Overtourism hits France: Tourist pass required to visit these pretty French towns.

Overtourism hits France: Tourist pass required to visit these pretty French towns.
Overtourism hits France: Tourist pass required to visit these pretty French towns

It’s a fact that world tourism was badly affected during the pandemic. But now that things are looking a little better, the world is going back to the pre-pandemic days, a time when over tourism was the most pressing and concerning issue for many countries.

Europe, especially, has been dealing with over tourism for the past many years. Currently, many picturesque towns in France are going through overcrowding. These French towns have taken a strong stand and implemented reservation systems at several popular tourist sites throughout the countryside to stop the condition from worsening.


The new provisions are taken to avoid crowds and save the popular attractions from damage. A number of areas have reported damage to local plants and animal life due to overcrowding.

Overtourism hits France: Tourist pass required to visit these pretty French towns

Marseille, the oldest city in France that was founded around 600 BC by Greek people, has introduced a tourist quota and reservation system to visit the famous Calanque de Sugiton, a very famous attraction in the city. Only 500 people will be given permission to visit the place in a day. Typically, over 3000 tourists arrive each day here.

The tourist office in the city wrote, “Since its resounding success during the summer of 2020, the Calanques have been the victim of overcrowding in July and August. This damages the flora and fauna that are nevertheless protected in the park. To fight against this phenomenon, the PNN is launching an unprecedented action for a natural space: a system of daily reservations.”

Not only this, the Metropolitan Tourist Office will also have an
Outside the Walls system, wherein 50 trained seasonal workers will be deployed at the busiest tourist spots in Marseille, such as the Calanques to manage the flow of people.

Overtourism hits France: Tourist pass required to visit these pretty French towns

Similarly, Region Sud (that includes Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur), has taken the help of modern technology to control overtourism. They have partnered with an app to manage the traffic during peak tourist season.

Another beautiful island in France, Corsica has also capped the number of tourists and adopted the method of daily quotas to protect the environment in the region. To visit Lavezzi Islands, Restonica Valley and Bavella Needles in Corsica, visitors will have to make a prior reservation.

  1. Which country is Corsica part of?
    Corsica is a territorial collectivity of France and an island in the Mediterranean Sea.
  2. Calanques is famous for what?
    The region is noted for the Calanques National Park.
  3. Where is Marseille?
    Marseille is a beautiful port city in southern France. It is also the oldest city in the country founded by Greek settlers.