Covid-19 Vs. Overtourism: Challenges or Opportunities for Tourist Destinations: Theoretical Perspective

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic has thwarted global mobility over an unimaginable scale, forcing the competitive market processes of the tourism sector to be seriously disrupted. The ongoing pandemic has closed borders, suspended flights, quarantined more than half of the world population, induced mass fear and shook globalisation. The phenomenon of overtourism is related to the high number of tourists, the nature and time span of their visits and the carrying capability of the destination. To understand the nature of overtourism and the implications, it is essential to recognise why people of particular cities have begun to see tourism as a factor that has an adverse impact on their quality of life. This chapter aims to provide a link between Covid-19 and overtourism and also to examine whether both of these can offer opportunities or challenges to tourist destinations in the future. Based on the analysis of numerous existing crisis recovery mechanisms, the tourism industry is expected to rebound from this abrupt market shock, mostly due to various forms of government interventions. The present startling moment of the Covid-19 pandemic provides an opportunity to find hope in the ruins through the deconstruction of framings of crisis as ‘error’ and through reflecting on the present and future role of tourism in contributing to a more socially and environmentally sustainable community.

Citation

Kumar, J. and Garg, A. (2021), "Covid-19 Vs. Overtourism: Challenges or Opportunities for Tourist Destinations: Theoretical Perspective", Sharma, A. and Hassan, A. (Ed.) Overtourism as Destination Risk (Tourism Security-Safety and Post Conflict Destinations), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 263-274. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83909-706-520211017