Yzabelle Bostyn
MALLORCA is the most visited place in Europe, according to a new Which? study.
The consumer association analysed European Commission data, finding the island had over 51 million overnight stays in 2023.
With a population of 966,000, Which? claims the data shows ‘just how overrun with tourists’ Mallorca has become.
In comparison, Paris takes the second spot with 44 million overnight stays compared to 2.1 million residents.
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PHOTO: European Commission
However, Which? noted visitors are likely to have short breaks in Paris, compared to spending a week or longer in Mallorca.
While the Balearic Island had the most overnight stays, it was not the most affected by ‘tourist pressure’, a metric calculated by the number of nights tourists spend in a region compared with the number of residents.
“For example, if 100 tourists spend five nights in a town with 100 residents. The ‘tourist pressure’ figure would be five overnight stays to every one resident,” Which? said.
By this measure, Zakynthos, or Zante, in Greece, is the ‘capital of overtourism’ with the area’s 40,000 residents outnumbered by six million overnight stays.
This equates to the ‘staggering’ figure of 150 overnight stays for every person who lives there.
Next on the list was Istria, a so-called ‘hidden gem’ in Croatia with 133 overnight tourist stays per resident.
The Canary Islands of Fuerteventura and Lanzarote were next on the list, with 118 and 117 overnight tourist stays per resident.
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PHOTO: Visit Lanzarote
Which? also calculated the amount of overnight stays per square kilometre, with Paris coming out on top with 418,280 per km2.
Though Athens and Cophenhagen were next in the list, the Spanish cities of Malaga and Alicante also ranked highly, with 17,493 and 5,501 overnight stays per km2 each.
For those in search of a quieter holiday, Which? Recommended Murcia, ‘the least visited part’ of Spain’s Mediterranean coast, with 486 overnight stays per km2.
Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel said: “What this data shows is that overtourism has overwhelmed some of Europe’s most popular destinations. With so many fantastic places in Europe, the truth is, you are going to have a far better holiday in a destination where there are not hundreds or even thousands more tourists than there are locals.
“Try Estonia for stunning coastlines and, yes, warm weather, during summer. Or if you want to stick with Spain, Murcia is a great option.”
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