Bourton-on-the-Water, often celebrated as the “Venice of the Cotswolds” for its scenic charm, attracts a large number of visitors every year, drawn by its postcard-perfect appearance. However, beneath this idyllic exterior, residents are increasingly experiencing significant challenges due to the daily influx of tourists.
The village has seen a notable surge in tourism, leading to concerns that its infrastructure is struggling to cope with the volume of coaches, minibuses, and visitor vehicles arriving each day. This issue notably begins at 8am, as visitors start to gather early in the morning.
Journalist Sophie Wilkinson recently visited Bourton-on-the-Water for The i Paper, where she spoke with residents and local business owners about the impact of overtourism on village life.
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Among those sharing their experiences was NHS worker Jenny Coaker, who revealed how traffic congestion is hampering healthcare services. “Our nurses have 10 patients to visit a day, but because of the traffic, they’re only doing four,” she explained. Jenny warned that such delays could have serious repercussions for vulnerable patients, noting, “The carers can’t get to them to dress their wounds or change their pads. People who need insulin could go into a coma, people who are incontinent are sitting in that, and people on end-of-life care are in agony waiting for painkillers.”
The campaign group Bourton Residents Voice, established last September to address overtourism issues, continues to call for action. Chair Charlotte Joynes highlighted that many visitors arrive early, equipped with picnic gear, often staying all day without supporting local businesses financially. “The problems that we’re having are the families that are coming at 8 o’clock in the morning, bringing deck chairs, picnic tables, their own food and drink, and staying for the whole day. Apart from maybe an ice cream, they’re not here to buy,” she said.
Other residents have also spoken out about the less appealing aspects of life in a popular tourist spot. Sue Roberts, who began a litter-picking group three years ago, shared photographs depicting the extent of rubbish scattered around the village, including beer cans, food packaging, wrappers, and even discarded nappies.
Former resident Darryl Jenkins described her decision to move away from the village centre after experiencing increasingly disruptive behaviour from some tourists. She recalled seeing “Chinese tourists being photographed on the bridge in their wedding dresses”, but noted that the situation deteriorated as some visitors began “pg and s*g everywhere. I used to shout at them from my window, but it made no difference.”
This renewed focus on Bourton-on-the-Water follows research from Sykes Holiday Cottages identifying the village as one of several UK locations growing in popularity with staycationers. While St Ives in Cornwall tops the list and Bamburgh in Northumberland comes second, Bourton-on-the-Water is among those destinations seeing rising interest.
The study also revealed that 38% of adults plan to take their main holiday in the UK this year, an increase from 34% previously, with more than half of Gen Z respondents indicating their intention to holiday at home.
“Our nurses have 10 patients to visit a day, but because of the traffic, they’re only doing four.”
As Bourton-on-the-Water faces the challenges of balancing its popularity with preserving quality of life for residents, calls for sustainable tourism and better infrastructure grow louder.