A Literature-Based Exploratory Analysis of Overtourism Risks in South Africa

The COVID-19 pandemic brought global tourism to a near standstill, rapidly shifting many destinations from overtourism to a temporary state of non-tourism due to lockdowns and border closures. As travel resumed between 2021 and 2022, ‘revenge tourism’ emerged, characterised by a surge in travel as people sought to compensate for lost experiences. This resurgence has reignited overtourism, a phenomenon marked by excessive tourist numbers and negative impacts on host communities, including environmental degradation, infrastructure strain and socio-cultural disruption. While overtourism has been extensively studied in the global North, its manifestations in the global South, particularly in South Africa, remain underexplored. This study addresses the existing gap by exploring the potential of digital technologies, namely, artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR) and social media platforms, as instruments for managing visitor flows and alleviating overtourism in selected hotspots throughout South Africa. Using a qualitative, literature-based design, this study evaluates the contextual relevance and multi-dimensional scalability of these technologies. The findings aim to advance discussions on overtourism and propose innovative, technology-driven strategies, as well as research opportunities tailored to the unique challenges of the global South.