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Revealed: the UK destinations that are the most overcrowded with tourists

A new study has revealed the most overtouristed destinations in the country right now

Charmaine Wong
Written by
Charmaine Wong
Contributor, Time Out Travel
Bournemouth beach, busy with visitors and tourists
Photograph: Matt Gibson / Shutterstock.com
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Overtourism has been the talk of the town in recent years, from individual attractions that are ram-packed with tourists to cities where locals are being pushed out by holiday rentals. And that’s the case in the UK, too, with tourists not just flocking to cities like London and Edinburgh but also to the country’s national parks and seaside towns

But which UK destinations are the most overcrowded with tourists right now? To find out, website HeyDiscount dug into popular tourist spots around the country and revealed the areas most impacted by tourist pressures. The study was based on stuff like the number of holiday rental properties, the increase in house prices and the estimated time it takes to buy a house.

And the most overcrowded city in the UK is… Bath. The ancient English city known for its Roman baths took the top spot with the highest holiday demand searches. So if you want to beat the crowds, it might be best to give Bath a miss for the time being. 

Second place went to the Lake District, which reported overcrowded roads and soaring house prices, whilst third was Newquay in Cornwall, thanks to huge differences between local wages and average house prices. 

Here are the most overcrowded locations in the UK, according to HeyDiscount.

  1. Bath
  2. Lake District
  3. Newquay
  4. London
  5. York
  6. Cambridge
  7. Bournemouth
  8. Whitby
  9. Brighton
  10. Oxford
  11. Edinburgh

Keen to find out more? You can read HeyDiscount’s full study here

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