Overtourism and Employment Outcomes for the Tourism Worker: Impacts to Labour Markets

This paper aims to undertake an ideal-typical analysis of the implications of overtourism on employment at the level of the destination

From overtourism to undertourism... and back? The struggle to manage tourism regrowth in post-pandemic Amsterdam

Amsterdam is one of many cities that has struggled with problems of overtourism in recent years. These problems include nuisance, crowdedness, rising housing prices and economic dependence on tourism. City administrators were aware of these issues and took a variety of measures before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, such as placing restrictions on tourism rental (Airbnb) and setting up campaigns to tackle problem behaviour of tourists. Yet when COVID-19 halted the stream of tourists visiting Amsterdam, this created a unique opportunity to make more drastic changes, which the administration has addressed by proposing a new series of measures to proactively help contain tourism regrowth in the post-pandemic period. In this article we critically analyze these strategies to ascertain the extent to which they appear able to address the various issues of pre-pandemic overtourism to which they are aimed. Our analysis demonstrate that while trajectories already started before the pandemic are now being augmented and given more priority and some new strategies to further curb tourism growth are also being implemented, overall Amsterdam remains dominated by a growth-oriented approach to tourism planning

Is small beautiful? Understanding the contribution of small businesses in township tourism to economic development

The increased importance attached by policy-makers to the anticipated developmental effects of tourism in developing countries has been insufficiently examined by academic researchers, particularly in the context of the contribution of small firms in urban areas. This deficiency is addressed by providing a review of existing research followed by an analysis of interviews with 90 tourism business located within and outside the townships of Langa and Imizamo Yethu, Cape Town, South Africa. The findings reveal tensions between the different actors involved in township tourism. While the involvement of small, locally owned, businesses is beneficial, it is limited by conflicts of interest, lack of trust, limited social networks and little attachment to the township locality. The discussion highlights the complexity of tourism's role in economic development, which has significant implications for local policy-makers

“You know that's a rip-off”: policies and practices surrounding micro-enterprises and poverty alleviation in South African township tourism

Supporting the development of small tourism businesses has been seen by policy-makers as a valuable means of alleviating poverty in South African townships. This perspective has been endorsed by several ‘responsible’ tourism businesses and academics. Following a review of the literature, this paper reports the findings of an empirical study that examined the practices of micro-business owners and the factors that shape their behaviour in two South African townships. In spite of significant visitor numbers, it finds that their narrow social networks and the imbalances of power between them and intermediaries such as travel agencies and tour operators prevent them from developing their businesses and sharing in the material gains that become available because of tourism. This analysis has important implications for local policy-makers and those advocating responsible tourism. For the former, it suggests a cessation of current initiatives in favour of greater regulation and alternative forms of investment. For the latter, it implies the need to reassess the utility of advocating responsible tourism to consumers in a context where they do not understand the dynamics which fashion what is on offer or the full implications of their choices

Denying bogus skepticism in climate change and tourism research

This final response to the two climate change denial papers by Shani and Arad further highlights the inaccuracies, misinformation and errors in their commentaries. The obfuscation of scientific research and the consensus on anthropogenic climate change may have significant long-term negative consequences for better understanding the implications of climate change and climate policy for tourism and create confusion and delay in developing and implementing tourism sector responses

Developing Low-tech Urban Tourism together. In Welcome City Lab (Ed.): The Major Trends in Tourism, now and in the future; Trend Book 35

Welcome City Lab is an innovation platform dedicated to urban tourism that includes the world’s first incubator specifically for this sector. It was created in July 2013 by Paris&Co, with the support of the City of Paris, BPI France, Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the French General Directorate of Enterprise (DGE). Its other founding members are Atout France, the Caisse des Dépôts, the Conseil Départemental des Hauts-de-Seine, Galeries Lafayette, Groupe ADP, the Métropole du Grand Paris, Paris Inn Group, RATP Group, Sodexo and Viparis. The innovation platform offers start-ups and players in the tourist sector a full range of services: an incubator, a place for networking, discussions and co-working, a test platform and a monitoring unit

Reframing Urban Tourism

In a matter of weeks last year, discussions regarding tourism in cities changed from how to deal with overtourism to how to deal with ‘no tourism’. Shortly thereafter, a great number of posts on LinkedIn, websites, and blogs highlighted how the tourism crisis that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic could help reinvent tourism, into something more equal, inclusive, and sustainable. And so, online – at leastin mypersonalonlinebubble – there seemedtobe a real momentum for proper, transformative changes in (urban) tourism. How can we rebuild urban tourism in a sustainable and resilient way

The politics of overtourism in troubled times

Politics of overtourism Technocracy vs Political will A 6th D’s or a paradigm shift? Deseasonalization, Decentralization, Diversification, Deluxe Tourism, Decongestion, Degrowth. A paradigm shift for a new set of indicators for meassuring successful tourism practices. Setting research agenda and new disputes on tourism externalities in times of crises

The paradox of tourism extremes. Excesses and restraints in times of COVID-19: Current Issues in Tourism

This paper seeks to highlight underlying issues of the tourism system that have led to tourism extremes of too much or too little tourism. Five phases are recognized that reflect different ways of dealing with too much tourism over time, after which the impact of a sudden lack of tourism is investigated in light of future renewal processes. This discussion highlights the remarkable capacity of the tourism industry to adjust to rapidly changing circumstances and crises, even when these cause anguish to individuals and within societies at large. The paper thus seeks to contextualize the current discussions regarding the transformation of tourism post COVID-19. It highlights the complexity of changing a tourism that multiple stakeholders depend on or have grown accustomed to. To come to a more balanced tourism, it is necessary to not only come up with alternative visions and strategies, but also to engage with the political economy nature of tourism development. A future research agenda should therefore also discuss facets of entangled power, social exclusion, inequalities and class differences to come to new reference points of what actually constitutes a more inclusive tourism success

Stad voor iedereen met Smart City Hospitality

Toerisme is de afgelopen jaren zeer snel gegroeid en deze toename lijkt alleen maar sterker te worden. Hoewel deze ontwikkeling kan bijdragen aan economische groei, brengt ze ook nadelen met zich mee, vaak als overtoerisme aangeduid. Het project Smart City Hospitality heeft de stedelijke toerismeproblematiek geanalyseerd en een serious game ontwikkeld om belanghebbenden samen te laten refl ecteren. Gezamenlijke beleidsontwikkeling is nodig, maar is een proces van lange adem aangezien mensen snel terug lijken te vallen in oude patronen