line or NCL. Interestingly, our stay on board happened shortly after the Getaway paid a visit to the dry dock for some refurbishments. The route? Piraeus, which is the port of Athens in Greece; followed by Mykonos;…
ANTWERP | Record 15.8 million day tourists, 2.7 million overnight stays in 2024
With 15.8 million day tourists in 2024, the City of Antwerp recorded an increase of 10.6% compared to 2023. Stay-over tourism increased by 6% to 2.7 million overnight stays, a new record for Antwerp.
WINTER IN ANTWERP 2024-2025 | 1.3M visitors, 120K for New Year’s fireworks, 64.4% hotel occupancy
Today, the 2024- 2025 edition of Winter in Antwerp was officially closed with ‘t Stad trakteert, The City treats. For four weeks, visitors were able to immerse themselves in the Christmas atmosphere at seven magical locations in the Antwerp.
2025: Overtourism overdose?
On 1 January 2024 we wrote about how rising prices affect travel. Not only the price of flights, but also the price of activities. Pricing was a topic the year before, 2023. In 2024, conventional and social media dug into the issue of overtourism. Articles about locals protesting, Instagrammers posting about big crowds in Japan…
Trip By Trip 