The Perception of Overtourism from the Perspective of Different Generations

Abstract

The problem of overtourism, i.e., tourist congestion in visited places, and the negative impacts of tourists on the environment and residents, are increasingly noticeable with the increase in popularity of tourism. In addition, human impact on the environment is often negative in relation to the assumptions of the concept of sustainable development. However, the attitude of tourists to the problem of overtourism may vary depending on their ages, because, as in every aspect of life, there are intergenerational differences arising from the political, economic or technological development of the times in which a given generation grew up. The main purpose of the article is to examine the public awareness of the phenomenon of overtourism in the context of intergenerational differences, as well as to determine the impact of tourists on the places visited and the local community. The study was conducted on a sample of 386 respondents representing the X, Y, and Z generations. The study results showed that there is awareness among all generations of respondents about the problem of overtourism, although indifference to this phenomenon was demonstrated by the youngest respondents (Z generation). The respondents also agreed on individual elements of their own impact on the environment and residents, but with different determinations. The article ends with recommendations on the introduction of various management practices that should be implemented in order to make tourism more responsible and sustainable in the future. It is proposed that a road map should be compiled at the local level for sustainable tourism development.

Influence of the Residents’ Perception of Overtourism on the Selection of Innovative Anti-Overtourism Solutions

“…Based on the analysis of the latest scientific publications dealing with the issues of overtourism, four subject areas (panels) were selected to describe the potential effects of this phenomenon. These areas are as follows: (A) number of tourists [11,15,88]; (B) crowds [7,90,91]; (C) noise [12,25,88]; (D) safety [9,16,17,25]; and (E) development of the city/town [9,15,50].…”

An Evaluation of the Impact of Hiking Tourism on the Ecological Status of Alpine Lakes—A Case Study of the Valley of Dolina Pięciu Stawów Polskich in the Tatra Mountains

“…The results of this study indicate that access to the examined lakes should be limited (Figures 9 and 10). Tourist infrastructure in the evaluated trail segments should be upgraded, for example by introducing barriers to separate visitors from the lakes (segments number 2, 3,4,5,6,11,14,16,17,18,24,26) and by eliminating lake access points and illegal paths (segments number 1,7,8,9,10,12,13,15,25,28,29,30,31, and an illegal path south of Lake Zadni Staw Polski) (Figure 7). the studied lakes, and wastewater should be directed to the existing wastewater treatment plant at the shelter.…”

“…Global tourism interest also leads to a phenomenon called "overturism" (it occurs when there are too many visitors to a particular destination in some places. This fact overwhelms the destination and shifts the balance from positive experiences to those where tourism becomes unsustainable) [15][16][17].…”

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

“…The results showed that many of the cities studied have below-average overtourism potential, which contrasts with the extensive media coverage surrounding the problem of overtourism that each city is facing. Thus, when the adverse effects of the tourist activity outweigh the benefits generated by the activity, a negative feeling may arise in the residents regarding the development of tourism in their destination [1,40,41]. Overtourism has been considered one of the greatest threats to global tourism development [34,42].…”