Increasing Travel and Mass-Tourism Pushback

The growing importance of leisure in our lives is triggering a rise in travel activity. In 2025, the number of foreign tourists visiting the U.S. was projected to exceed pre-pandemic levels. Despite early 2025 pushback from inbound international tourists, levels have been steadily increasing compared to previous years. Climate change impacts are giving rise to "last chance tourism," in which travelers seek to visit vanishing glaciers and ice caves before they become inaccessible. However, climate change is also making these sites increasingly unstable.

The post-COVID surge of mass tourism has sparked significant pushback in major tourist destinations such as Barcelona, Amsterdam, Venice, Kyoto, and others. Residents are expressing their frustration with the influx of international tourists and, in some cases, the negative consequences of short-term rentals. For instance, in Hawaii, a 2024 bill allows county governments to regulate — and potentially ban — short-term rentals within their jurisdictions. Moreover, some traditional cruise destinations are reconsidering their tourist strategies and becoming increasingly resistant to visitors arriving on cruise ships. Juneau, Alaska, plans to become the first city in the state — and one of the few in the U.S. — to limit the number of daily cruise ship tourists.

For planners, the visible backlash from locals worldwide may raise questions about the conventional economic agenda of branding and "selling" a city to tourists. Prioritizing the needs of local communities, supplying affordable housing options, and creating more spaces for meaningful leisure activities may be good opportunities for planners to better prepare for this emerging trend.