Overtourism is an ever-emerging concept faced by the world's main tourist destinations. The growth experienced by tourism in recent decades is of two different kinds. On the one hand, the development of new technologies and the creation of low-cost airlines have increased tourism levels, leading to growth even in emerging economies. On the other hand, uncontrolled demand along with the concentration of tourism in specific destinations negatively affect both regions and local communities. The problems caused in some destinations by the increasing, continuous development of tourism have created the issue of "overtourism". This raises the question: does the concept of "overtourism' really exist, or is it simply a question of mismanagement of tourist flows?

The development of tourism in recent decades has been accompanied by the concentration of tourist flows in specific areas, causing overcrowding and problems with carrying capacity as well as environmental sustainability. Governance issues also arose with regard to destination countries' resources, relations with airlines (mainly low-cost carriers) and technological developments, accompanied by environmental issues, in terms of increasing litter generation, water and air pollution problems and beyond.

The Circular Economy is a systemic transformation that involves the transformation of production, services and consumption, both within global value chains and across different value chains, thus closing resource cycles across the set of economic activities. It aims to minimize the ecological and environmental impact of economic activity through a process of disruptive innovation and sustainable competitive advantages.

In order to make the transition to a circular economy, it is necessary to innovate business models by designing a circular business model.

What differentiates a circular business model from a sustainable business model is that, in the circular economy approach, based on systemic thinking, nature is not understood as a space or sector separate from that of society. Both are seen as interrelated complex systems that make it difficult to distinguish one from the other. It is not about achieving zero impact (objective of the sustainable development approach), but about designing solutions with a positive impact on the system.

The growing interest in the circular economy is a key challenge for the tourism sector. A measurement framework is crucial to guide actors in the tourism sector in developing a long-term strategy for a circular transition.

Tourism causes significant environmental impacts and can cause great pressure on local resources, causing negative externalities. In addition to land use, it requires resources such as water, energy and food, producing large amounts of waste (solid waste and sewage), as well as congestion on roads, noise and air pollution, and therefore CO2 emissions.

The Circular Economy can provide great potential to the tourism industry in order to achieve sustainable growth and greater profitability mainly in the provision of services in various sectors (hotel, food and beverage, leisure sector) as well as the flow of materials related to construction, energy, food, water, etc. Tourism, on the other hand, has the potential to contribute to employment and economic growth, as well as to development in rural, peripheral or less developed areas, as infrastructure created for tourism purposes contributes to local development, while jobs created or maintained can help to cope with industrial or agricultural decline and consequently to the flow of money.

Tourism, of course, is inextricably linked to the climate of each tourist area. Climate change, however, is unfortunately now an integral part of our lives and its consequences leave a very strong imprint on the tourism industry. The future cannot be predicted, but the data available to science today urge us to be prepared for major difficulties that will not leave tourism unaffected