Sustainable tourism implementation in urban areas: a case study of London

Sustainable tourism is a concept widely embraced by managers and planners of tourist destinations. However, it has received little attention in the context of urban tourism, an area of research that has until recently been largely neglected by academics. This paper contributes to the body of knowledge on sustainable tourism implementation in large cities, by using London as an exploratory case study. Through the collection and analysis of both primary and secondary data (online survey, semi-structured interviews and document analysis), it seeks to explore whether local authorities have implemented policies towards sustainable tourism in the capital. The findings indicate that although the concept of sustainable tourism is perceived as important by policy makers, only a few local authorities in London promote its principles in their policy documents and even fewer have initiatives to put them in practice. Most of these initiatives are isolated activities which address limited aspects of sustainable tourism. The paper concludes that despite some progress made to date, in the current economic climate, growth and development remain the main objectives of governments and local authorities, while social and environmental issues are often left behind

Sustainable tourism planning by local authorities : an investigation of the London Boroughs

Sustainable development has become the main objective of the policy agenda for many governments and a key principle that underpins the planning process in the UK. Likewise, the concept of sustainable tourism has been widely embraced by managers and planners of tourist destinations, as it provides a platform for different stakeholders in the tourism industry to interact and discuss the impacts of their activities. Yet, despite the attention this concept has received, there still seem to be many gaps in the understanding of sustainable tourism development, especially when it comes to its implementation. This process is considered particularly difficult due to the conflicting interests that exist between the main stakeholders involved in tourism. Nevertheless, it has been suggested that local authorities can bring together and facilitate the cooperation between all these stakeholders, and therefore can play an essential role in the sustainable development of tourism in a destination. However, when it comes to large cities, even though they are important tourist destinations and attract many visitors, the concept of sustainable tourism in urban environments has received little attention from researchers and policy makers. Therefore, this thesis aims to address in part the current gaps in tourism research by offering an insight into sustainable tourism planning in urban areas. Using a case study approach, it seeks to develop the current knowledge and understanding of whether local authorities in London have embraced and implemented strategies and measures to promote sustainable development of tourism. To achieve this, the research uses a comparative framework to examine how the London boroughs have integrated policies for sustainable tourism development into their main planning documents. This analysis is developed further through a discussion of the findings of an online survey conducted with representatives of the local authorities in London, and the results of semistructured interviews with representatives of public and private organisations involved in tourism development in the capital. The research found that even though most policy makers consider sustainable tourism important and recognise its benefits, only a small number of London boroughs promote its principles in their planning policy documents for tourism, and even fewer have put in place initiatives to implement strategies for sustainable tourism development. To help understand why this is the case, the study identifies drivers of success and constraints perceived by both, the survey participants and interview respondents, which influence the implementation of sustainable tourism policies at the local level. Considering these factors may help local authorities design and enact measures for sustainable tourism development in a destination

DYNAMICS OF SOME PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL INDICATORS OF SUCEAVA RIVER WATER IN 2009

For a physical-chemical evaluation of global quality of Suceava river water, water samples were collected every two months during 2009, on the following sections (sites, locations): • Brodina at 142 km distance from mouth; • Mihoveni, 45 km distance from mouth; • Tişăuţi, 34 km distance from mouth. The values obtained from physical - chemical analyzes of water were processed and compared with the limit values of quality grades, provided by the norm on surface water quality classification, in order to determine the ecological status of water bodies according to Order nr.161/2006. Along Suceava river, the water flows increase from upstream to downstream: the maximum value 4.47 m3/s at Brodina (14.07.2009) increase at Mihoveni, the maximum value being 13.22 m3/s (14.07.2009) and at Tişăuţi, the flow recorded on 14.07.2009 is 13.7 m3/s. The annual average flows have fluctuated on very wide limits, depending on pluviometrical characteristics of rainfall on each year. Usually, the highest average flow is recorded in April, followed by June (Maxim, 2012). Higher levels of flow in these months can be explained by strong contribution of rainwater supply to which is added the water from snowmelt. The smallest amounts of water are flowing in winter and autumn. This paper systematizes the results concerning the dynamics of some experimentally determined physical and chemical indicators during 2009, on Suceava river water. (PH, OD, CBO5, CCOMn, CCOCr).In order to have an accurate picture of analyzed physico-chemical parameters, the average values of these indicators were presented for comparison. Thus, the concentration of hydrogen ions (pH) has values between 8 in the lower course and 8.3 at the upper course, at Brodina. At this value, the waters are favourable for the organisms development. The medium content of dissolved oxygen decreases from February to July and then increase until December - January, the average values ranging between 10.53 mg/l and 14.25 mg/l. Biochemical oxygen demand has an average value of 1.45 mg/l in the upper course and 6.25 mg/l at the mouth. The chemical oxygen demand falls between 2.34 mg/l at Brodina and 4.67 mg/l at mouth, on Suceava. In 2009, Suceava River in the control sections Brodina, Mihoveni and Tişăuţi was framed in quality classes I and II for all analyzed indicators

Book review: “A Research Agenda for Urban Tourism” edited by Jan van der Borg, Edward Elgar Publishing, 2022

“A Research Agenda for Urban Tourism” is an edited collection that brings together a number of scholars in urban tourism, including well-known names in the field and younger researchers who look at urban tourism from different perspectives. This book is part of the Elgar Research Agendas series, aimed at exploring certain subjects and outlining the future of research in those fields, in this case urban tourism

Challenges faced by world tourism cities – London's perspective

World tourism cities perform multiple functions and exhibit various characteristics that influence tourism development within their boundaries. They are the main gateway for tourists visiting a country and their success has a direct impact on the visitor economy of that destination. London, the focus of this research, has been one of the world’s top tourism cities for many years, and a key gateway for domestic and international visitors. But despite the important role tourism plays in the economy of the city, there is limited research on the development of this activity in the capital. Using London as an exploratory case study, this paper contributes to better understanding the challenges faced by policy makers when planning and managing tourism in world cities. The adopted research method offers the advantage of gathering insightful information using multiple data collection techniques. Examining this new evidence contributes to expanding the knowledge on the particularities of tourism development in one of the top world cities, which could help policy makers in their efforts to better prepare for potential challenges faced by these complex but important destinations

Destination London: The Expansion of the Visitor Economy, A. Smith, A. Graham (Eds.). University of Westminster Press, London (2019), 266, (Pbk), £22.99 ISBN: 9781912656264

Urban tourism used to be a neglected area of research (Ashworth and Page, 2011), but lately it has attracted more attention from academics as a result of the rapid increase in the number of people vising cities, in particular in world tourism cities such as London, and the role these destinations play in the global economy. Yet, as the authors rightly point out, there is still limited research that looks specifically at the visitor economy in the UK capital, ‘a notable omission, given the scale and significance of tourism in London’ (p. 1). Destination London: The Expansion of the Visitor Economy, therefore contributes to filling part of this gap in research by discussing ‘how and why the expansion of the visitor economy is happening and what effect this is having on the city’ (p. 2). The book is co-edited by two well-known scholars from the University of Westminster, Dr Andrew Smith and Professor Anne Graham, comprising 11 chapters that focus on different aspects related to the development of the visitor economy in London, and are authored or co-authored by colleagues from the same institution

Challenges of world tourism cities: London, Singapore and Dubai

This chapter looks at the challenges faced by world tourism cities, destinations that attract large number of visitors due to their specific characteristics. These cities perform multiple functions, such as centres for business, as well as cultural excellence, and are home to many world-class tourist attractions. They are also important players in the world economy, and offer easy access through better connectivity. These traits, together with others that will be discussed later in the chapter, contribute to the important role played by world tourism cities in the global visitor economy. In addition, these cities play an important role in the visitor economy of a destination, with the success of the tourism industry in a country often reliant on their success. However, despite their advantages, world cities face numerous challenges that result from the complex economic, social and political functions they exhibit, as well as the diversity of people they attract (e.g. residents, immigrants or visitors). In a very competitive world, where many new as well as traditional destinations try to attract ever more visitors, policy makers in cities need to better understand the challenges they face so they can implement specific measures when planning and managing tourism in these destinations. Without such measures, world tourism cities could face numerous negative impacts that may affect their sustainability and competitiveness on the global market, such as increased traffic congestion, pollution and conflicts between visitors and hosts, to name but a few. This section therefore looks at a number of world tourism cities (e.g. London, Singapore, and Dubai) and briefly highlights their particularities together with the challenges they face

Heritage tourism and authenticity: the case of Voroneț

Culture is an essential component that adds to the attractiveness of a destination and contributes to the authenticity of an area through its ‘unique imprint on the cultural landscape’ Timothy, 2011, p. 58). To capitalize on this, cultural tourism has been proposed in many destinations as a path to economic prosperity, better job opportunities for locals and increased tax revenues. This study focuses on heritage tourism, a popular choice among visitors and an area of research that has recently attracted increased attention from academics. Heritage is seen as one of the main tourism drivers for many regions, helping destinations to differentiate between one another in a very competitive environment. The literature on this form of tourism has expanded rapidly since the initial debates in the late ‘80s, with the topic being included by Cohen and Cohen (2012) among the current issues deserving further attention from researchers. Additionally, the present work looks at the role that authenticity plays in tourist destinations, ‘an important attribute of heritage tourism […] or at least the perception of it’(Chhabra et al., 2003). While there is a wealth of research on authenticity and its applicability,this is mostly focused on Western countries. This research therefore contributes to filling this gap by exploring the applicability of the concept in a non-Western context, which it does by looking at the importance of the cultural landscape and traditional houses for the sustainable development of tourism in a heritage site from a former communist country in Eastern Europe. Specifically, the study focuses on objective authenticity and looks at the importance of preserving the built environment (i.e. traditional houses) for the sustainable development of tourism in the Voroneț area in Romania. Situated in the North-East of Romania, Voroneț is considered to be one of the main tourist attractions in the region of Bucovina, and one of the most important destinations for cultural, heritage and religious tourism in the country