French Island of Brehat Limits Visitor Numbers Due to Overcrowding

The island, which is home to just 377 permanent residents, is part of the EU conservation network Natura 2000 that aims to promote biodiversity by protecting habitats of the most vulnerable species.

The island is facing concerns over waste management and environmental protection due to the high number of visitors.

The number of day visitors would be limited to a maximum of 4,700 between July 14 and August 25.

The France Tourism Alliance has recommended promoting less popular sites, adopting techniques such as daily quotas, scheduled ticketing, and higher tariffs to disperse the crowds.

Demarketing campaigns, which advertise images of overcrowded sites to make them seem less appealing, have been successfully adopted by other areas to reduce the influx of tourists.

A reservation system has been implemented at a national park on Porquerolles island in France to limit daily visitors to 400 people.

The system cost 100,000 euros to implement and has been in place for three summers to protect the landscape.