Rethinking Overtourism as a Context-specific Phenomenon

Overtourism has emerged as a pressing challenge for many destinations, but its manifestations and impacts vary in different geographical and socio-political contexts. This chapter examines overtourism as a situated phenomenon from a Nordic perspective, focusing on how place-based conflicts arise in urban and peri-urban areas. Drawing on instances from different locations, we analyse the ways in which overtourism is shaped by national policies, local governance, and socio-cultural dynamics. The findings show that overtourism in the Nordic region is highly context-dependent, influenced by spatial, political, and post-pandemic recovery considerations. The chapter concludes by discussing the broader implications for sustainable urban tourism, emphasising the need for context sensitive strategies and multidisciplinary approaches to analyse the impact of historical and cultural processes on tourism pressures.