There's always been a bit of an uneasy relationship in tourist communities between the people that live there and those that are visiting.
On the one hand, many locals make their living off the tourist trade in restaurants, recreation, souvenirs and other sectors.
On the other hand, when you can't get in to your favourite coffee shop because so many people from out of town have made the lineup intolerable, or you can't find a place to park for the weekend market, or your favourite nature spot is overrun with people trying to get selfies for social media, it can be annoying, to say the least.
That's to say nothing of how infuriating it can be to not be able to find a place to live because everything is a short-term rental for visitors, instead.
The problem of overtourism has spread worldwide, with some residents of Barcelona, Spain, recently making headlines for spraying tourists with water guns as they sat at caf茅s. Other cities like Venice, Italy, have instituted a fee for entry, and some have even limited how many people can enter on a given day.
On Vancouver Island in general we're pretty lucky that most of major tourists attractions are outdoors, with plenty of space to spread out. Think the Kinsol Trestle, or Parksville Beach.
But there are still places where we get a taste of what Instagram favourite locales the word over are struggling with.
Ever tried parking at Cathedral Grove or Coombs in the summer? Yeah, that's not a fun experience. It's a wonder that more tempers haven't exploded over the frustration of trying to fight off the crowds during peak and even shoulder seasons.
Chemainus, with its world famous murals, used to be the epicentre of this kind of thing in summers past, but a decline from its heyday as the place to go for seemingly every tourist that set foot in the province now means it's usually pleasant to enjoy the still stunning artwork and eclectic shops.
Various events draw large crowds, of course, but that's a different beast that is a momentary annoyance at most for residents, and can be planned for.
So though Vancouver Island is a popular tourist destination we're nowhere near having to consider the kinds of measures various European cities have had to employ. We should be paying attention, though. All it takes are a few totally unpredictable viral social media posts to change the status quo.
