European Micro-Nations Face Overtourism Crisis: Vatican City Leads Alarming Report

Europe’s popular destinations are grappling with an escalating “overtourism crisis,” a phenomenon now extending beyond well-known hotspots to even the continent’s smallest nations. This growing challenge impacts iconic landmarks like the Louvre and Trevi Fountain, picturesque islands such as Santorini, and major cities including Barcelona and Venice, with the list of affected European locations expanding annually. The surge in summer visitors is creating significant environmental, social, and economic pressures, forcing governments across the Old Continent to implement urgent measures to manage the influx and ensure more sustainable tourism practices. While some nations bear a heavier burden—France hosted 100 million international visitors last year, and Spain, nearly double its population, welcomed almost 94 million—the issue of overtourism is not limited to these large countries. A recent Eurostat report highlights a stark difference among EU countries, with tiny microstates like Malta (91.2%), Cyprus (85.7%), and Luxembourg (80.4%) receiving a disproportionately high share of foreign overnight stays, often surpassing traditional tourist giants. The new ranking reveals Vatican City as the most extreme example of visitor-to-local ratio, with its 882 residents overwhelmed by 6.8 million tourists annually, equating to a staggering 7,710 visitors per local. This immense pressure on its limited space significantly diminishes the visitor experience, as daily crowds can reach 25,000, creating a “cash machine” rather than a cultural haven. Andorra, a landlocked principality, follows with 9.6 million tourists annually for its 85,000 residents, a ratio of 118 tourists per resident, driven by ski resorts and tax-free shopping. San Marino, another mountainous microstate, despite being among the least visited, also sees its local population outnumbered by visitors drawn to its medieval charm. Malta exemplifies the escalating crisis and current travel trends, having received over 1.4 million tourists in the first five months of 2025 and projecting over 4 million for the year. This growth, a 54% increase since 2019, is particularly visible at fragile sites like Comino Island’s Crystal Blue Lagoon, where over 10,000 daily visitors have transformed a once tranquil natural pool into an overcrowded, environmentally strained area. The growing frustration over such intense European travel, evident in visitor complaints and environmental degradation, is mounting pressure on authorities to address the imbalance between tourism benefits and the sustainability of unique habitats.