Why overtourism could ruin your next vacation | Suresh Subudhi

Summary

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Episode Overview

Podcast: TED Talks Daily
Episode: Why overtourism could ruin your next vacation | Suresh Subudhi
Date: June 20, 2026
Host: Elise Hu
Guest / Speaker: Suresh Subudhi

This episode features travel industry researcher Suresh Subudhi discussing the global crisis of overtourism—how beloved destinations are being stressed by crowds of visitors, resulting in tension between tourists and locals. Suresh explores the root causes of overtourism, its social and economic consequences, and he points to both technological and behavioral solutions that could restore joy to travel for all parties. The talk is at once a personal reflection and a call to action for more mindful, mutually beneficial travel.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Overtourism Crisis: Loving Destinations to Death

• Personal Anecdote: Rome Reality vs. Dream

  • Suresh opens with a vivid contrast between his romanticized "dream" of Rome—peaceful cafes, easy access to the Trevi Fountain—and the reality of overwhelming crowds, lack of space, and hurried tourists.
  • Quote:
    • “I reached the Trevi Fountain and forget grabbing my favorite pistachio gelato or finding a bench to sit, I couldn't get to the steps. Thousands and thousands of people all around. Have you felt the same way? When you reach your dream destination, you feel as if it has been overrun. You feel as if it has become a selfie queue.” (04:58)

• Global Examples of Pushback

  • Locals in popular cities (Barcelona, Tokyo during cherry blossom season, Italy, Portugal) increasingly resent visitors, citing higher costs and loss of quality of life.
  • Residents in these areas are now protesting, e.g., graffiti in Barcelona telling tourists to “go home.”
  • Quote:
    • “We are loving our favorite destinations to death. We are overrunning them, and residents are pushing back because it's impacting their livability.” (05:50)

• The Scale of the Problem

  • The travel industry employs 300 million people and is expected to be a $15 trillion industry by 2040. This makes ignoring its issues untenable.

Why Do We Travel? Restoring Joy to the Experience

• Suresh asks the key question: "Why do we travel?" The answer is to experience joy through diversity, connection, and shared experiences—not to check off boxes or elbow through crowds.
• Shift needed: From being intrusive tourists to becoming ‘joyful guests.’

Causes: Social Media, Profit-Driven Industry, Ineffective City Management

• Social media inspires mass travel to the same spots at the same time, intensifying overcrowding.
• Industry actors focus on profit maximization, not local welfare or authentic experiences.
• City management often lacks tools to deal with fluctuating visitor numbers.

Solutions: Technology & Behavioral Change

• Smart Crowd Management

  • Example: Florence’s “Feel Florence” app — uses sensor/camera data to alert tourists about crowded spots and suggest alternate times or routes.
  • Amsterdam, Mecca, and Varanasi deploy similar tech-driven solutions.
  • Quote:
    • “Feel Florence is an app by the City of Florence which helps exactly do this...it balances the load and it is beneficial for both the tourists as well as the residents.” (09:34)

• Redesigning Hospitality and Transport

  • Airlines and hotels can use disruptions to offer authentic experiences (e.g., Turkish tea workshops during layovers, custom concierge apps suggesting local gems).
  • Fostering encounters that build loyalty and allow travelers, as well as locals, to create “unforgettable” moments.
  • Quote:
    • “Imagine the possibilities of uncovering authentic experiences that give us true joy.” (11:56)

• Gratitude Marketplaces & Volunteering

  • Many residents feel disconnected from the benefits of tourism.
  • Platforms like Golden Volunteer connect travelers with meaningful local projects, fostering respect and reciprocity.
  • Copenhagen’s copenhp program rewards visitors for things like gardening or cycling with redeemable points.
  • Quote:
    • “If we can unleash a gratitude marketplace at scale, we will create a deep connection between the traveler and the resident.” (13:12)

A Call to Mindful Travel

• Suresh ends with examples of meaningful travel: learning Turkish tea rituals or hearing stories from a Vietnamese fisherman.
• He urges listeners to choose to be “joyful guests” and participate in activities that genuinely benefit the places and the people they visit.
• Quote:
  • “In your next trip, will you be tourists or a joyful guest? It’s time we bring joy back in travel.” (14:50)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You feel as if it has become a selfie queue.” (05:12)
• “We are loving our favorite destinations to death.” (05:50)
• “My two research subjects, the residents and the traveler, are on a collision course like never before. We have a travel crisis.” (06:18)
• “We travel for joy. Joy by experiencing the diversity this world has to offer…” (07:09)
• “If we can unleash a gratitude marketplace at scale, we will create a deep connection between the traveler and the resident.” (13:12)
• “In your next trip, will you be tourists or a joyful guest? It’s time we bring joy back in travel.” (14:50)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 03:49 – Opening Rome anecdote vs. reality
• 05:00–05:50 – Experiences of overtourism/locals’ pushback
• 06:18 – Scale and urgency of the travel industry crisis
• 07:09 – Purpose of travel: bringing joy back
• 09:34 – Tech-driven solutions: Florence, Amsterdam, Mecca
• 11:56 – Enriching traveler-local connections (e.g., Turkish tea)
• 13:12 – Gratitude marketplaces, volunteering, and local programs
• 14:50 – Final call to action: be a joyful guest

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Conclusion

Suresh Subudhi’s talk is a thoughtfully persuasive look at one of travel’s biggest challenges. His message carries optimism: by leveraging technology, changing our behavior, and truly connecting with destinations and their people, travel can become joyful and sustainable for both guests and hosts. The episode offers practical solutions and heartfelt motivation to rethink how we travel so our favorite places—and their communities—don’t get loved to death.

Transcript

[A]

You're listening to TED Talks Daily where we bring you new ideas to spark your curiosity every day. I'm your host, Elise Hu. There's a growing chasm between travelers to sought after destinations and the people who actually live in those places.

[B]

We are loving our favorite destinations to death. We are overrunning them, and residents are pushing back because it's impacting their livability.

[A]

That's travel industry researcher Suresh Subhuti, who has spent more than 20 years studying the relationship between the places we love and the people who actually live in them. He says that the travelers and the residents who host them are on a collision course. But with technology and small behavior shifts, things don't have to be that way.

[B]

In your next trip, will you be tourists or a joyful guest? It's time we bring joy back in travel.

[A]

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[B]

Day Last July, I was in Rome. I walked from my hotel to the Trevi Fountain on the cobbled streets lined with beautiful cafes bustling with residents and travelers drinking their espressos and cheering and greeting each other. Small souvenir shops selling beautiful replicas of the Colosseum, the Sistine Chapel ceiling paintings. What an atmosphere. I soaked it all in, reached the Trevi Fountain, grabbed my favorite pistachio gelato and looked at the marvelous views. A perfect Roman holiday. Suddenly my alarm rang and I woke up from my dream. I was in Rome. I did walk from my hotel to the Trevi Fountain, but I felt rushed. The cafes were crowded, people had to even queue outside. The shopkeepers had no time to entertain visitors. I reached the Trevi Fountain and forget grabbing my favorite pistachio gelato or finding a bench to sit, I couldn't get to the steps. Thousands and thousands of people all around. Have you felt the same way? When you reach your dream destination, you feel as if it has been overrun. You feel as if it has become a selfie cue. I had the same feeling, and this is not an isolated incident. I had the same exact experience in Tokyo when I went there. During the cherry blossom season, tourists crowd every park in the city to get the glimpse of the famous sakura. I asked a resident, how does he feel seeing so many tourists all around. He told me that he doesn't bring his family anymore for a picnic under the sakura. That response broke my heart. We are loving our favorite destinations to death. We are Overrunning them. And residents are pushing back because it's impacting their livability. Their cost of living is increasing. Congestions on the road, rental prices, food prices. They are pushing back. And they are pushing back. Like in Barcelona with the graffiti asking tourists to go home in Barcelona, in Italy, in Portugal, residents are pushing back. I have been researching the travel industry for last 20 years and my two research subjects, the residents and the traveler, are on a collision course like never before. We have a travel crisis. The travel industry employs about 300 million people globally and it's going to be a 15 trillion dollar industry by 2040. Too large, too many livelihoods at stake for us to ignore this crisis. But let me pause and ask you a question. Why do we travel? We travel for joy. Joy by experiencing the diversity this world has to offer. Joy by experiencing different lives. Joy through a shared connection. My daughter, son and wife are here and I want them to experience the same joy I experienced in my Roman dream. I want all of you to experience the same joy. We need to bring joy back in travel. But it's a complex problem. We have millions of tourists getting inspired by social media and planning the travel destinations and planning the travel itineraries. We have the travel industry which is looking for short term profits. And we have cities who don't know how to manage the tourist inflow. There is a path forward though. With the use of technology like AI and simple behavior changes, we could bring joy back in travel. Now imagine if we were to make the entire travel industry's objective, the airlines, the hotel, the travel tour operators, to bring joy to both residents as well as the travelers. And they have everything at their disposal from technology to people to skilling. They will rise to the occasion. They will do three things. One, help manage crowd, help discover authentic experiences and help drive a really, really respectful connection between the resident and the traveler. In your last trip, did you feel like rushed? Did you feel like you were going through a checklist, moving from one place to another place? Did it feel like a chore? Or did you feel joy? We all are super busy and we all land up to the same destinations during the same peak season times without realizing. Quieter seasons, quieter times or hidden paths. What if technology could help us figure that out? Feel Florence is an app by the City of Florence which helps exactly do this for the travelers. It uses the data from sensors from cameras to understand crowded locations and recommends personalized travel itineraries for tourists. It sends user alerts to avoid crowded locations. When this happens, it balances the load and it is Beneficial for both the tourists as well as the residents. Cities are going down that path. Amsterdam and even religious cities like Mecca or Varanasi are increasingly using technology to manage crowd what was your last unforgettable trip? Was it the famous landmark Instagrammable picture? Or was it a shared smile with someone? Or was it a story that somebody told you? Of course, in the backdrop of a beautiful nature or a beautiful surrounding? I asked the same question to my friend. He said if I ignore my bachelorette party outside. My last unforgettable trip was in Vietnam. A fisherman took me on his boat ride, told me stories about Vietnam, told me stories about that life he has lived there and I cannot forget that. What a beautiful connection for me. It was my experience in Istanbul in Turkey where a cheerful cafe owner took interest in me and told me the history of Turkish tea, how to make it and how to drink it. Whenever I think about Turkey or Istanbul, my heart fills with joy. This is what we crave. This is what we seek. I'm sure some of you have been stranded at airports because of airline disruptions. The airline has two options. One to check you into hotel overlooking the terminal or maybe organize a Turkish tea making workshop. Maybe some of us will like it and if we like it, we will become a loyal customer of the airline. Same is the case with hotels. If hotels can use technology to give custom concierges which speaks in your language, curates local suggestions, helps you discover hidden gems and walks along with you, you will become a loyal customer of the hotel. Imagine the possibilities of uncovering authentic experiences that give us true joy. Many residents in the destinations we love don't see the direct benefits of a traveler. They only see the negative side. I know we are contributing to the local economy through our money, but that may not be enough. And even if we want to contribute through our time, we don't know how to do it. Residents feel like how I used to feel as a child when unexpected guests arrived in my house, especially if they didn't carry any special gifts for me. I badly uttered a smile and I wished that they leave as soon as possible. I am sure many of you, if you could find a way to contribute through your time, you would. Again, things are changing on this front. Golden Volunteer is an example of a platform which connects volunteers with organizations and projects looking for volunteers. It in fact goes to the extent of doing volunteer background check. If we can unleash a gratitude marketplace at scale, we will create a deep connection between the traveler and the resident. Copenhagen is going on that path with copenhp. You get points if you do gardening, you get points if you do cycling, and you can use those points for redeeming against attractions. If you had the opportunity to contribute with your time, what would you do? Some of your annual lovers you may want to be part of the elephant rescue centers in Thailand or want to be part of sea turtle rescue centers in India. If you're environment or nature lover, you may want to be part of coral reef preservation in the Great Barrier or in Maldives. And if you're a history lover like me, you may be wanting to be part of restoration of an 800 year old temple. In fact, I will seek such an opportunity and bake it in my itinerary because I would love to be part of something like this. The possibilities are infinite. The travel industry is going to grow. It's one industry that is probably encouraging tolerance in this highly polarized world. It's for us to shape positively the destinations we love and the people who call it their home. I've talked about the tools at hand and I've given you a few examples. I want to leave with one question in your next trip, will you be tourists or a joyful guest? It's time we bring joy back in travel. Thank you.

[A]

That was Suresh Sabhoodi at TedCTCT in 2025. If you're curious about Ted's curation, visit Ted.comCurationGuidelines and that's it for today. Ted Talks Daily is a podcast from Ted. This episode was fact checked by the TED Research team and produced and edited by our team, Martha Estefanos, Oliver Friedman, Lucy Little, Emma Tobner, and Tanzika Sangarnivong. Additional support from Daniela Ballarezzo, Christopher Faizy, Bogan, Valentina Bohanini, Banban Chang, Brian Greene, and Lainey Lott. Learn [e-mail] I am Elise Hu. I'll be back tomorrow with a fresh idea for your feedback. Thanks for listening.

[C]

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