In recent years, many influencers have threaded travel content into their regular routine. As they seek to commodify their adventures, however, many have disrespected cultural norms, disrupted local communities, and contributed to the growing problem of overtourism. Today, social media overtourism has become a significant issue, affecting popular destinations worldwide.
In December 2017, YouTuber Logan Paul uploaded a now-deleted video of what appeared to be a suicide victim in Japan. After the incident, Paul received massive backlash across the internet. This prompted him to post multiple apologies on both his Twitter and YouTube accounts.
The travel vlog featured Paul filming himself in Japan’s Aokigahara Forest. He and his friends recorded their shocked reactions to seeing the deceased victim and cracked jokes amongst each other.
Many online were quick to point out the disrespectful behavior that Paul and his friends displayed throughout their visit. Under one reddit thread, commenters expressed their disapproval of Paul’s actions, describing his conduct as “douchey” and “hard to watch”.
In the aftermath of the Logan Paul incident, cases of disrespect towards local culture are still rising. As tourism continues to circulate the internet, influencers who prioritize viral content risk promoting and normalizing cultural ignorance, just like Paul did eight years ago.
Content creators strive for viral clips.
Social media has created an ecosystem that rewards viral videos. More comments, views, clicks, and shares result in more promotion of a post. Therefore, influencers need to make content that appeals to certain features to succeed online. For travel content, this has led creators to disrespect local customs, whether intentionally or not, in order to generate a more entertaining or widely discussed video.
Recently, YouTuber Mr. Beast posted a video titled “I Explored 2000 Year Old Ancient Temples.” He traveled to Mayan pyramids in Mexico, showing himself and his team visiting restricted areas and promoting his chocolate brand, Feastables.
His post gained controversy when people pointed out that some of the areas that Mr. Beast filmed in were forbidden by Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History, or INAH. On May 15, INAH made a public statement on Twitter. They claimed that while Mr. Beast was granted a permit for visiting these historical landmarks, he was not given authorization to promote false information or images of archaeological sites to advertise his chocolate brand Feastables.
A spokesperson for Mr. Beast told The New York Times that “No advertisement material was shot on any archaeological sites overseen by INAH.” Despite this, his actions remained controversial online. One local made a statement to Firstpost addressing concerns over how the Mexican government handles tourists like Mr. Beast.
“For the authorities to let outsiders somehow access these places by any means, either because they paid, or because of sites, or so that more people come here to visit … why do they let them in and they’re not respecting our heritage?”
Frida Rea, University Student.
Popular drama YouTuber, Pyrocynical, also covered the topic in a post titled “MrBeast Drama Doesn’t End”. He claimed that Mr. Beast’s actions stem from his appeals towards entertainment: “It’s really difficult to have this kind of balancing act of trying to show something to a larger audience and also being respectful.”
The controversy surrounding Mr. Beast’s video demonstrates how there is a fine line between respectful and disrespectful travel content. Influencers who chase virality over ethical conduct can easily fall down a slippery slope when visiting other countries.
Some influencers intentionally capitalize on disrespectful behavior
The controversies involving Logan Paul and Mr. Beast are not isolated incidents. Some travel content creators purposefully display rude or obnoxious behavior as a tactic to farm more views.
In a 2024 study on hateful social media content, researchers analyzed X, formerly known as Twitter, posts. They analyzed cascades, or the spreading of online content. By the end of the study, the researchers discovered that cascades containing hateful speech grew 3.5 times larger in size and lasted 3.2 times longer than those that did not mention hate.
Social media travel influencers who weaponize hate can take advantage of this exploit for personal gain. When it comes to travel content, this can have real consequences on local communities.
One infamous content creator, Johnny Somali, is known for traveling to foreign countries and live streaming his disruptive behavior. In 2024, he traveled to Israel and harassed multiple female police officers.
Streamer Johnny Somali attacked & arrested by Israeli Police for allegedly disrespecting an Israeli female officer. 😳 ‼️
— DramaAlert (@DramaAlert) April 7, 2024
pic.twitter.com/Ej2X1nSzHT
Additionally, he visited Japan and played racist music on speakers in a public train. Now, Somali currently faces up to 31 years for sex crime charges after deepfaking a video of him kissing a South Korean streamer.
In one of his streams, Somali said, “more haters is more views, more views is more money.” His intention to act disruptively in order to go viral indicates his resolve to profit from shock value and controversy
Due to online algorithms heavily rewarding engagement, travel content creators who deliberately cause harm to local communities can reap the benefits while normalizing cultural insensitivity.
Viral content fueled by disrespectful behavior intensifies consequences of overtourism
Overtourism is a phenomenon where certain places become oversaturated with tourists. Too many visitors can cause damage ranging from gentrification of local communities to environmental consequences. Overtourism remains a large issue for popular travel destinations such as Japan, Hawaii, Spain, and more.
Online content creators, like Somali, who purposefully trash, harass, or disrupt local communities, promote a negative perspective of travel. They normalize the degradation of culturally rich places and people, and reduce them to mere backdrops for online clout
Even seemingly non-intentional actions, such as the ones performed by Mr. Beast, can contribute to overtourism. Influencers who promote viral “must-see” spots can fuel a surge of visitors, thereby overcrowding delicate or unprepared areas.
In a National Geographic interview, Justin Francis, an expert on sustainable travel, describes the effects of social media and overtourism.
“Social media has concentrated tourism in hotspots and exacerbated the problem, and tourist numbers globally are increasing while destinations have a finite capacity. Until local people are properly consulted about what they want and don’t want from tourism, we’ll see more protests.”
Justin Francis, CEO of Responsible Travel.
Additionally, the UN’s World Tourism Organization reports that 22% of global transport emissions come from transport related tourism. As online creators continue to up the demand for international travel, destinations face mounting pressure to manage cultural exploitation from social media-generated overtourism, as well as the resulting environmental damage it causes.
Overtourism has led to new restrictions that may affect future travel
As a result of overtourism, many places are increasing regulations for foreign visitors. Changes to the accessibility of popular tourist destinations may impact the future of global travel.
New tourism laws in Japan are an example of how places that suffer from overtourism are tackling the problem. Traveling to Japan has become an increasingly popular topic promoted by travel influencers online. Ever since the country reopened for tourism in 2022 following the Covid-19 pandemic, Japan has seen millions of visitors every month.
The Japanese government recently announced new restrictions for foreign tourists that will take effect in late 2025 or 2026. These restrictions include a two-tiered pricing system where foreign visitors pay more than locals, changes to the tax-free shopping system for tourists, and more fees on popular activities or destinations.
Other places have introduced similar restrictions. In 2023, Bali banned tourists from renting motorbikes after a video of an influencer dangerously riding one sparked safety concerns for both visitors and residents.
Whether intentionally or not, influencers who damage, disrupt, and disrespect the countries that they visit only contribute to the growing restrictions on foreign travel. As more destinations implement measures to try and reduce overtourism, the travel industry faces a shift in how accessible and affordable popular spots will be for future visitors.
Is it possible for influencers to be held accountable?
Social media induced overtourism has created serious problems for popular destinations worldwide. The many accounts of influencers creating viral content while disregarding local customs have resulted in many places responding with stricter travel regulations.
From Logan Paul to Mr. Beast to Johnny Somali, certain travel influencers who have disregarded ethical conduct for clicks and views are making tourism more difficult for all. Without greater accountability for these creators, social media will keep promoting overtourism as a whole.
Influencers can be held accountable through government action and public backlash, but until creators start valuing cultural respect over clout, their actions will keep making tourism less accessible, less authentic, and more damaging for all parties involved.
