While the ratio of visitors to locals does not tell the complete story of a destination and its relationship with tourism, it gives a good indication of how reliant a place’s economy is on tourism and how busy it’s likely to feel during peak season
A new overtourism map shows the destinations where the number of visitors overwhelms locals, and the spots that welcome in very few tourists.
Vatican City tops the list as the most overcrowded destination, with a staggering 7,709 tourists per local, unsurprising for a city with a tiny resident population. Andorra follows with 117 tourists per resident, while San Marino sees 59 tourists arrive for every local.
Venice takes the crown as the world’s most overcrowded city, hosting 392 tourists for every local, a stark reminder of the pressures facing iconic urban destination. In the US, West Virginia emerges as the most overcrowded state, seeing 42 visitors per resident annually, according to a ranking put together by Safari company Go2Africa .
With travel back in full swing, many of the world’s most popular destinations are now welcoming more visitors than ever before. An estimated 1.4 billion tourists travelled internationally in 2024, marking a near-complete recovery (99%) to pre-pandemic levels.
While the ratio of visitors to locals does not tell the complete story of a destination and its relationship with tourism, it gives a good indication of how reliant a place’s economy is on tourism and how busy it’s likely to feel during peak season.
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Each year, travel publication Fodor’s publishes its No List, which digs deeper into the issue of overtourism and the particular issues facing destinations. Many of the destinations with the highest proportions of tourists to locals are included on this year’s list.
The world’s most overcrowded countries
(Ranking; Country; Number of locals; Number of tourists per year; Tourists per local)
1
Vatican City
882
6,800,000
7709.75
2
Andorra
81,938
9,600,000
117.16
3
San Marino
33,581
2,000,000
59.56
4
Bahamas
401,283
11,220,000
27.96
5
Saint Kitts and Nevis
46,843
875,085
18.68
6
Antigua and Barbuda
93,772
1,154,236
12.31
7
Bahrain
1,607,049
14,900,000
9.27
8
Monaco
38,956
340,000
8.73
9
Malta
563,443
3,563,618
6.32
10
Hong Kong
7,414,909
44,500,000
6.00
11
Iceland
393,396
2,287,341
5.81
12
Croatia
3,875,325
21,300,000
5.50
13
Barbados
282,467
1,520,740
5.38
14
Switzerland
8,921,981
42,800,000
4.80
15
Grenada
117,081
504,000
4.30
According to the study, Vatican City ranks as the most overcrowded tourist destination, with an incredible 7,709 tourists to ever resident. While this ratio is extreme, it comes with context: Vatican City, based within Rome is just 0.44 square kilometers in size and is a place of pilgrimage and cultural significance for many people around the world. Its tiny population of 882 consists mainly of clergy, diplomats, and officials, making it unlike any typical country.
Coming in second place is Andorra, which welcomed 9.6 million visitors in 2024, compared to just 81,938 locals. This gives the microstate a ratio of 117 tourists per resident. Nestled between France and Spain, Andorra is best known for its luxury ski resorts and status as a tax haven, all of which contribute to its outsized appeal.
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Many of the most overcrowded destinations are also small island nations, particularly popular among cruise travelers. These places often experience massive, short-term surges in visitors, which can strain local infrastructure and negatively impact local communities. Countries like San Marino, the Bahamas, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Antigua and Barbuda all experience heavy cruise traffic, often receiving more visitors in a day than they have locals.
To conduct the study, Go2Africa gathered official tourism figures from national tourist boards and reports to determine the number of visitors to each country and U.S. state. These figures were then compared to the population data for the same year, allowing the team to calculate the ratio of tourists to local residents for each location.