Bakker, Martine

Blanco-Romero, Asunción

Blázquez-Salom, Macià

Cheer, Joseph M.

Kato, Kumi

Milano, Claudio

Novelli, Marina

Okada, Minako

English

Digital Commons @ TRU Library (Thompson Rivers University)

Critical Tourism Studies Proceedings
Volume 2019 Article 1
2019
Overtourism: A Critical State of the Art
Claudio Milano
University of Lleida, Spain
Marina Novelli
University of Brighton, UK
Joseph M. Cheer
Monash University, Australia
Asunción Blanco-Romero
Macià Blázquez-Salom
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Recommended Citation
Milano, Claudio; Novelli, Marina; Cheer, Joseph M.; Blanco-Romero, Asunción; Blázquez-Salom, Macià; Bakker, Martine; Kato,
Kumi; and Okada, Minako (2019) "Overtourism: A Critical State of the Art," Critical Tourism Studies Proceedings: Vol. 2019 , Article 1.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.library.tru.ca/cts-proceedings/vol2019/iss1/1
Overtourism: A Critical State of the Art
Authors
Claudio Milano, Marina Novelli, Joseph M. Cheer, Asunción Blanco-Romero, Macià Blázquez-Salom,
Martine Bakker, Kumi Kato, and Minako Okada
This keynotes and special presentation is available in Critical Tourism Studies Proceedings: https://digitalcommons.library.tru.ca/cts-
proceedings/vol2019/iss1/1
CTS 2019 
Panel Discussions 
 
Overtourism: A Critical State of the Art 	  
 
Organisers: Dr. Claudio Milano (University of Lleida, Spain), Prof. Marina Novelli (University 
of Brighton, UK), & Dr. Joseph M. Cheer (Monash University, Australia) 
 
Panellists: Asunción Blanco-Romero, Macià Blázquez-Salom, Martine Bakker, Kumi Kato, 
Minako Okada 
 
The aim of this Panel is to present cutting-edge research on the overtourism phenomena 
and to present diverse perspectives from a pool of researchers across the globe. Inspiration is 
drawn from two projects currently underway and due for competition in 2019. 
The first is an edited volume due in June 2019 (CABI) titled Overtourism: Excesses, 
discontents and measures in travel and tourism (Milano, Cheer & Novelli, 2019). This volume 
draws on global perspectives of overtourism and responds to the growing ‘overtourism’ 
phenomenon, defined as the excessive growth of visitors, leading to overcrowding and 
determining residents suffering the consequences of temporary and often seasonal tourism peaks 
leading to permanent changes in their lifestyles, amenities and well-being. Delimiting the 
hysteria inherent in the current discussion, towards undertaking analysis that is cognisant of 
systems-thinking and contemporary paradigms around sustainable development, resilience 
planning and degrowth are taken. The second project draws from a Special Issue in the journal 
Tourism, Planning & Development titled ‘Overtourism and Tourismphobia: A journey through 
four decades of tourism development, planning and local concerns’ (Milano, Novelli & Cheer, 
2019). While many scholars have maintained their interest in the classical debate concerning the 
impacts of tourism, some have attempted new conceptualisations, while others have converged 
with the narrative of a number of social movements, and the subsequent coining of the terms 
‘overtourism’ and ‘tourismphobia’ have emerged (Milano, 2018). Saarinen’s (2013, p. 10) call 
that “in order to have tools for setting the limits to growth in tourism in a local-global nexus with 
less tourism-centric evaluation criteria, stronger governmental and inter-governmental policies 
and regulations are most probably needed” is evidently more pressing today. 
The terms overtourism and tourismphobia have their genesis in the rapid unfolding of 
unsustainable mass tourism practices and the responses that these have generated amongst 
academics, practitioners and social movements concerned with the detrimental use of urban, 
rural and coastal spaces, among others, for tourism purposes. The commercially expedient 
practices of policymakers, destination managers and key firms in the tourism sector (especially 
airlines), has evidently led to unsustainable and inadvertent tourism outcomes, and excessive 
dependency on tourism at the expense of alternative economic sectors. Accordingly, quality of 
life and well-being of local residents has become central to the emergence of social movements 
across the globe protesting against the pressures that tourism growth has enforced.  
The underlying intention of this Panel will be to invite contributors to the two projects 
referred to here in principal, and others where possible, to present, debate and discuss cutting-
edge research on the overtourism phenomenon. Depending on interest and availability, there are 
1
Milano et al.: Overtourism: A Critical State of the Art
Published by Digital Commons @ TRU Library, 2019
CTS 2019 
up to 20 possible participants. As the two projects are largely unprecedented, this panel will 
make available pressing perspectives on overtourism to conference attendees. We also intend to 
launch the edited volume Overtourism: Excesses, discontents and measures in travel and tourism 
(Milano, Cheer & Novelli, 2019) with Claire Parfitt, Senior Commissioning Editor from CABI, 
also keen to attend the conference and set-up a book display. 
  
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Critical Tourism Studies Proceedings, Vol. 2019 [2019], Art. 1
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Overtourism: A Critical State of the Art

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Overtourism: A Critical State of the Art

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