Abstract
Against the backdrop of recent debates on overtourism, this article explores the idea of limits to growth in tourism. It does so by, firstly, critically examining the intricate relationship between tourism development and economic growth from a political economic perspective. It then proceeds to assess the suitability of the sustainable tourism paradigm to address sustainability issues in light of existing biophysical limits. Lastly, degrowth is outlined as an alternative framework rejecting the capitalist growth imperative and offering an alternative vision of tourism development within social and ecological limits.