18 September 2018: A report by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Breda University of Applied Sciences and NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences proposes a set of 68 measures under 11 strategies to manage the impacts of tourism in urban areas within Europe. Titled, ‘Overtourism? Understanding and Managing Urban Tourism Growth beyond Perceptions,’ the report notes that rapid urbanization, increased ease of mobility and a growing global middle class have increased urban tourism, but that when managed well, such tourism can contribute to the SDGs.
Launched during the 7th UNWTO Global Summit on Urban Tourism, which was held from 16-19 September 2018, in Seoul, Republic of Korea, the report examines ways in which tourism can benefit both visitors and locals. It notes that urban tourism in particular demands policies that minimize impacts on natural resource consumption, infrastructure, transportation systems and culture.
UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili called for aligning urban tourism with the New Urban Agenda and the SDGs.
The report highlights the importance of governance to ensure that local communities benefit from tourism, and that nuisances deriving from “overtourism,” such as noise and overcrowding, are kept in check. To address overtourism, the report recommends setting a strategic vision in cooperation with local stakeholders which respects the limits of destinations’ capacities. Overarching strategies to achieve this mission include promoting dispersal of visitors within and beyond the city as well as over time, developing new visitor itineraries and attractions, reviewing and adapting regulation and improving city infrastructure, among others.
Linking local to global in his foreword to the report, UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili notes the need to align urban tourism with the New Urban Agenda (NUA) and the SDGs, especially Goal 11 (sustainable cities and communities). The report’s policy recommendations focus on such alignment, and other SDG-relevant principles such as participatory processes to ensure equitable benefit sharing.
The report’s analysis focuses on eight European cities: Amsterdam, Netherlands; Barcelona, Spain; Berlin, Germany; Copenhagen, Denmark; Lisbon, Portugal; Munich, Germany; Salzburg, Austria; and Tallinn, Estonia. [Publication: ‘Overtourism? Understanding and Managing Urban Tourism Growth beyond Perceptions] [UNWTO Press Release on the Report]