Introduction: What smart and sustainable strategies could be used to reduce the impact of overtourism?

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to provide an overview of the significance of this theme issue. To develop a better understanding of the context, the phenomenon of overtourism is introduced. The paper also sheds light on perverse impacts of overtourism on key stakeholders and seeks to provide justification for the need for smart and sustainable strategies.

Design/methodology/approach

The research design follows a mixed approach and draws from a combination of case studies, online sources, literature reviews and an industry paper. This combination of primary, secondary and tertiary data enables more meaningful analysis of overtourism from destinations with different specificities and characteristics.

Findings

The paper provides valuable insight on the causes and consequences of overtourism on the destination and its people, which arguably include both tourists, residents and other stakeholders. Based on empirical evidence, the paper presents common strategies that are used to tackle overtourism and seeks to draw insights from those case studies to propose smarter and more sustainable strategies.

Originality/value

The value of this theme issue is that it presents a variety of case studies that might be used as examples to mitigate the consequences of overtourism. Destinations showing similar symptoms may draw from the paper to manage the strain of overtourism. As one size does not fit all, the variety of strategies proposed within those papers might help practitioners and destination managers to select and adapt them to their respective contexts. Further, the research findings may be applicable to other geographic regions with similar contexts.

Citation

Gowreesunkar, V. and Seraphin, H. (2019), "Introduction: What smart and sustainable strategies could be used to reduce the impact of overtourism?", Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, Vol. 11 No. 5, pp. 484-491. https://doi.org/10.1108/WHATT-06-2019-0044