• These destinations were overwhelmed by tourists. Here's how they're doing now   

Excerpt from CNN

Overtourism was the travel buzzword of 2019, as destinations around the globe, from the hiking trails of Machu Picchu to the canals of Venice, battled the impact of throngs of visitors.

Amid all the planning, predicting and projecting, there's one thing these destinations couldn't envisage: the travel industry grinding to a screeching halt as Covid-19 spread across the world.

Travel bans, quarantines and nationwide lockdowns have forced most travelers to stay home, and destinations that previously struggled with too many tourists have been left reeling.But is overtourism truly over for good? CNN Travel checked in with locals and officials from some of the world's most popular tourist spots to find out what it's like on the ground in these once-bustling destinations.

Venice is perhaps the destination most commonly associated with overtourism. A visit to the Italian city has long been a popular city break, but as tourist numbers have soared over the past decade, locals have increasingly fought back -- protesting the cruise ships in the city's lagoon and vocalizing worries that Venice could become a theme-park-version of itself. Various regulations and new rules designed to handle the influx of visitors have been introduced over the years -- including bans on new hotels and city center fast food spots. A steep access fee for day-trippers on popular dates was set to launch in July 2020, but ultimately postponed. On top of its overtourism woes, last year the Italian city battled catastrophic floods.

Northern Italy became one of the first European regions to feel the brunt of Covid-19 in late February.Venice went into lockdown and so began months with no tourists.When international borders reopened in the summer, visitor numbers were nowhere near comparable to previous years.For some locals, it was the bizarre culmination of what they'd been dreaming of for years -- just in terrible circumstances.

Click here to read complete article at CNN.