The Role of Social Media in Japan’s Overtourism Crisis
Bononi, Elena (2025)
2025
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025052918047
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2025052918047
Tiivistelmä
The phenomenon of overtourism is now famously spreading around the world, affecting countries such as Italy, Spain, and Indonesia. This research-based thesis aims to understand the role that social media can play in influencing travellers’ choices and behaviours, especially regarding the overtourism crisis that Japan has been facing since reopening its borders post pandemic.
Social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok have seen a surge of content regarding certain specific locations and experiences within Japan, causing disruptions to local communities, rise in the cost of living, streets littering, and much more. The theoretical framework of the thesis presents an overview of Japan’s tourism situation and the role of social media in creating FOMO effects on younger generations. The following chapters define the term overtourism and consider two case studies regarding the city of Kyoto and Mt. Fuji, which are currently under the spotlight for overcrowding issues. Lastly, a chapter concerning sustainable tourism guidelines is presented, including future practices and strategies implemented by the Japanese government to promotes lesser-known areas and redistribute tourists more evenly.
The research conducted for the thesis includes a quantitative method, presented using a Webropol survey administered to 136 participants who visited Japan after the covid-19 pandemic. The results obtained by the survey highlight a correlation between social media and the choice of travellers’ itineraries. Most of the participants did in fact experience overtourism in multiple locations, especially in popular cities such as Kyoto, with raising apprehension from the local communities. Despite the large crowds, most of the respondents did not think their experience was ruined by overtourism and would be excited to visit Japan again in the future, exploring different locations and more rural areas.
The outcome of this research provided valuable insight into both the travellers’ behaviours and the way the tourism industry is constantly changing, offering relevant information to future visitors and Japanese stakeholders.
The work on this thesis was initiated in late January 2025, with a deadline set for mid-May 2025.
Social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok have seen a surge of content regarding certain specific locations and experiences within Japan, causing disruptions to local communities, rise in the cost of living, streets littering, and much more. The theoretical framework of the thesis presents an overview of Japan’s tourism situation and the role of social media in creating FOMO effects on younger generations. The following chapters define the term overtourism and consider two case studies regarding the city of Kyoto and Mt. Fuji, which are currently under the spotlight for overcrowding issues. Lastly, a chapter concerning sustainable tourism guidelines is presented, including future practices and strategies implemented by the Japanese government to promotes lesser-known areas and redistribute tourists more evenly.
The research conducted for the thesis includes a quantitative method, presented using a Webropol survey administered to 136 participants who visited Japan after the covid-19 pandemic. The results obtained by the survey highlight a correlation between social media and the choice of travellers’ itineraries. Most of the participants did in fact experience overtourism in multiple locations, especially in popular cities such as Kyoto, with raising apprehension from the local communities. Despite the large crowds, most of the respondents did not think their experience was ruined by overtourism and would be excited to visit Japan again in the future, exploring different locations and more rural areas.
The outcome of this research provided valuable insight into both the travellers’ behaviours and the way the tourism industry is constantly changing, offering relevant information to future visitors and Japanese stakeholders.
The work on this thesis was initiated in late January 2025, with a deadline set for mid-May 2025.