Overtourism as a perceived threat to cultural heritage in Europe

Abstract

According to a 2017 survey, approximately two in five European residents believe that the number of tourists poses a threat to the continent's cultural heritage. In order to investigate the determinants of this perception, the data from this survey of 26,000 residents was used to estimate ordered probit models. The results from these reveal that the probability of overtourism being viewed as a threat to cultural heritage is significantly lower for residents living near historical monuments, sites or festivals. The perception of overtourism as a threat is generally higher in cities in comparison with rural areas.

Demarketing Tourism for Sustainability: Degrowing Tourism or Moving the Deckchairs on the Titanic?

“…Much of this work has historically been site focused [58,64], with national parks and heritage sites receiving substantial emphasis [59,63,81,82]. Such a situation perhaps reflects Drugova et al's observation that the "overcrowding of nature tourism sites has been documented on every continent" [65] (p. 2) Nevertheless, in recent years there has been a much stronger focus on demarketing urban places and locations [62,83], especially in response to the pressures of overtourism [2,84,85], to the stage where they have become the major institutional focus for overtourism [86,87].…”

“…This question has, in various related forms, been at the core of issues as to the sustainability of tourism for many years [1]. From the concerns over the so-called "golden hordes" on destinations and their carrying capacity in the 1970s through to more contemporary debates regarding overtourism [2][3][4][5], numerous researchers and many in communities that have become destinations, have sought to respond to the issue of the appropriate balance between community needs, environmental conservation and economic development. Indeed, issues over the shared use of public and private space and social distancing under COVID-19 only reinforce the need to better manage issues of supply, demand and capacity rather than to ignore them [6].…”

Machine learning techniques as a tool for predicting overtourism: The case of Spain

“…In general, the negative impacts derived from the excessive concentration of tourists are alienated local residents, a degraded tourist experience, an overloaded infrastructure, damage to nature, threats to culture, and heritage (Adie, Falk, & Savioli, 2019; McKinsey&Company, 2017; Trancoso‐Gonzalez, 2018; Veiga, Santos, Águas, & Santos, 2018). And, more specifically, with respect to the residents, the negative impacts are associated to the import of inflation with an increase in housing prices (Oklevik et al, 2019), both for buying and renting, and increases in the prices of transport, retail and hotels and restaurants (UNWTO, 2018).…”

The Relationship of Subjective Well-Being in Residents’ Perceptions of the Impacts of Overtourism in the City of Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil

“…It should be noted that overtourism is not a synonym for overcrowding, but a situation where the number of visitors overloads the services and facilities available at the destination. Above all, it becomes an inconvenience for residents [10,16].…”