International tourist arrivals reached 1.52 billion in 2025, up 4% year over year, and in 2026 destinations from Thailand to the Netherlands are drawing hard limits on where and how travelers can go. Barcelona plans to phase out more than 10,000 short-term letting licenses by 2028, Bhutan charges visitors up to $200 a day just to enter, and Amsterdam has stopped marketing itself as a destination altogether. Here is how eight places are rewriting the rules for travelers this year.

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- Maya Bay (Thailand) and Boracay (Philippines) use timed closures and visitor caps to let their ecosystems recover.
- Japan tripled its departure tax, Bali charges a $15 entry fee, and Bhutan’s sustainable development fee runs up to $200 a day.
- Barcelona is phasing out more than 10,000 short-term letting licenses by 2028, and Amsterdam caps overnight stays at 20 million a year.
- Palau requires every visitor to sign an ecological pledge stamped directly into their passport.

Closing the Gates: Maya Bay and Boracay’s Timed Recoveries

Thailand’s Maya Bay, made famous by the film The Beach, now closes for two months every year after a near four-year shutdown starting in 2018 let its coral and marine life recover. Visitors today face a one-hour limit, a daily cap, a swimming ban, and fines for stepping out of line. The Philippines took a similar approach with Boracay, closing the island for six months in 2018 for an environmental overhaul; locals reported the beaches looked restored to their former glory once the crowds briefly disappeared during pandemic lockdowns.

Paying to Visit: Tourist Taxes in Japan, Bali and Bhutan

Several governments are betting that a price tag changes behavior. Japan tripled its international departure tax to fund infrastructure upkeep and the restoration of historic sites. Bali introduced a 150,000-rupiah, about $15, entry levy in 2024 earmarked for ecological and cultural preservation. Bhutan has gone furthest: after scrapping its old minimum daily spend, the country raised its sustainable development fee to $200 a day before trimming it to $100 a day in September 2023 for four years as visitor numbers slid.

Barcelona’s Short-Term Letting Moratorium

Barcelona is taking aim at its housing market rather than its landmarks. The city plans to eliminate more than 10,000 approved short-term letting licenses by November 2028, a moratorium designed to free up housing stock and ease costs for residents squeezed by the tourism boom.

Amsterdam’s Cap on Growth

Amsterdam has gone further than taxes or bans: it stopped traditional tourism marketing altogether. Under its “Tourism in Balance” framework, 18 million overnight stays in a year trigger mandatory prevention measures, with a hard cap of 20 million. City officials describe the goal as positioning Amsterdam as a hub for culture and creativity instead of an anything-goes tourist stop.

Palau’s Passport Pledge

Every visitor to Palau signs an ecological pledge stamped into their passport on arrival, promising to tread lightly, act kindly, and explore mindfully, and to leave nothing behind but footprints that wash away. It’s a small gesture, but a clear signal that tourism here comes with responsibility attached.

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