Cotswold Village Faces Over-Tourism Crisis from TikTok Tourists

Bourton-on-the-Water, a picturesque Cotswold village known as the 'Venice of the Cotswolds,' is facing significant challenges due to overtourism exacerbated by social media-driven visitors, often labeled as 'TikTok tourists.' Local District Councillor Jon Wareing highlights that many visitors come solely to create content for platforms like TikTok and Instagram, showing little genuine interest in the village's heritage or environment, leading to destructive behaviors such as rubbish accumulation, unauthorised parking, and even verbal and physical abuse towards residents. The surge in visitors, estimated at around 300,000 annually, overwhelms the small population of fewer than 3,500 residents and strains local infrastructure, with issues like traffic congestion and unsafe coach drop-off practices. Despite Wareing's motion to formally recognize tourism as a problem being narrowly rejected, he warns that the combination of over-tourism and 'fast tourism'—where visitors rapidly consume scenic spots for online content—threatens community cohesion and the village's character. This phenomenon is not unique to Bourton-on-the-Water, as other Cotswold villages report similar impacts from increased tourist numbers and social media exploitation. The situation underscores the growing conflict between preserving cultural heritage and managing modern tourism fueled by social media trends.