Never before has the term overtourism become part of everyday language, thanks to the recovery of the travel sector after the years marked by the pandemic and the debate sparked by some completely unprecedented episodes, from the introduction of the entrance ticket for those wanting to visit Venice in one day to the decision by Barcelona’s mayor to put an end to short-term rentals by 2029, with the accompanying protests of residents ‘versus’ tourists, to the saturation of Santorini and other similar cases. The debate on so-called ‘hit-and-run tourism’ is at the centre of attention and a possible strategy for reversing the course, favouring a careful and conscious dimension of travel, could be to choose destinations yet to be discovered, far from the canons validated by tour operators, social trends and the classic stereotypes of mass tourism.

From deep France to northern Greece, here are five ideas to find underrated and alternative destinations perhaps relegated to the ‘undertourism’ category. Less well-known but no less fascinating, these kinds of locations can offer the peace of nature, the beauty of art and cultural interest on par with or perhaps more than the more famous ones, for a more informed, respectful and sustainable holiday.
 

Auvers-sur-Oise, France

For art lovers - Impressionism and Post-Impressionism in particular - a destination to consider besides Giverny, Claude Monet's hometown, is Auvers-sur-Oise, a municipality of about 7,000 inhabitants, only 34 kilometres from Paris. The town, listed by Lonely Planet on the list of destinations to visit in France to avoid oceanic tourist crowds, was home to Vincent Van Gogh in the last months of his life: the painter, buried in the local cemetery, completed more than 80 works here. Other personalities who stayed there include Paul Cézanne, Charles-François Daubigny and Camille Pissarro. Sights: the church of Notre-Dame D'Auvers, immortalised by Van Gogh himself in several canvases, the castle of the same name, the absinthe museum and the homes and studios of artists who have passed through here.
 

The villages of Shirakawa-gō and Gokayama, Japan

A UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site since 1995, the villages of Shirakawa-gō and Gokayama represent an unexplored corner of Japan. By train from Tokyo, it is possible to reach the town of Kanazawa, from where you should then take a bus to the station of Gokayama, in the heart of the Hida Plateau, between the prefectures of Gifu and Toyama: the journey takes about four hours. Once at the destination - also recommended by Business Insider as a destination to visit - climbing to the top of Ogimachi Castle to fully enjoy the view over the valley, with its typical gassho-style houses with triangle-shaped roofs (reminiscent of a pair of joined hands in prayer) is recommended. Some of these residences are open to the public and offer guided tours, which tell their story: the top floor of these dwellings, usually distributed over three or four levels, was in fact used for the cultivation of silkworms.
 

Northern Greece

Greece is one of the most popular locations for summer tourism, especially the islands and towns on the coast. But it can also offer more adventurous, wild and off-the-radar itineraries for those who are keen on trekking and also seek sporting activities and exercise on holiday. Departing from Zagoria, a municipality in the Epirus region, in three days you ascend to the Vikos Gorge, which overlooks the ancient stone villages of Vitsa and Koukouli. From here you then reach Meteora, a place known for its monasteries high above the mountain. Not to be missed is a stop at Mount Olympus, some of whose peaks (there are 55) can be reached on foot. The route can start in the small town of Ioannina, about an hour's flight and four hours by train from Athens, and end in Thessaloniki. Forbes magazine included this route among the ‘adventures to go on in Europe without crowds’.
 

Trieste, Italy

A city to discover, combining past and contemporary history, natural beauty and artistic treasures. Overlooking the Gulf of the same name, in the Upper Adriatic Sea, between the Italian and Istrian peninsulas - Slovenia, with which it borders, is only a few kilometres away - Trieste has always been a bridge between southern and central Europe, and blends Mediterranean, Slavic and Central European influences, still visible today in its architecture, typical cuisine and in the atmosphere in its streets (many of them uphill). Also cited by National Geographic, it can be easily reached by plane - the reference airport is the city airport, Ronchi dei Legionari - or by train, only two hours from the lagoon city. Trieste is best known for Piazza Unità d'Italia, the main square with a view of Molo Audace, the Canal Grande, a navigable canal that runs through the city centre, the San Giusto Castle, built in the Habsburg era, and the Miramare Castle, home of the Archduke of Austria and later Emperor of Mexico.
 

Sumba, Indonesia

One of the islands of the Lesser Sunda Islands archipelago, which also includes Bali, Sumba is a magical place, combining tropical beaches, waterfalls (Lapopu's being the most admired), plains inhabited by wild horses, natural swimming pools (Waimarang's seem reminiscent of Mexican cenotes) and traditional villages (the so-called kampung, whose dwellings are built with straw and attap leaves, a type of palm tree), as told by Condé Nast Traveller. The island is the perfect destination for those who enjoy slow and conscious tourism, attentive to the nature and fauna of the places visited. From Sumba, one can easily reach the Komodo National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage natural area that is home to more than 5,700 specimens of giant lizards or Komodo dragons.

Tourism changes its face and becomes nomadic and digital. Since the pandemic, work-life balances have been completely disrupted and the emergence of smart working as a habitual and legitimate way of doing one's job has reshaped holidays: for example, the average length of stay has increased by 15%. Giacomo Trovato, Airbnb’s country manager for Italy, speaks to Infra Journal about the change taking place. A revolution that involves not only tourism but also infrastructure and the way hospitality is conceived.

Trovato, what synergies and strategies can lead to an economic recovery of the sector?

“In recent years we have had the opportunity to experiment with a new work-life balance, thanks to the possibilities offered by smart working: the idea, therefore, of developing an offer designed for digital nomads can certainly encourage a recovery of the sector. On Airbnb, more than 90% of listings are bookable on a long-term basis, and in May we launched the Live and Work Anywhere initiative, a programme of collaboration with territories, local authorities and tourism promotion companies to turn destinations into nothing less than hubs for digital nomads.”

How is the fresh start of tourism going: what trends are you seeing?

“Certainly one of the most important trends is flexibility. People are more flexible in reconciling life and work, which is why in May, at our Summer Release, we launched a new search tool on the platform, based on Categories, which organise all the accommodation according to what makes each of them unique: this tool helps people discover places they wouldn't have found otherwise and can help mitigate overtourism by redistributing trips and promoting different destinations compared to the most popular ones. With Categories, the accommodation becomes the destination.”

What do you think about remote smart working? Are there still many critical issues?

“The projects and initiatives we are focusing on are an example of how Airbnb believes in the new flexibility offered by remote working. CEO Brian Chesky announced last May that all Airbnb employees, more than 6,000, will be able to choose to continue remotely, with the possibility of returning to the office only if they want to; last January we launched the “House for 1 Euro” project in Sambuca di Sicilia, giving people the chance to move to the village for a year, and we received almost 100,000 applications from all over the world, confirming how strongly the digital nomad life is of great interest.”

Is the country ready in terms of infrastructure?

“Obviously, destinations must also adapt to this trend by developing a range of services adapted to a changing user base: this is why we have launched the Live and Work Anywhere initiative and are supporting destinations that decide to embrace this trend in a real way.”

How does the extension of the tourist visa impact you?

“Recently, an amendment was approved with the “Sostegni-ter” decree introducing the figure of the “Digital Nomad” into our legal system. The approval of the text is very good news. With the emergence of smart working and hybrid working, more and more people do not need to travel to the office on a daily basis: for the first time, millions of people can live anywhere in the world, thus bringing about the biggest change in the world of travel since the introduction of commercial flights.”

It effectively changes the tourist offer...

“Cities and towns will compete to attract remote workers and this will lead to a redistribution of the places where people travel and live. It is important for Italy to be ready to seize this opportunity, and the government has done well to intervene with foresight in this matter. I hope that the delay in the implementation decrees can be resolved soon, so as to reduce the gap with other European destinations that have made their move ahead of us. For our part, we reiterate our total availability to the Minister of Tourism, Massimo Garavaglia, to work together to make the destination Italy even more attractive to these new travellers through specific programmes.”

So what will the “new normal” of holidays be like from 2022 onwards?

“The way of travelling has changed forever. On the one hand, people are more flexible about where they live and work, on the other hand, they make longer journeys. Finally, we have seen a growth in interest in rural destinations, indicative of a more widespread type of tourism in the area. We believe that villages will continue to have a fundamental importance in the panorama of the offer. Our recent initiatives such as the House for 1 Euro project, which saw the complete renovation of an abandoned building in the historic centre of Sambuca di Sicilia and a global call to action to find a new host for the house, and the new Historic Houses Category, 90% of which are located in rural or sparsely populated areas, go precisely in the direction of enhancing the uniqueness that is all Italian.”