The summer of 2024 was a tipping point for many destinations in Europe, as soaring visitor numbers caused tourism to become a burden rather than a benefit.

With mass tourism showing no signs of slowing in 2025, many hotspots have brought in measures to mitigate its negative effects.

Some moves seemed obvious: limiting cruise ships, increasing tourist taxes and capping visitor numbers.

But other efforts to curb visitor numbers have made headlines thanks to outside-the-box thinking from both officials and residents.

Here are some of the strangest overtourism measures that have been brought in so far this year.

Notting Hill residents paint iconic coloured houses black

Notting Hill, a neighbourhood in West London, first gained tourist fame in the 90s thanks to the eponymous romantic film starring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant.

More recently, its photogenic, candy-coloured houses have made the area a social media darling.

But the crowds of snap-happy tourists have begun to frustrate residents, who are raising complaints about litter, noise and a lack of privacy.

Locals report incidents of influencers walking up to front doors to take pictures, setting out picnics, and even asking one homeowner to go inside so as not to ruin a photo.

Now, some residents have resorted to painting their houses in less eye-catching hues like black and grey to deter the cameras.

Homeowners have also erected ‘quiet zone’ signs and hung chains and ropes in front of the stairs leading up to their front doors.

Police check hikers’ footwear in Italy’s Cinque Terre

Italy’s Cinque Terre is famous for its sunny-coloured, cliff-clinging villages linked by vertiginous walking paths.

The hiking routes draw thousands of visitors in spring and summer, to the extent that the Cinque Terre national park authorities have had to introduce safety measures.

As well as introducing one-way systems, park authorities brought in a ban on open or smooth-soled footwear (like flip-flops) in 2019.

Inappropriate shoes can cost a would-be hiker a fine ranging from €50 to €2,500.

In the latest online guidelines for visiting the park, officials now say checks will be carried out by police to ensure walkers are properly kitted out.

Barcelona creates special selfie zone at Sagrada Familia

Until recently, Plaça Gaudí, the square in front of the Sagrada Familia church, had been exploited by tourists for a TikTok trend that caused considerable disruption.

It involved visitors balancing their phones on metro escalators to film themselves while the iconic monument appeared in the background. The trend led to tourists clogging station exits and was eventually banned.

Barcelona city council has now decided to construct a special zone beside the Sagrada Familia where visitors can take a breather – and a selfie – before entering the church.

The 6,200-square-metre ‘anteroom’ will be located between the Nativity façade of the basilica and Plaça Gaudí on Carrer de la Marina.

Benidorm cracks down on renting mobility scooters

In the Spanish resort town of Benidorm, authorities have announced hefty fines for the inappropriate use of mobility scooters.

Police say tourists have been renting the vehicles for fun and without proper insurance, and driving around at dangerous speeds.

The council has now emphasised that the use of mobility scooters is strictly limited to those with a genuine need.

Visitors violating the rules face fines of up to €500.

Published on 10/06/2025 – 16:35 GMT+2

Europe’s rail renaissance is showing no signs of slowing as high-speed rail operator Eurostar reveals ambitious plans to expand its network.

The company says it will introduce direct train connections from London to Germany and Switzerland, in what it calls the dawn of a “new golden age of international sustainable travel”.

The operator is also enhancing its existing offering by increasing services on popular routes.

Here’s what travellers can look forward to.

Eurostar’s proposed expansion includes establishing direct rail links between London St Pancras International and two key European destinations: Frankfurt in Germany and Geneva in Switzerland.

The company plans to invest approximately €2 billion to acquire a substantial fleet of up to 50 new trains for the routes.

These new services are expected to begin operating during the early 2030s and aim to rival air travel for the same trips.

And journey times make the rail alternative attractive. Passengers travelling between London and Frankfurt can expect to arrive in approximately five hours, while those heading to Geneva will make the journey in around five hours and 20 minutes.

Eurostar has not yet released details on intermediate stops and whether passengers will have the flexibility to get on and off at various points along the route.

The new services are particularly aimed at business travel, with Eurostar’s Chief Executive, Gwendoline Cazenave, highlighting that the destinations are “big financial hubs”.

Frankfurt and Geneva are also tourist hotspots, filled with culture, striking architecture and international events.

Dates for the launch remain approximate as there are still several logistical challenges to implementing these new routes.

These include expanding passenger facilities at destination stations, establishing new border control checkpoints, and securing track access agreements.

Despite these hurdles, Cazenave remains optimistic about the project’s success, citing strong commitment from Eurostar, passenger demand, and government support.

Eurostar to increase services along popular routes

Eurostar’s expanded fleet will also enable it to increase frequency on popular routes.

This includes boosting daily return services between London and Paris from 17 to 20.

The company has also confirmed plans to introduce a fourth daily return service between St Pancras and Amsterdam beginning on 9 September, with a fifth service added from mid-December.

Currently, Eurostar operates services connecting London to Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, and seasonal routes to the French Alps during the winter sports season. It also runs train links within Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands.

The operator transported 19.5 million passengers last year – a five per cent increase from 18.6 million in 2023. The London-Paris route proved most popular with 280,000 passengers, followed by London-Brussels with 250,000 passengers.

While Eurostar currently enjoys a monopoly on passenger services through the Channel Tunnel, several competitors are developing plans to challenge this, including Virgin Group, Italy’s FS Italiane Group, and Gemini Trains.

By&nbspEuronews Travel

Published on 06/06/2025 – 14:07 GMT+2

Norway is set to become the latest European destination to introduce a tourist tax to combat concerns about rising visitor numbers.

Lawmakers approved the new levy on Thursday, which allows municipalities to introduce a 3 per cent tax on overnight stays in “areas particularly affected by tourism”.

The law allows local authorities to apply the tax at their own discretion, and it will be added to accommodation charges. Authorities will also be allowed to adjust the percentage based on the season.

The funds raised by the tax will be used exclusively to improve tourism infrastructure projects that benefit both visitors and local people. Municipalities will have to demonstrate that their facilities are inadequate and have their plans approved by the government to spend the funds.

Cecilie Myrseth, Norway’s minister of trade and industry, said on social media that her government had reached a “historic agreement” to introduce a tourism tax that was “in line with what they have in the rest of Europe”.

The country is the latest in a string of European nations introducing or increasing visitor levies to tackle the growing problem of overtourism. A tax may also be applied to cruise ships that make stops in the country, particularly in areas that are most affected by overtourism.

Norway is experiencing a tourism boom

As tourists increasingly choose cooler, northern European destinations to get away from the heat, Norway has experienced a boom in visitor numbers.

Last year, a record-breaking 38.6 million people booked accommodation in the country. That includes more than 12 million overnight stays by foreign tourists – a 4.2 per cent increase from 2023.

Some previously quiet destinations have been overwhelmed, like the Lofoten islands, where eye-catching images of hiking trails posted on social media have led to an influx of visitors. With a population of 24,500 people distributed across several small towns and villages, keeping up with the cost of all these new visitors has been hard.

A recent survey by industry organisation Norwegian Tourism Partners found that 77 per cent of people in Tromsø, in northern Norway above the Arctic Circle, thought there were too many tourists there. Visitors have been drawn by the Northern Lights, wildlife excursions, Sami cultural experiences and what the city itself has to offer.

The increase in tourism has caused tension with local residents across Norway as infrastructure has struggled to keep up with the boom. Facilities like public toilets and car parks have been overwhelmed in popular destinations.

Some residents have even reported cases of people using their back gardens as toilets, and bemoaned the increased traffic clogging up Norway’s roads.