Why This Issue
One of my travel destinations is Hawaii. I have always admired the country’s natural beauty with gorgeous landscapes, the marine life, and unique culture. When I was looking into specific places I would like to visit, I started to see the term overtourism. Then, in the media I consumed, I noticed the same term popping up in videos. On Tik Tok I saw many creators were talking about how locals in Hawaii were frustrated with the massive crowds of visitors and how tourism was harming their natural resources like freshwater, beaches, and sacred lands. This made me want to dig deeper, so I went on a Google deep dive and learned that overtourism occurs when a place receives so many tourists that it begins to negatively impact the environment, infrastructure, and the quality of life for residents. Overtourism isn’t only about the number of tourists but the consequences of too much tourism. Higher housing costs, traffic, environmental damage, and the loss of cultural authenticity are all consequences of a place experiencing high tourist numbers. During my research I came across the protests in Spain where residents were expressing their outrage against against the high rate of tourists they have begun to see and how much it was affecting their daily life. After researching Hawaii then Spain I found that Venice, Bali, Peru, and so many other countries around the globe were suffering with the same issue. I have always dreamed of visiting gorgeous destinations like Hawaii but I now realize that my presence can do more harm than good and contribute to the very problems that the locals were struggling against. This has caused me to wonder whether there is a way to visit my dream destinations without hurting those who live there.
The Source That Helped me the Most
After using my research organizer (linked here) I found that the source that helped me the most was actually the source that wasn’t one that the most informational. When I did my initial research my attention was caught by a news article titled “Protesters in Spain shoot water guns at tourists in demonstration”. The oddity of the title had me stop to read, it was so unusual it was almost humorous. This lead me to learn more about the issue to find out what drove spanish residents to take such an action. As I read on I came to find out that the residents were furious about the overwhelming number of tourists taking over their neighborhood. The article had snippets where residents were interviewed and you can tell that they were furious with the circumstances they faced. They experienced overcrowding, noise, rising rent, and felt that their own city was no longer theirs. Their frustration was so clear in their words and actions, this helped me truly understand how much over tourism is affecting areas and actually deeply impacts people’s lives. This article was more impactful than any informational article with graphs or statistics. This article was able to show the effect of this issue by displaying the emotion people were feeling, which in my opinion is more consequential.
My Experience
My experience with this source was a mix of curiosity and confusion. At first, the title about water guns confused me because it didn’t seem to fit with the seriousness of the topic I was researching. It had me sitting there wondering why something as playful as water guns was being connected to an issue like overtourism. But that confusion pulled me in and made me curious to learn more. As I kept reading, my curiosity grew because I wanted to understand the emotions behind such a strange method of protesting.
The article was able to shift my perspective. What had at first seemed odd and almost humorous became a powerful expression of frustration. It made me realize that when people feel ignored, they will often resort to creative attention-grabbing methods to make their voices heard. Reading about the experiences of these residents also helped me reflect on my own travel dreams. It made me think about how my presence as a tourist would feel to the locals and how my travel could negatively affect the places I admire.
Technologies
The technology, vigilance trigger, is what I believe to have enhanced my experience with the article. Vigilance trigger, as described by our class glossary of technologies is when an element is added that does not fit the prior context without further explanation. The title including the water guns seemed abstract and to not fit in with what I was researching. It drew me in and initially triggered confusion within me but led me to be curious and learn more about the topic.
Works Cited
CBS Interactive. (2025, June 16). Protesters in Spain shoot water guns at tourists in demonstration against Mass Tourism, housing costs. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/spain-protest-water-guns-tourism-housing-costs/
Featured Image
Protesters in Spain using water guns at tourists during a demonstration against mass tourism and rising housing costs. From “Protesters in Spain shoot water guns at tourists in demonstration against mass tourism, housing costs,” by CBS/AP, June 16, 2025. CBS News.
Image credit: Davide Bonaldo / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images. Used under fair use for educational purposes.
