Amsterdam Joins Barcelona, Dubrovnik, Berlin, and Venice: Europe’s Top Tourist Destinations are Crumbling Under the Weight of Overtourism!

Published on November 29, 2025

After a post‑pandemic surge, Europe’s tourism sector entered a new phase in 2024–2025. Tourism brings benefits but also trade‑offs; overcrowding, rising housing costs and strain on resources can lead destinations to become “unbalanced.” Across Europe, some places depend heavily on visitors and are vulnerable to demand shocks. Against this backdrop, several cities saw tourism fade or plateau in 2024–2025 due to deliberate policies or changing traveller behaviour. This article summarises official data to identify where tourist numbers declined or growth slowed and examines why this is happening.

Amsterdam – slowing growth through policy

Amsterdam has long grappled with crowds. In 2021 the Amsterdam City Council approved a “Tourism in balance” policy that caps visitor numbers at 20 million per year and obliges the municipal executive to act if the figure reaches 18 million. The policy aims to maintain residents’ quality of life and reduce nuisances from mass tourism. To achieve this, the city is taking several measures:

• Combating nuisance behaviour by restricting bachelor parties and organised pub crawls.
• Limiting supply of tourist infrastructure by restricting river cruises, banning new hotels and converting existing hotels into homes or offices.
• Regulating nightlife with earlier closing times for bars and clubs and a ban on street‑side cannabis smoking in parts of the city.
• Launching “Stay Away” and “Renew Your View” campaigns to deter low‑spending visitors.

Municipal statistics show these actions are having an effect. The city recorded 22.9 million overnight stays in 2024, a modest 3 per cent increase from 2023 but below the forecast range of 22.9–25.4 million. Amsterdam acknowledges that the lower‑than‑expected figures are a direct result of its higher tourist tax, limits on river and sea cruises, and ban on new hotels and holiday rentals. The city has set a goal of reducing overnight stays to 20 million; officials say additional measures will be needed to reach that figure. Thus, while tourism has not collapsed, growth is deliberately being slowed, signalling a shift toward a more manageable visitor economy.

Barcelona/Catalonia – focusing on “quality tourism”

In Spain, the region of Catalonia—home to Barcelona—has pivoted from quantity to quality tourism. Official figures from Spain’s National Statistics Institute show that international tourist arrivals to Catalonia fell 1.36 per cent in September 2025, following declines of 1.16 per cent in July and 4.34 per cent in August. The summer of 2025 was the second‑worst on record for international visitors (excluding the pandemic), with just over 6.56 million tourists. Although visitor numbers for January‑to‑September 2025 were slightly above the previous year, the monthly declines indicate the region has begun to cool.

More telling are the changes in overnight stays. The number of nights foreign tourists spent in Catalonia fell 5.7 per cent in September 2025, and the average length of stay slipped from 5.59 to 5.35 days. The Catalan and Barcelona governments describe these results as consistent with their new tourism strategy, which seeks to attract “quality tourists”—visitors who stay longer, explore beyond the city centre and spend more. By encouraging higher spending per visitor rather than sheer volume, authorities hope to reduce crowding and lessen disruption for residents. Thus, tourist numbers are intentionally declining, and officials view this as progress toward a more sustainable model.

Dubrovnik (Croatia) – demand shock in a high‑intensity destination

Croatia’s coast, particularly Dubrovnik, has become synonymous with overtourism. The Croatian Bureau of Statistics reported that in May 2025 there were 1.8 million tourist arrivals and 5.9 million tourist nights in commercial accommodations—5.1 per cent fewer arrivals and 15 per cent fewer nights compared with May 2024. Domestic tourists increased, but foreign tourists recorded 9 per cent fewer arrivals and 18.5 per cent fewer nights. Despite this drop, Dubrovnik remained the top destination for foreign visitors, generating 482 thousand nights, yet even there tourist nights fell 2.6 per cent relative to the previous year.

Why are numbers declining? Croatia is one of the countries with very high tourism intensity and seasonality, meaning that tourism is concentrated in specific months and the economy is highly dependent on visitor spending. Such destinations are vulnerable to shocks; small changes in demand can produce large swings in visitor numbers. Dubrovnik has faced complaints of overcrowding and high prices, and local authorities have introduced caps on cruise ship berths and higher taxes. The 2025 figures suggest that foreign tourists may be seeking alternative destinations, or that stricter regulations and higher costs are beginning to push visitor numbers down.

Berlin – decline after a record‑breaking year

Berlin’s vibrant cultural scene attracts millions of visitors each year. However, the Berlin‑Brandenburg Statistics Office reports that in the first half of 2025 the city welcomed around 6 million visitors, generating 13.9 million overnight stays. Domestic demand remained robust, but the number of German visitors still slipped 0.3 per cent and overnight stays declined 1.7 per cent compared to the same period in 2024. The drop is more pronounced among foreign tourists: 2.1 million foreign guests contributed 5.6 million overnight stays, a 4.7 per cent decline in visitor numbers versus 2024. Occupancy rates across all accommodations fell from 53.8 per cent to 52.8 per cent.

The tourism agency visitBerlin attributes the downturn to unique circumstances. Berlin hosted the Euro 2024 football championship and multiple large events in 2024, creating a temporary tourism boom. The decline in 2025, estimated at 3.5 per cent for international visitors and 4 per cent for overnight stays, reflects a return to normal levels rather than a permanent slump. Moreover, travellers may be exploring other cities as part of a broader diversification of European trips. Berlin’s experience shows that major events can distort year‑over‑year comparisons, and subsequent declines should be interpreted in context. Nevertheless, the data confirm that tourism retracted in 2025 compared with the previous year.

Venice – modest declines despite a day‑tripper tax

Venice has experimented with regulating day visitors by introducing a day‑tripper fee. During 54 peak days in 2025, tourists spending just one day in the city were required to book and pay a €5 or €10 levy depending on the timing of their reservation. The aim was to curb “hit‑and‑run” tourism that overwhelms the small historic centre. Preliminary data published by the Venice City Council show that 723 497 visitors paid the fee in 2025, raising about €5.4 million. On the busiest day, nearly 25 000 visitors paid the fee—more than half of the city’s resident population.

However, the daily average number of paying day visitors was only slightly lower than in 2024—about 13 046 in 2025 compared with 16 676 in the previous year. The council acknowledged that the small drop mirrors a region‑wide decline recorded by the Regional Statistics Office rather than a substantial effect of the fee. Critics argue that the day‑trip levy has not significantly reduced crowds. Venice therefore illustrates how, despite well‑intentioned measures, tourism does not fade easily when global demand remains strong; modest declines may relate more to broader market conditions than to local policies.

Conclusions and implications

Across Europe, 2024–2025 shows a pattern of recalibration. Cities like Amsterdam and Barcelona are deliberately slowing or reducing tourist numbers through caps, higher taxes and strategies that prioritise value over volume. Dubrovnik shows how destinations with high tourism intensity and seasonality are vulnerable to demand shifts; small changes in foreign visitor behaviour can lead to notable declines. Berlin demonstrates that declines may follow extraordinary event‑driven booms. Venice’s day‑trip fee raises revenue but has only slightly reduced visitor numbers.

These cases suggest that tourism fading in Europe is not due to a uniform drop in demand but rather reflects city‑specific policies and vulnerabilities. In high‑pressure destinations, authorities are shifting from chasing ever‑higher visitor numbers toward sustainability, quality experiences and resident well‑being. For travellers, this means that certain hotspots may be less crowded but also more regulated. For cities, balancing economic benefits with social and environmental costs will remain a key challenge as Europe moves toward a more resilient and balanced tourism future.

References

1. Directorate‑General for Mobility and Transport (European Commission), Unbalanced tourism: which European destinations are potentially vulnerable? (29 Apr 2025)transport.ec.europa.eu.
2. Amsterdam City Council, Policy: Tourism – “Tourism in balance” plan and measures for 2025
3. Amsterdam municipality statistics summarised in NL Times (31 May 2025) showing 22.9 million overnight stays and effects of city measures
4. Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE) data via Catalan News – declines in foreign tourist visits and overnight stays in Catalonia (Sept 2025)
5. Catalan/Barcelona government strategy for “quality tourism”
6. Croatian Bureau of Statistics (DZS), News release on May 2025 tourism, reporting 5.1 % fewer arrivals, 15 % fewer nights and a 2.6 % decline in Dubrovnikdzs.gov.hr.
7. Berlin‑Brandenburg Statistics Office data reported by Hotel Management – international visitors down 4.7 % in first half of 2025 and occupancy decline
8. City of Berlin’s Office of Statistics via Travel and Tour World – international visitors down 3.5 % and overnight stays down 4 % over the first nine months of 2025travelandtourworld.com.
9. Venice City Council statement on day‑tripper fee; provisional data on visitor numbers and revenue