France Alongside Germany and Other EU Countries Face Tourism Crisis as Crowds and Rentals Squeeze Major Cities

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France, Germany, and several other EU nations are overhauling their approach to mass tourism after being overwhelmed by overcrowded hotspots and surging demand for homestays. Realizing that the booming short-term rental market threatens housing availability and the local quality of life, these countries are rolling out new restrictions and visitor management schemes.

Europe remains one of the world’s most powerful tourism regions. Millions of international and domestic journeys are supported every year by its historic cities, beaches, museums, cultural attractions and transport networks. Yet the success of tourism is creating a more complicated challenge.

The European Commission has warned that highly concentrated urban tourism can create crowding, pollution and competition for land and housing. It can also influence housing markets and living costs when tourism becomes heavily concentrated in particular districts or destinations.

Europe’s Tourism Success Is Creating Pressure Inside Its Most Popular Cities

The problem is not simply that Europe is attracting large visitor numbers. Pressure is being created because millions of travellers are often concentrated in relatively small historic centres, coastal regions and famous neighbourhoods.

According to the European Commission’s tourism analysis, around 63% of tourism nights in 2023 were concentrated in coastal or city destinations, despite those destinations accounting for only around one-third of the EU’s total land area.

Paris recorded nearly 44 million overnight stays in 2023, while Rome recorded around 41 million. Barcelona, Venice, Berlin, Amsterdam and other major destinations also remained among Europe’s busiest tourism locations.

The concern is therefore increasingly centred on where tourism takes place, how concentrated it becomes and whether local infrastructure and housing markets can absorb continued growth.

France Moves to Spread Visitors as Tourism Concentrates in Small Areas

France has already recognised excessive visitor concentration as a national tourism-management issue.

Official government figures show that around 80% of tourism activity is concentrated on only 20% of French territory. High visitor peaks have been identified as a potential threat to destinations, the environment, the quality of life of residents and even the experience received by travellers themselves.

A national strategy has therefore been developed to improve the management of tourism flows and encourage travellers to explore lesser-known destinations rather than concentrating almost exclusively on famous tourism hotspots.

Particular attention is also being directed towards short-term tourist accommodation in Paris.

The city says rapid growth in furnished holiday rentals has contributed to a reduction in conventional private rental housing, increased housing costs and changes in neighbourhood living conditions. Strict controls have consequently been imposed.

Since January 2025, the rental of a primary residence as tourist accommodation has generally been limited to 90 days per year, down from the previous 120-day allowance.

Germany Strengthens Housing Protection as Berlin Remains a Major Tourism Magnet

Germany is facing a related challenge in Berlin, where the competing demands of tourism, housing and urban development continue to be managed through residential protection measures.

Berlin’s government approved additional housing-protection legislation in March 2026 as part of a wider effort to safeguard residential properties and affordable housing.

The issue carries particular significance because Berlin remains one of Europe’s most heavily visited urban destinations. The European Commission recorded Berlin among destinations receiving roughly 25 million to 29 million overnight stays in 2023.

Housing has therefore become an important part of the tourism conversation. The challenge is no longer limited to bringing visitors into cities. Increasing attention is being placed on preventing tourism accommodation from competing excessively with homes required by permanent residents.

Italy Uses Visitor Charges as Venice Tries to Manage Day-Trip Pressure

Italy provides one of Europe’s most visible examples of direct visitor management.

In Venice, an access-fee programme was used again during selected periods in 2026. Day visitors entering the historic city were charged €5 when payment was made sufficiently early and €10 when paid closer to the visit date.

The 2026 trial ended on 27 July 2026, and visitors can currently enter without paying the fee. Any future application will require further municipal decisions.

The programme highlights how destinations are increasingly experimenting with tools that would once have appeared unusual. Rather than simply promoting more arrivals, tourism authorities are being required to consider visitor timing, crowd distribution and carrying capacity.

Venice is especially exposed because enormous numbers of visitors can enter a relatively compact historic environment within a short period.

Amsterdam Tightens Holiday Rental Rules as Neighbourhood Pressure Grows

In the Netherlands, Amsterdam has adopted some of Europe’s clearest measures for controlling the relationship between residential property and tourist accommodation.

Homes rented to tourists generally require a permit and registration. Holiday rentals are normally restricted to 30 nights per calendar year, while the maximum has already been reduced to 15 nights in several high-pressure parts of the city.

Further restrictions are being considered. In September 2026, plans were announced to reduce holiday rental activity to 15 nights annually in another neighbourhood after official monitoring showed high tourism pressure, substantial holiday-rental activity and reported disturbance among residents.

Amsterdam’s tourism strategy also seeks to limit overall visitor growth, reduce nuisance, spread visitors across the city and cut river-cruise activity.

Lisbon Places Housing at the Centre of Its Holiday Rental Controls

A similar balancing exercise is being carried out in Lisbon.

Local accommodation has become an important component of the Portuguese capital’s visitor economy, but it has also been placed under tighter control where concentrations are considered high.

Lisbon’s revised accommodation framework has been designed around the relationship between tourist accommodation and permanent housing. In some areas, restrictions have been applied when local accommodation reaches specific proportions of the permanent residential stock.

The city’s housing strategy has also identified several historic central districts as areas where housing pressures require particularly close attention.

For travellers, this means accommodation rules can increasingly differ by neighbourhood rather than applying uniformly across an entire city.

Athens Extends Restrictions on New Short-Term Rentals Through 2026

Greece has also moved towards stronger regulation.

New registrations for short-term rental properties remain prohibited through 31 December 2026 in the first, second and third municipal districts of Athens.

From 1 July to 31 December 2026, a similar restriction has also been applied to part of Thessaloniki.

The Athens restriction forms part of broader efforts to address housing availability while maintaining a strong visitor economy. New national requirements for short-term accommodation also came into force in October 2025, covering operating and safety standards.

Austria, Croatia and Czechia Show How Widely the Pressure Is Spreading

The issue extends well beyond Europe’s best-known overtourism hotspots.

In Vienna, tourist rentals exceeding 90 days per calendar year generally require a special exemption permit. The tighter framework has applied throughout the city since July 2024.

In Dubrovnik, Croatia, cruise tourism is being actively managed. The city limits cruise visitors to 4,500 per day or two ships at one time. Visitor monitoring systems are also being used to control crowding around the historic centre.

Prague provides another example of the sheer scale of urban tourism growth. The Czech capital welcomed a record 8.27 million guests in 2025, while approximately 18.98 million overnight stays were recorded in collective accommodation.

Online accommodation is also significant. Around 6.09 million overnight stays were booked through major online accommodation platforms in Prague during 2025.

What Europe’s Tourism Pressure Means for Travellers

For travellers, these changes do not mean that Europe’s major destinations are closing their doors.

Instead, tourism is increasingly being managed through access charges, rental permits, visitor limits, cruise controls and restrictions on new holiday accommodation.

More travellers may therefore be encouraged towards lesser-known districts, secondary cities and off-season travel periods. Accommodation availability may also change as authorities seek to move properties back towards long-term residential use.

France, Germany and other EU countries see strains due to tourists and holiday rentals. The increased number of visitors and short term rentals are putting a strain on housing, neighborhoods and major city centers.

The European Commission highlighted the importance of tourism as an economic factor, including as a source of employment. But extremely high levels of tourism can be a risk when it comes to concentrations of visitors being geographically or seasonally concentrated.