Residents of Bourton-on-the-Water, a picturesque village in Gloucestershire known as the 'Venice of the Cotswolds', have reached breaking point due to an overwhelming influx of tourists. The village, with fewer than 100 residents, has become a hotspot for visitors drawn to its honey-coloured architecture, stone bridges, and five waterways.
Council leaders from Gloucestershire Council, Cotswold District Council, and the parish council held a meeting in a nearby church to hear residents' concerns. Locals reported being unable to move through the village, with one lifelong resident stating, 'We have gradually got just overtourism, you can’t move in the village, you can’t go into the village. I don’t walk in the village between March and October.' She added that she could not take her grandchildren to the village green due to overcrowding.
Another resident, who has lived in the village for 30 years, complained about coaches dropping off tourists indiscriminately. 'They cause problems, they block roads, they turn around in the wrong places. They are a real menace,' he said.
Ben Lunnon-Wood of the Bourton Residents’ Group suggested that even tourists are dissatisfied. 'I ask them if they are having a good day, and they say no,' he said. Other residents echoed this, noting that visitors are often disillusioned, expecting a quintessential English village experience but finding overcrowding instead.
