Hawaii Joins New York, California, Florida, Arizona, Maine, Louisiana, Wyoming, Montana, And Other Us Icons Fighting The Surge Of Overtourism, Crushing Crowds, And Environmental Crisis

Monday, July 21, 2025

While wide tourism to nan United States is up, locations specified arsenic Hawaii, New York, California, Florida, Arizona, Maine, Louisiana, Wyoming, Montana and a big of different iconic spots are dealing pinch hordes of caller visitors to manage. Once calm, earthy beauty- and culture-filled locales, they are now dealing pinch what is fundamentally a threat of unsmooth overtourism: overcrowding. Millions of visitors who sojourn these places each twelvemonth are overloading section infrastructure and nan environment. The results are plain to see: parks are being destroyed, ecosystems are suffering, and residents’ value of life has dropped arsenic their neighborhoods are overwhelmed. With these US treasures fighting nan effects of unchecked tourism, nan request for sustainable solutions has ne'er been greater.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee & North Carolina

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park attracts millions annually, pinch 13.3 cardinal visitors successful 2023 alone, making it nan astir visited nationalist parkland successful nan US. Unfortunately, this fame has led to a scope of biology issues, from erosion to harm to delicate works life. The adjacent towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, celebrated for Dollywood, person besides been heavy impacted by nan surge successful tourism, resulting successful agelong waits and changeless postulation congestion.

Hawaii

In 2023, Hawaii welcomed 9.7 cardinal visitors, a number that has put immense unit connected nan islands’ situation and infrastructure. The tourism roar has contributed to rising lodging costs, taste tension, and nan depletion of earthy resources for illustration water. Local leaders person expressed vexation pinch nan overwhelming effect of tourism connected nan state’s situation and residents’ value of life.

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

A earthy wonder, nan Grand Canyon drew 4.7 cardinal visitors successful 2023. Unfortunately, overcrowding during highest seasons has go a persistent problem, peculiarly astatine nan South Rim. The dense postulation is contributing to nan erosion of nan canyon, prompting nan parkland to instrumentality a \$100 cardinal scheme to negociate nan biology impact. Limitations connected camping and different measures person been introduced to thief mitigate these issues.

New York City, New York

New York City, pinch 62.2 cardinal visitors successful 2023, continues to beryllium a world hotspot for travelers. However, nan expanding number of visitors has driven up lodging costs, pinch locals struggling to spend rent. The proliferation of short-term picnic rentals has exacerbated this issue, and nan metropolis has responded by implementing stricter regulations to forestall further displacement of residents and curb nan effects of overtourism connected section communities.

Niagara Falls, New York

Niagara Falls, 1 of nan astir iconic earthy landmarks successful nan US, draws astir 14 cardinal visitors annually. While nan American broadside retains its earthy appeal, some sides of nan Falls are plagued by overcrowding, peculiarly during highest tourer seasons. The biology impact, on pinch strained infrastructure, is becoming progressively evident arsenic much group flock to spot this breathtaking spectacle.

Miami, Florida

Miami saw 27.2 cardinal visitors successful 2023, and it remains a apical destination for visitors from astir nan world. However, nan influx of visitors, peculiarly during Spring Break, has created chaos successful nan city. Local authorities person been forced to enforce curfews and intoxicant restrictions to curb disruptive behavior. The crowded beaches, mixed pinch a emergence successful crime, person made Miami a challenging spot to unrecorded for its residents.

Aspen, Colorado

Aspen, known for its luxurious charm, is emotion nan pressures of accrued tourism. The influx of able visitors has driven up spot prices, resulting successful gentrification that has displaced galore long-time residents. The area’s wilderness is besides nether threat from nan increasing number of tourists, pinch accrued onshore usage putting accent connected nan section ecosystem.

Jackson, Wyoming

Jackson, Wyoming, a haven for outdoor enthusiasts, is grappling pinch akin issues. The municipality is experiencing an influx of visitors that is driving up lodging costs and straining section infrastructure. In a 2022 survey, 80% of residents stated a penchant for managing existing tourism alternatively than attracting much visitors, highlighting concerns complete nan town’s semipermanent sustainability.

Sedona, Arizona

Sedona, celebrated for its reddish stone formations and belief ambiance, attracts complete 3 cardinal visitors annually. While nan tourism manufacture supports nan section economy, nan municipality is struggling pinch overcrowding, postulation congestion, and harm to its environment. The municipality is now advocating for state-level regularisation connected short-term rentals to sphere its characteristic and limit nan antagonistic impacts of overtourism.

Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston, known for its historical architecture and charm, welcomed 7.8 cardinal visitors successful 2023. While tourism has boosted nan economy, it has besides led to rising lodging costs and overcrowded streets. Local businesses catering to visitors person displaced longstanding shops, and residents are uncovering it harder to navigate nan metropolis during highest tourer seasons.

New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans, pinch 43 cardinal visitors successful 2023, has go a awesome destination for travelers, peculiarly successful nan French Quarter. However, nan sheer measurement of visitors has led to important overcrowding, sound pollution, and nan displacement of section businesses. While tourism is captious to nan city’s economy, its antagonistic effect connected nan section organization is becoming progressively difficult to ignore.

Zion National Park, Utah

Zion National Park has go a unfortunate of its popularity, pinch nan park’s constrictive trails and constricted parking causing predominant bottlenecks. The Angels Landing hike, 1 of nan park’s astir celebrated attractions, has go truthful overcrowded that nan parkland implemented a licence strategy to negociate nan travel of visitors. Despite these measures, littering and vandalism stay ongoing concerns.

Bar Harbor, Maine

Bar Harbor, located adjacent Acadia National Park, has seen a important summation successful cruise vessel visitors, straining its infrastructure. While nan surge successful tourism has boosted nan section economy, residents are concerned astir overcrowding and nan nonaccomplishment of nan town’s small-town charm. To protect its character, Bar Harbor has introduced limits connected nan number of cruise vessel visitors allowed daily.

Savannah, Georgia

Savannah, pinch its cobblestone streets and antebellum architecture, drew 10 cardinal overnight visitors successful 2023. The increasing number of visitors has resulted successful sound contamination and overcrowded streets, particularly successful nan historical district. In response, nan metropolis has enacted measures to limit nan sound created by trolley tours and support nan serene ambiance that makes Savannah unique.

Lake Tahoe, California

Lake Tahoe, a premier destination for outdoor recreation, faces overcrowding and biology degradation owed to accrued tourism. The emergence successful visitant numbers has caused pollution, postulation congestion, and harm to nan lake’s ecosystem. Local authorities are trying to mitigate nan harm by implementing conservation measures and banning single-use plastics to protect nan area’s earthy beauty.

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho

Yellowstone National Park, pinch 4.7 cardinal visitors successful 2023, is experiencing terrible overcrowding, peculiarly during highest seasons. The parkland is besides grappling pinch visitant misconduct, including littering and vulnerable interactions pinch wildlife. In response, Yellowstone has implemented nan Visitor Access Management Plan to amended negociate nan travel of visitors and trim biology damage.

Mount Rushmore, South Dakota

Despite being a awesome of American history, Mount Rushmore’s fame has led to overcrowding and complaints astir agelong waits and disruptive behavior. In an effort to sphere nan monument’s solemnity, a prohibition connected circuit flights wrong half a mile of nan tract has been enacted, aiming to trim disturbances and reconstruct immoderate tranquility to this iconic landmark.

Big Sur, California

Big Sur, a stunning agelong of coastline, is grappling pinch nan effects of overtourism. The region’s system relies heavy connected tourism, but nan surge successful visitors has led to overcrowding, postulation congestion, and biology damage. Local authorities are moving to find a equilibrium betwixt maintaining nan economical benefits of tourism and protecting nan region’s vulnerable ecosystem.

Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville’s burgeoning tourism industry, driven by nan city’s state euphony scene, has led to rising crime rates, sound pollution, and accrued surviving costs. The metropolis has responded by implementing regulations connected short-term rentals, but nan ever-growing number of visitors continues to strain section resources and infrastructure.

Mackinac Island, Michigan

Mackinac Island, a car-free haven, draws complete a cardinal visitors each year, starring to overcrowding during highest seasons. The town, pinch a organization of conscionable 500, faces challenges pinch littering and accrued traffic, and businesses struggle pinch staffing shortages. Despite these issues, nan island’s charm continues to tie visitors, but maintaining its serene ambiance is becoming progressively difficult.

Florida Keys, Florida

The Florida Keys welcomed 4.5 cardinal visitors successful 2023, and while tourism supports nan section economy, it has created a scope of problems, including postulation congestion, pollution, and a deficiency of affordable housing. Overdevelopment has raised concerns astir nan semipermanent sustainability of nan region, particularly successful nan look of hurricane removal challenges.

Hawaii, New York, California, Florida, Arizona, Maine, Louisiana, Wyoming, Montana, and different US icons are struggling to negociate nan overwhelming surge of overtourism, pinch crushing crowds and biology harm threatening their sustainability. As visitant numbers rise, these destinations are facing important challenges to protect their infrastructure and ecosystems.

Finally, tourism continues to beryllium a captious economical motor for galore US destinations, but overtourism is putting these iconic places astatine a breaking point. Struggling pinch congested streets, constricted resources and enviro-urban degradation, these destinations request to onslaught a equilibrium betwixt inviting visitors and spoiling that which makes them unique. Sustainable tourism strategies and champion practices are cardinal to preserving these celebrated sites move and beardown for nan generations to come.