A proposal for an overtourism index

The rise of mass tourism has led to overtourism, where visitor numbers surpass a destination's sustainable capacity, causing environmental degradation, resource overuse, and social tensions. This study introduces a novel tourism intensity index tailored for small littoral towns, using the Cinque Terre (Italy) as a case study. Employing the Peña Distance method (DP2), the research quantifies tourism pressure and provides a framework for assessing overtourism risks. The resulting index aids in identifying policy interventions and strategies to mitigate overtourism, fostering long-term sustainability for vulnerable destinations. This approach offers a quantitative tool to address the critical challenges posed by overtourism, with implications for sustainable tourism management in similar contexts globally. • Proposed an index to measure overtourism in small municipalities • Results provide actionable insights for sustainable tourism management policies • The study validates Peña Distance method for multidimensional tourism analysis • Results emphasize the need for data-driven flow management strategies • Identified overtourism risks through key indicators: density, intensity, and waste