In Spain, protests against the influx of tourists have become increasingly common, though the country is not even close to leading in tourist density. Croatia and Montenegro top the charts in terms of tourists per capita, with Dubrovnik being the city with the highest number of visitors per resident.
When discussing “overtourism,” many think of destinations like Mallorca, Venice, or Barcelona. In Spain, citizens in major tourist centers have been protesting for months, sometimes employing harsh methods, claiming that tourists are encroaching on their living space.
Dubrovnik tops the list
Barcelona does not even rank among the top 18 European cities in terms of tourists per capita according to the portal “Holidu.” Dubrovnik leads the list with 27 visitors per resident, followed by the Greek island of Rhodes with 26, and Venice with 21. Paris, with seven visitors per resident, is ranked 12th, while Barcelona, where protestors use water guns against tourists, is ranked 20th.
Berlin, which has long experienced complaints about tourists overwhelming the city due to its party scene, is 33rd with only two visitors per resident.
When considering overnight stays relative to the population, Aegean Sea tourist centers, particularly Santorini, are at the top.
Croatia and Montenegro lead
In 2023, Croatia recorded 16.9 million tourists according to the United Nations Tourism office, a fraction of France’s 100 million, Spain’s 85.2 million, the U.S.’s 66.5 million, and Italy’s 57.2 million.
However, in terms of tourist density, Croatia leads with 4.3 visitors per resident, closely followed by Montenegro. Austria and Greece follow with 3.4 and 3.1 tourists per resident, respectively. High tourist densities are common in places with small populations, such as Croatia with about 3.8 million residents and Montenegro with just 600,000 people. City-states like Monaco, Andorra or Vatican City also exhibit high densities.
In contrast, Spain, with around 48 million residents, sees 1.8 tourists per resident, Italy has a 1:1 ratio, and Germany, with over 82 million residents, has fewer than half a tourist per resident.
