VIDEO. Tourism, too much?
The cliffs of Etretat, Corsican or Italian villages: in these popular destinations, all tourists seek authenticity and... the best photo opportunities. Today, 95% of tourists visit less than 5% of the world, a problematic concentration.
Inflation and climate change haven't put an end to the desire to travel. But 95% of tourists today visit less than 5% of the world, a problematic concentration mainly due to the impact of smartphones and social media. The cliffs of Etretat, the Verdon Gorges, Corsican or Italian villages: in these popular destinations, everyone is looking for authenticity and... the best photo opportunity.
How to cope? What will the cost be for popular locations? Should tourist flows be regulated? Photogenic settings are particularly popular, such as in Etretat, where, on some days, up to 10,000 people flock to the panoramic trails. The Seine-Maritime town is now considering introducing tourist quotas, an idea that is not unanimously accepted.
In Italy, the 200-meter stretch of Portofino dock near Genoa has been declared a "red zone": stopping there is prohibited, subject to a fine of 50 to 150 euros. A little further afield, the villages of the Cinque Terre are also regularly overcrowded, and the issue of overcrowding has become a thorny political issue for local authorities.
On the Lavezzi Islands, a Corsican nature reserve where attendance has already decreased by 11% in one year, thanks to the closure of hiking trails and the banning of around ten areas to the public, the question of quotas is also a matter of debate.
A report by Romain Boutilly, Baptiste Laigle, Luis Marques and Dorian Liscouët rebroadcast in " Envoyé spécial " on June 26, 2025.
- The 2023 Le Havre-Etretat Tourism activity report .
- " The village of Etretat, eaten away by overtourism, is suffocating: "There are so many people that people do whatever they want" ", Le Monde , April 10, 2023.
- " Tourism in Corsica: towards unprecedented quotas for vacationers this summer? ", Le Figaro, May 16, 2023.
- Note relating to the request from the RNBB manager to establish a quiet zone on the northern part of Lavezzi Island as well as around the islets of Ratini, Purraghja and Sperduti , RNBB Advisory Committee of March 13, 2023.
Non-exhaustive list.
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