[seydor]

First we need to rethink what drives tourism. IMHO , expensive real estate and lack of space in every big city in the western world drives people to escapism. It's not normal, or healthy, it's just something we ve tolerated for too long

[jaclaz]

Well, then people would logically escape to the countryside (or the seaside, or the Alps), wouldn't go to another city ("of art", let's say Venice as an example) to be more jammed than at home.

[piaste]

The answer to GP's question "what drives tourism" is that there are multiple very different reasons.

Some want to relax in pleasant weather with beautiful scenery. If their hometown climate sucks thry're always going to move to the right weather zone, but with good infrastructure they could theoretically be better spread out so they don't overcrowd the same beaches and mountains in the same countries.

Some want to party in such places. This is slightly different because they want to be in a crowd, and they don't mix well with other types of tourists (let alone locals). But good marketing can lead them towards dedicated "party villages" away from other people to have their fun.

Some want to see new places. This is where I think an education campaign has the most potential: my experience is that well-rounded people are less impressed by a trip to Paris than by a trip to some fascinating destination that their peers have barely heard of.

And some, unfortunately, do desire to specifically see Venice or the Galapagos or some other place that cannot host all of them forever. A gate mechanism is needed, and frankly a monetary gate is the only remotely reasonable one to implement.

[jaclaz]

Don't forget how many people are simply influenced by (Instagram or Facebook or Youtube, etc.) "influencers".

They (the flock) don't actually know anything about where they are going to and they only go there because it is mentioned as "cool" (or whatever) on the internet.