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Impact of overtourism on urban life

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SPATIUM UDC 711.5:338.48
No. 45, June 2021, pp. 59-66 Review paper
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2298/SPAT2145059H

IMPACT OF OVERTOURISM ON URBAN LIFE

Maja Hristov1 ,Institute of Architecture and Urban & Spatial Planning of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia
Nataša Danilović Hristić , Institute of Architecture and Urban & Spatial Planning of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia
Nebojša Stefanović , Institute of Architecture and Urban & Spatial Planning of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia

The unrestrained and constant inflow of tourists to some cities can provoke the discomfort of residents. The term
‘overtourism’ describes a condition in which the limits are exceeded to the point that regular everyday urban life
suffers. The quantity of visitors and resulting crowds create burdens on the functioning of some city services, and they
simultaneously result in a deterioration in the quality of sightseeing. This paper gives a review of the academic literature
concerning this issue, especially studies concentrating on cruising and alternative short-term renting. Major complaints
raised by locals on the negative impact of tourism are not only about overcrowding, but also include the serious social
and economic questions of the endangerment of rights. In order to regulate and mitigate conflicts, preserve identity
and allow decent urban life in all its aspects, city governments are forced to introduce some limitations and rules in
the sphere of tourism, and also with regard to the real-estate market and urban planning. The level of measures and
policies required depend on the type of problem, size of the city and dispersion of the attractions.
Key words: overtourism, urban impact, citizens, regulations, limitation.

INTRODUCTION Sightseeing in an overcrowded ambience is not pleasant,

and wandering around and being crushed in queues has
Competitiveness between urban centers in order to attract
no charm, making the general quality of visits very low. It
visitors and gain economic benefit has become a usual
seems that the content of historical city cores, with souvenir
occurrence. Tourism has become tense over the past
shops and restaurants, is sometimes more adjusted to the
two decades; the need to visit and record own’s presence
needs of visitors than to local citizens, including the prices.
in a tourist destination on social networks has become
In the main streets, squares and various points of interest it
more important than to really explore and blend in with
is more common to hear different world languages than the
the surroundings. Beside global metropolises, which are
local dialect. Local residents are leaving to live elsewhere,
the most popular tourist destinations and ‘must see list’
and whole areas are becoming only empty scenes of
recommendations, many other cities have joined the club,
historical architecture. Outside of regular hotel capacities it
trying to promote their unique image and identity, cultural
is now possible to rent a private apartment during a visit,
potential and heritage, or their capacity for fun and leisure.
probably owned by residents who have left because of the
In Europe, traditionally Paris, London, Barcelona, Rome
crowds, prices and lack of city functions. ‘Airbnb’, as the most
and Prague are overcrowded by bustling tourist groups.
popular internet site and application, for some travelers
Sea (or river) port cities, or those within reach of them,
is a much more convenient and cheaper way to plan their
have been confronted with the massive cruising industry
visit. All of the above-mentioned factors are the reason why
and the resulting rise in crowds. In pearls of architecture
the new term overtourism has appeared, which describes
like Venice, Florence, Bruges, etc., the invasion of visitors
the loss of realistic boundaries, pushing capacity over the
is an everyday occurrence that has become intolerable,
limits and finally degrading city districts in the sense of
particularly in the peak of the tourist season (Figure 1).
traditional urban life, in order to fulfill tourist demand. In
2019, some European cities were forced to announce the
limitation of daily (or monthly/annual) numbers of tourists,
with the goal of relieving the pressure on the urban tissue.
1
Bulevar kralja Aleksandra 73/II, Belgrade, Serbia
majah@iaus.ac.rs In the COVID-19 pandemic, all city tourist destinations were

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Hristov M., Danilović Hristić N., Stefanović N.: Impact of overtourism on urban life

deserted and the tourism industry, including accompanying development of tourism (Pham et al., 2019).
sectors, underwent an enormous fall, but it is expected that
When the impact of tourism on urban life is mentioned,
everything will return to normal, and perhaps people will be
even in academic papers, it is usually about positive
eager to travel even more frequently after lockdown. This is
economic gain for cities or as initiator of regeneration and
the right moment to try to find new sustainable models for
reconstruction processes; and the impact of mass tourism
urban tourism. The paper is based on a review of academic
on local citizens and social issues is limited to rare locations.
literature concerning this issue, especially with regard to
Capocchi et al. give a comprehensive literature review about
cruising and alternative short-term renting. It is structured
overtourism with an emphasis on its implications and
in five sections, starting from a review of academic papers
future perspectives (Capocchi et al., 2019). They explain
and various case studies, followed by the methodology used,
that “the growth of tourism has been accompanied by the
an analysis of the negative effects of and major objections to
concentration of tourist flows to specific areas, causing
tourism in popular city areas, including remarks made by
crowding and problems with carrying capacity, so in this
residents, then a discussion on establishing limits according
context, the term ‘overtourism’ has begun to be used in
to urban capacity, with final conclusions. The scientific
the recent literature with particular regard to models of
contribution of the paper is in its review of examples,
tourism development, some city destinations, and issues
with suggestions for resolving overtourism in the spheres
of sustainability”. Dodds and Butler also researched the
of urban planning and management. There are research
phenomenon of overtourism as “a new term for an old
limitations regarding the present situation with the
problem, namely, excessive numbers of tourists at a specific
pandemic and limitations of travel all over the world, and
destination that can result in negative impacts of all types
also in comparisons between cities of different sizes, points
on the community involved” (Dodds and Butler, 2019). The
of interest, and old and new attractions. The global problem
attitude and feeling about overtourism is well observed and
of overtourism may have a completely different impact on
described by Minihane: “We first hear about these places
different locations and citizens.

Figure 1. Face of overtourism – Toledo, Venice and Rome

(Source: authors of the text, private photos)

LITERATURE REVIEW when we’re kids. Famous destinations full of wondrous

architecture, spectacular scenery or ancient mysteries that
The term overtourism is new in the literature, describing
fire our imaginations and fill us with yearning. We dream,
an existing and well-known phenomenon. The problems
we grow, we save up all our money and one day we finally
caused in some destinations by the increasing growth of
get to visit - only to discover that everyone else is visiting
tourism have resulted in these issues being discussed in the
at the same time.” (Minihane, 2019). The economic impacts,
literature since the early ’70s (Capocchi et al., 2020; Milano
significance, and benefits of cruising tourism have been
et al., 2019). Even before massive tourist packages, in the
researched by a number of authors, including Dwyer and
late 19th century, some destinations on the Mediterranean
Forsyth (Dwyer and Forsyth, 1998), and the topic of urban
(located on the coast and historical cities around France,
reconstruction and regeneration, especially in large projects
Italy or Greece) were “overloaded” by wealthy people
for waterfronts, has been researched, among others, by
(aristocrats and bourgeoisie). There was a great interest in
McCarthy in the case study of Valletta (McCarthy, 2003). Very
travelling to Egypt too, and visiting famous archeological
little has been written in academic literature concerning
sites. The increasing demand for mobility, leisure and unique
the impact of Airbnb in cities, but there are exceptions.
experiences has been examined as a key factor in the growth
Prior studies have noted the potential impact of Airbnb in
of tourism, causing pressure on locations and dependence
neighborhoods, on the housing market and on the tourism
on tourism. “Tourismphobia” is another term describing the
sector. Sheppard and Udell consider the effect of Airbnb
antagonistic relationship emerging between local residents
properties on house prices (Sheppard and Udell, 2016).
and tourists. Pham et al. (2019) examine the perspective
Garcia-Ayllon gives insight into issues related to urban
of local residents, focusing on their perceptions about the
transformations as an indicator of unsustainability in the

60 spatium
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mass tourism phenomenon, using three Airbnb case studies Angeles’ affordable housing crisis:
in Spain: Madrid, Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca (Garcia-
“Airbnb likely reduces the affordable housing supply by
Ayllon, 2018). Another study, which considers the situation distorting the housing market in two interconnected
in Malaga, describes the consequences of “touristification” mechanisms. The first such mechanism is one of simple
in historic cities (Barrera-Fernández et al., 2019). Arias conversion: any housing unit that was previously occupied
Sans and Quaglieri Domínguez (2016) in their analysis of by a city resident, but is now listed on Airbnb year-round,
Barcelona state about the Airbnb company: is a unit that has been removed from the rental market and
“Founded in 2008 in San Francisco, it has become a global has essentially been added to Los Angeles’ supply of hotel
phenomenon the growing popularity of which has been rooms. The second mechanism is ‘hotelization’. So long as
reported and boosted by the global media. The business a property owner or leaseholder can rent out a room on
press and economic columnists in particular celebrated Airbnb for cheaper than the price of a hotel room, while
it as ‘the most prominent example of a huge new sharing earning a substantial premium over the residential market
economy’. Airbnb has been widely acknowledged for or rent-controlled rent, there is an overpowering incentive
its contribution to this rising new economic paradigm to list each unit in a building on Airbnb rather than rent to
and, more concretely, its capacity for quietly turning Los Angeles residents, thereby creating ‘cottage hotels’. This
millions of people into part-time entrepreneurs. As its decreases the supply of housing and spurs displacement,
relevance and impacts at the local level grow, the debate gentrification, and segregation.” (Lee, 2016:229).
also starts embracing the legal and social issues related The topic of gentrification is also processed in research by
to the application of the Airbnb model in the tourist field. Yrigoy in the case-study of Palma old quarter in Mallorca,
Despite its popularity in the media and its significance Spain (Yrigoy, 2016), then Jover and Díaz-Parra (Jover and
in many destinations around the world, Airbnb is still a Díaz-Parra, 2019, 2020) give an overview of Seville, even
phenomenon barely considered in the tourism studies
asking “Who is the City for?”. Finally, Gotham, in a case
debate” (Arias Sans and Quaglieri Domínguez, 2016: 209).
study of New Orleans’ Vieux Carre, argues about holiday
Balampanidis et al. (2019) give an overview about informal rentals causing gentrification in the urban quarter (Gotham,
urban regeneration in Athens and its effects on space and 2005). The main question to ask is whether it is possible to
society: overturn the situation to the sustainability level (Benner,
2019; Kuščer and Mihalič, 2019) and find a balance between
“The effects of the Airbnb phenomenon are found to be both
positive and negative, including – on the one hand – the the right to travel and residents’ rights (Perkumienė and
partial upgrading and reuse of the existing building stock Pranskūnienė, 2019).
or the reactivation of the local economy and – on the other
hand – processes of residential segregation, gentrification METHODOLOGY
and ‘touristification’” (Balampanidis et al., 2019:1). This paper investigates overtourism and its impact on
Koutsoumpos gives a historical overview of 25 blocks in urban life. It gives a significant and extensive review of the
Exarcheia in Athens that are well-known for their culture international literature, looking at issues that are part of
of resistance. Because of the influx of tourists considering the phenomenon, their main causes, and possible solutions.
this area to be a ‘cool neighborhood’ it has faced demand A discussion of the implications is provided in this review,
from foreign investors interested in short-term renting, mostly in two directions: what creates the negative effects?
resulting in higher rental prices and traditional bohemian And what major complaints are raised by local residents?
residents and students leaving the area (Koutsoumpos, The findings are in the sphere of their practical implications,
2019). Ferreri and Sanyal investigate the case of Airbnb in which contribute to an acknowledgement of the problem and
London, where flats are run by third-party management help local governments and urban planning practitioners
companies and agents who let out hundreds of properties, to identify prevalent and critical issues, as well as possible
instead of individuals. They examine the need for the city responses and appropriate actions.
government to change existing regulations, in this case by
deregulating short-term letting, which has implications HOW IS IT POSSIBLE TO CREATE A NEGATIVE EFFECT
for urban planning policy (Ferreri and Sanyal, 2018). Lima BY MEANS OF A POSITIVE ATTITUDE?
attempts to understand the regional impact of Airbnb in While many cites, according to their strategy goals to present
Ireland (Lima, 2019), and Mermet examines the same tourist potential and secure income, are making effort to
‘syndrome’ in Reykjavik (Mermet, 2017). Gurran and her co- promote themselves and trying to attract tourists, others
authors, in two studies, raise questions about the necessity are in the position of considering how to limit number
for an urban planning response to tourists ‘moving in’ with of visitors and avoid overcrowding. City budgets and the
different spatial regulations and property rights, and they tourism industry with their accompanying sectors are not
ask whether Airbnb rentals reduce the supply of permanent complaining very much about the number of visitors, but
rental accommodations, focusing on Sydney (Gurran and citizens that inhabit the quarters of interest and do not
Phibbs, 2017; Gurran et al., 2018). Wegmann and Jiao participate directly in the share of revenue have serious
(2017) offer guiding principles for the local regulation of complaints. There is no doubt that cities depend on tourism
urban vacation rentals, based on empirical results from because it creates significant income, but balance should be
five US cities: Austin, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, and achieved, keeping the traditional lifestyle in place. In the case
Washington, DC. Lee makes a similar conclusion to Wegmann of Airbnb and similar companies, those leasing to visitors and
and Jiao about how Airbnb short-term rentals exacerbate Los retailers have a benefit, and complaints originate from other

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Hristov M., Danilović Hristić N., Stefanović N.: Impact of overtourism on urban life

residents in the neighborhood (Wegmann and Jiao, 2017). For those who travel it may be a joy, but for those who have
to live with crowds of tourists it has become a nightmare.
In 2018, the Oxford English Dictionary added a new word
‘overtourism’ defined as ‘an excessive number of visitors What creates and increases overtourism today? An analysis
heading to famous locations, damaging the environment of the modern factors that in combination lead to this
and having a detrimental impact on resident’s lives’. phenomenon shows several key points:
Although the term is relatively recent, many of the problems
• the growing world population has increased tourist
involved have a long history, particularly in well-visited
numbers to the current levels of over a billion travelers
urban centers. In the literature review of academic papers,
a year; and of the 1.4 billion overseas trips, 45% (630
it was explained that this introduces a new term for an
million) were city breaks (UNWTO, 2018);
old problem (Capocchi et al., 2020). This appellation gives
an opportunity to describe and analyze the causes of the • it is easier for more people to become tourists than ever
process and list all possible disorders in the spatial, social before;
or economic sector. In modern times it is not only a question • some destinations have always been seen as attractive;
of overcrowding, because overtourism also leads to the others have grown in visibility over time; and
deep disturbance of ordinary, everyday life in particular city • the tourism industry has responded and expanded
areas, and the dissatisfaction and protest of locals against globally by making it feasible for tourists to travel to
visitors (Pham et al., 2019). attractive places.
Complaints relating to the presence and impacts of tourists There are several important factors explaining the previously
in Venice and the transformative effect of heavy visitation indicated key points, including rising incomes and more
on certain destinations was noted in the mid-nineteenth leisure time, then numerous tourist agencies and a wide
century. Later, in the mid-20th century, negative resident offer of destinations, low-cost flights, cruising lines, the
reactions to excessive numbers of visitors to Niagara Falls dissemination of online information with recommendations
were noted, because of the undesired physical changes and (Tripadvisor.com), social networks (Facebook, Instagram
damage to natural and cultural resources, as well as general and similar with billions of followers), the influence of media
overcrowding. The conclusion was that the excessive growth and massive publicity, easy online booking (companies
of visitors led to overcrowding in areas where residents such as Booking.com, Expedia.com, Trivago.com, Agoda.
suffer the consequences of temporary and seasonal tourism com, Kayak.com, Otel.com, etc.), and short-term renting
peaks, which have enforced permanent changes to their possibilities (Airbnb.com). In fact, it has become easy and
lifestyles, access to amenities and general well-being (Dodds affordable to choose a destination and make a reservation,
and Butler, 2019). because people have become aware of and informed about
attractions and how to reach them.
On the other hand, tourism has officially been declared as an
‘industry’, because revenue on a global level in 2019 reached Staying in a hotel is not the only option anymore. Urban
$ 1.478 billion USD (Figure 2). As a comparison, there is an social movements have for years been denouncing the
estimation that this sector could lose at least $ 1.2 trillion negative impacts of short-term holiday rentals in the central
USD due to the coronavirus pandemic and lockdowns, with a areas of cities, calling for stronger regulation.
warning that in the most pessimistic scenario, for a 12-month
“According to Airbnb’s poll, 96% of their guests want
break in international tourism, the expected decline could to live ‘like a local’ during their stay. The question
be about $ 3.3 trillion USD (data projected by the UN World arising at this point is: ‘Which locals?’. Since short-term
Tourism Organization – UNWTO). This numbers shows that letting of private homes has become widespread, the
the scale and importance of the associated income is behind nuisance caused by leisure uses of residential buildings,
the idea to travel, visit, enjoy and expand one’s experience. the loss of permanent population, the undermining
of everyday life and the impact on the rental housing
market have been the main claims against this practice”
(Arias Sans and Quaglieri Domínguez, 2016:222).
For example, there were riots during the summer of 2014
in the Barceloneta district, the old beachfront neighborhood
of Barcelona. The slogans were: “This isn’t tourism, it’s
an invasion!”, “Tourist flats displace families” and similar
(Figure 3). A similar protest supporting the restriction of
short-term renting and overcrowding was organized in
2015 in San Francisco, followed by locals in Dublin in 2018
asking to ‘take back the city’. In 2019 in Athens, because of
rising house prices in the Greek capital, protestors accused
Airbnb of being a major contributor to the housing crisis.

MAJOR OBJECTIONS AND REMARKS BY RESIDENTS

Figure 2. Global international tourism revenue from 2010
to 2019, in billion US $ Have you ever experienced Venice by night? It looks like a
(Source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/273123/ ghost city. After tourist groups finish their ‘attack’, as early
total-international-tourism-receipts/) evening comes, visitors leave towards other scheduled

62 spatium
 Hristov M., Danilović Hristić N., Stefanović N.: Impact of overtourism on urban life

local customs, disturbing peaceful districts (Dodds and

Butler, 2019);
• A change in the type of services offered in a
neighborhood, and the unavailability of basic ones
(Gurran et al., 2018), for example, in central Bruges
there are more than 70 chocolate shops, and who really
needs them except tourists?; and
• Rising prices, especially rent, and related social changes,
Figure 3. Riots in Barcelona and Dublin against short-term renting of
like gentrification (Cócola-Gant, 2016; Gotham, 2005;
residential buildings for touristic purposes
(Source: left: https://barcelona-home.com/events-and-guide/event/ Yrigoy, 2016; Jover and Díaz-Parra, 2019, 2020).
airbnb-pulls-1000-listings-barcelona/,
right: https://www.aol.co.uk/news/2018/10/13/housing-protesters-
occupy-airbnb-offices-in-dublin-protest/)

destinations or simply go to rest in one of the hotels outside

the city, in nearby Mestre or Lido di Jesolo. Finally, Venice with
its canals, squares, monuments, restaurants and Murano’s
glass shops becomes quiet once again. By the number of
illuminated windows, it is possible to see how few people
inhabit the dwellings. The beautiful daily facades turn into
empty scenography. The locals have moved to other places
that are much more comfortable for organizing their lives, far
away from the frequent floods and the restrictions because Figure 4. Crowds of tourists in Paris and Lisbon
of the specific form of the city and its heritage protection, to (Source: authors of the text, private photos)
places that are less expensive and dense, not so crowed by
tourists. Many other places, too, like Florence, Toledo, Oia on While hotels and standard travel packages were the only
Santorini, etc., by day have their narrow streets filled with option, the level and ratio of visitors was tolerable. But with
long queues of visitors who are following guides and taking the introduction of cruising and alternative accommodation,
photos. In the evening or early morning hours, there is time the issue has become more significant and stressful. For
for locals or perhaps some rare lucky overnight tourists to example, the average cruise ship may have around 3,000
enjoy tranquility. Several academic papers mentioned in passengers on sea and ocean liners, and about 150 guests
the literature review have analyzed the less extreme impact on river cruise ships. The largest cruise ships can embark
of tourism on historical places, as major points of interest. around 5,500-6,000 passengers. Assuming that the majority
Regardless of whether tourism makes some locations more of them plan to visit the ports that are on the itinerary, just
livable and self-sustaining in terms of their economic and for a scheduled one cruiser per day, it is quite a crush even
heritage preservation as well as simultaneously provoking for bigger urban centers, not to mention small historical
regeneration, there should still be some limits in order to places. Nevertheless, theoretically it is possible to predict
retain a certain level of quality and impression of the visit in routes, organize timetables, divide groups, establish quotas
order not to reach extremes (Barrera-Fernández et al., 2019). and limit dockings in order to avoid too much disturbance
“Those residents not involved in tourism, that is, not to ordinary life. Although they arrive in great numbers,
employed in or engaged commercially in tourism, often see these visitors are only present for a day, spending the night
or receive little direct benefit from tourism and the presence on the boat, and they are concentrated on particular points
of tourists. They do often experience the congestion, of interest. Easy access to rental units, staying all over city
inconvenience, disturbance and changes brought about by residential zones, and especially concentrating in popular
increasing numbers of tourists and greater tourism-related areas is completely different, because it influences the
developments. To them, a reduction in tourist numbers, if urban habits of the locals, mixing with them and changing
not a total absence of tourists, would appear to be the only their everyday routine. It is not pleasant when residents do
way to restore the quality and way of life before large-scale not know who is in their building and neighborhood, when
tourism was developed” (Dodds and Butler, 2019:524). owners or long-term tenants are leaving, or when strangers
Complaints from local residents are varied, depending upon without any responsibility and decency, with the excuse that
the kind of tourism, whether it is a few hours a day by tourists they are enjoying their holiday, harass locals with their noise
on a cruising field trip, a constant flow of tourists in a central or other inappropriate behavior. Some riots and protests by
zone, or as already mentioned, the rotation of strangers in citizens have started after particular incidents, revealing
short-term rental units inside popular residential areas. The much deeper problems. The greatest challenge comes when
scale goes from lifestyle disruption to serious social and the level of interest for renting provokes modifications
economic questions: and transitions in the real estate market, affecting local
businesses and public services, and thus emptying local
• Crowds (Figure 4), constant daily flow of strangers in neighborhoods by triggering evictions through social
groups, stopping on the pavements to take selfies; segregation and gentrification. Recognizing the problem of
• Inappropriate behavior, not respecting heritage or overtourism directs us to the logical question of whether

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it is possible to reduce the impact on urban life by urban facilities). It is not desirable or possible to avoid tourism,
management and planning, by introducing sustainable but for those suffering from exaggerated levels of visitor
and overall agreeable measures and rules that will benefit flow, some kind of strategy or plan for moderation should
citizens and secure and maintain regular urban life, but be implemented.
simultaneously permit cultural dissemination and share
The sustainability of tourism is usually connected with
global heritage with interested visitors.
the preservation of natural and cultural goods, but in this
case its purpose is to preserve traditional urban life in
DISCUSSION ON ESTABLISHING LIMITS ACCORDING TO
destinations that are under pressure from visitors. It is up
THE URBAN CAPACITY
to cities to set strategic goals and decide what kind and
“Tourism is like any other industry: it needs to be level of tourist visits are sustainable for a particular place
regulated and managed locally to prevent negative and whether profit from this industry is a priority, or the
impacts,” says Justin Francis (UK-based tour operator quality of local urban life. Limiting the negative effects, but
Responsible Travel, which has produced its own guide still keeping the benefit of arrivals is a question for serious
to the issue of overtourism) (Minihane, 2019). analysis and balance. Seasonal peaks or visits throughout
the year should be considered too, including for attractions
In the past few years, the number of destinations raising
and events that provoke crowding. Now is the moment when
the alarm because of overly high tourist crowds has steadily
city authorities that face these issues have to consider them
increased. Some cities have even been forced to establish
and make decisions about introducing single rules or sets
limits and new rules in order to preserve heritage and avoid
of measures in the spheres of legislation and the economy,
overcrowding. For example, the city of Rome has banned
and even to reassess urban plans and relationship between
sitting on the Spanish stairs, and people can be fined €
contents and functions. In reality, it is not too complicated
250 for doing so. The city council has set up glass fence in
to review and adapt some regulations, particularly those
front of the Fontana di Trevi, as an anti-tourist barrier to
concerning renting apartments and opening hostels in
stop people sitting on the monument’s wall and prevent
residential buildings, by proposing terms for the minimal
them from stealing coins from the fountain (an estimated
technical preconditions, consent of neighbors, special taxes,
€ 3,000 are thrown into the fountain each day, annually
limitation in the number of visitors or renting days per year,
about €1.4 million; the money has been used to subsidize
and similar measures concerning communal order. Possible
the city budget). Amsterdam has recently announced that
limitations for cruising ports have already been mentioned.
the ‘demotion’ of tourism is to become part of city policy;
It is very difficult to change and adapt the urban matrix or
the intent is not to make Amsterdam unattractive to tourists,
influence land uses. The spatial aspect depends on numerous
but rather it will not be promoted to attract greater numbers
factors, including the type of problem, size of the city and
of tourists (Dodds and Butler, 2019). In Bruges, each year
dispersion of attractions; however, it is still possible to plan
about 8 million tourists visit its small historic center, with a
traffic and other connections between points of interest,
resident population of just under 20,000. The vast majority
including spaces for parking buses and drop-off spots,
of visitors are day-trippers, and many of them stay for less
better public transport, pedestrian zones and cycling lanes,
than three hours. Their numbers have swelled recently
or allocating hotels and accommodation in peripheral areas,
with the increasing popularity of cruises, landing at nearby
thus dispersing them to the surroundings. It is important
Antwerp, Ostend and Zeebrugge. Bruges has managed with
to remember that tourist interest has provoked some
remarkable success, and has developed a blueprint for other
revitalization and reconstruction projects in cities, which
distressed tourist cities. The city authorities, worried by the
is a positive influence. Analogously, it is logical to expect
growing tourist invasion, introduced a “hotelstop” in 1996,
some planning solutions, in order to better organize city
which has limited the number of hotels in the historic center
capacities and satisfy both local needs and visitor curiosity.
to just over 100. In 2002, they limited the number of second
The team of experts who consider these aspects, besides
or holiday homes, in order to preserve the population of
urban planners, should include specialists in tourism, with a
permanent residents. The city authorities also followed a
knowledge of local features and demands.
strategy of concentrating tourists in the southwest of the city,
with parking for buses and a railway station. Buses are only CONCLUSIONS
permitted into the city center if they are bringing visitors
Urban life is sometimes complicated in itself, because of
and their luggage to hotels. Cars are likewise discouraged
spatial and time limitations, distances, crowds, insufficient
by limiting parking and locating cheaper, long-stay car
infrastructure and organizational issues. It has become
parks on the outskirts (Mason, 2018). The World Tourism
obvious that overtourism, as a product of modern times,
Organization has proposed 11 strategies and measures to
infuses urban life and makes it more tense and stressed.
address the increase in visitor growth in cities, and 12 key
Citizen associations and non-government organizations
policy recommendation for implementation, given in Table
have pointed out that normal and regular life in some
1 (World Tourism Organization, 2018).
city areas has become impossible because of the influx of
In the opinion of the authors of this paper, resolving the tourists. Some cities have been forced to introduce bans and
problem is possible only by applying a set of different penalties, others have decided to try by means of a strategic
measures as a part of one thoughtful strategy, combining change of attitudes and conditions. After the current calm,
legal and economic limitations, such as taxation, changes owing to COVID-19 lockdowns, it is reasonable to expect a
in the tourist sector promotion and spatial organization new boost after normalization and to be prepared to face old
where possible (urban zoning and land use, better transport problems; however, it is even better to use this situation to

64 spatium
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Leisure, Tourism & Hospitality; NHTV Breda University of
Applied Sciences; and NHL Stenden University of Applied Received February 2021; accepted in revised form April 2021.

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