When the word ‘overtourism’ is used, many of us might picture overcrowded European cities or island destinations. Venice has started charging day trippers and banning cruise ships from docking. Amsterdam has launched a campaign to discourage a certain calibre of British tourist, and recent reports are that Lanzarote wishes to limit visitor numbers.
We tend not to associate ‘overtourism’ with Africa. But uncontrolled growth in tourist numbers is unsustainable anywhere, whether an ancient European city or the rolling savannah of a sub-Saharan wildlife reserve.
The New York Times reported in January on overcrowding on the Kenyan Masai Mara, following viral online footage of dozens of safari trucks jostling for the best viewing position over two cheetahs killing an antelope.
Some might wonder how a game reserve covering 1,510 square km (583 square miles) can possibly have issues with overcrowding but Mefi Pishori Alapat, safari designer for Journey to Africa told Travel Weekly that it’s not unusual for over 200 vehicles to be competing for space in a small area. “Overcrowding has become a problem on many African safaris,” she said.
It’s not good for the wildlife nor for the safety of guests, as they are racing for the best spot.
Mefi Pishori Alapat, safari designer for Journey to Africa
One traveller’s blog provides a clear picture of the problem: “A stressed out Cape buffalo charged our car because he was separated from his herd. A scared leopard was forced into hiding after being boxed in by a mass of tourist vehicles. Hyenas sleeping on the road were awoken and startled when our car got too close. While all of these experiences were phenomenal for us, I can’t help wondering: is it fair to the animals?”
Close-up encounters with wildlife may be ‘phenomenal’ short-term, for those who want to post a viral clip to social media perhaps, but when the animals and landscapes people are paying to see are adversely affected by sheer visitor numbers, it’s bad for everyone long-term.
A 2017 report by McKinsey identified five key effects of overtourism. Local residents become alienated. Tourist experiences degrade. Infrastructure gets overwhelmed and nature damaged, while culture and heritage are threatened.
Brian Heath, CEO of the Mara Conservancy, says these effects are already being seen: a shocking 75% fewer wildebeest are staying in the Mara, and for less time, during migration season. An Oxford University researcher has found competition with humans for space is threatening cheetah populations. Meanwhile non-profit Serengeti Watch has recorded changes in impala behaviours and reduced reproductive rates due to ‘significant physiological stress in relation to roads and traffic.’ As if that wasn’t bad enough, vehicles are even running over and killing animals in some instances.
An audit found 49 tourism facilities now in the Mara reserve, and 153 camps on the outskirts, many of them unlicensed and using unaccredited guides who are under pressure from tourists to get up close and personal with the animals. In response, the Kenyan government has adopted a new tourism plan presented by the Mara Conservancy and other stakeholders to introduce new regulations.
The issue however is likely to continue to hit the headlines in the coming years as three factors combine: tourists who missed out during the pandemic are putting dream travel plans into action; the Chinese and Indian travel markets are expanding; and intra-African tourism is growing in line with the continent’s middle classes, with the population projected to double over the next 30 years.
As ever, the truth is complicated. Tourist numbers are variable across the African continent, often concentrated in certain seasons and on particular locations, such as Cape Town’s Table Mountain attractions (already beating pre-pandemic tourist numbers last year according to figures from the Western Cape Government) or the Masai Mara at river crossing time. Even within Kenya, visitor density is ten times higher at Masai Mara than some other parks and 17 times more than the Tanzanian Serengeti.
McKinsey’s report advocated tactics to smooth out visitor numbers over the year and across smaller resorts and attractions. Chris Roche, co-founder and marketing director of Wild Expeditions Africa, told Travel Weekly that high tourist density in a few key places leaves other remarkable ecosystems, like the rainforests of Gabon and the Republic of Congo, out of the equation when it comes to conservation value. Efforts to even out visitor numbers should benefit both crowded and under-appreciated destinations.
But action to balance the tourist bounty can have unintended consequences and must be carefully managed with the engagement of local stakeholders. The World Bank’s 2015 plan for the relatively under-exploited Tanzanian Serengeti was to increase its visitor numbers eight-fold in a decade, despite acknowledging the additional strain this would place on the popular Northern Circuit.
Tickets and limits on visitor time in certain areas is one solution Susan Ongalo, CEO of Kenya’s Tourism Federation, has said the country is looking at, but setting a pricing strategy to limit numbers could penalise and disadvantage domestic tourists.
While governments, non-profits, conservationists, and tourism professionals grapple with the issue, consumers increasingly expect sustainability and environmental credentials from their providers. Will there always be people who pressure their tour guide for a close-up of stressed-out big cat, or is it possible word-of-mouth and eco-consciousness will begin to moderate both visitor numbers and expectations?
