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1 – 10 of 12Maria Gravari-Barbas, Sébastien Jacquot and Francesca Cominelli
Maria Gravari-Barbas and Sébastien Jacquot
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the mechanisms involved in the progressive integration of marginal and peripheral urban areas, located close to established tourist…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the mechanisms involved in the progressive integration of marginal and peripheral urban areas, located close to established tourist destinations, into the visited tourism perimeter, and the interplay of the supporting public and private actors. It focusses on the intertwining processes of commercial gentrification, heritagization and aestheticization of former “ordinary” or marginal areas as tools for and indications of their tourism development. It explores how the metropolitan tourism geography is progressively redesigned.
Design/methodology/approach
Following a comprehensive literature analysis, the Saint-Ouen flea market was selected as the object of study. The methodology is based on extensive in situ observations, a systematic analysis of the press and a corpus of tourist guides and several in-depth interviews with local public and private stakeholders.
Findings
This paper shows that combined public (Parisian urban and tourism stakeholders) and private interests led to the integration in the tourism perimeter of a space that was once on the margins of the tourism and metropolitan area. It highlights the mechanisms of this integration and the link between touristification, gentrification, aestheticization and artification. It was found that private investors and political decision makers regard Saint-Ouen flea market as a major opportunity for tourism and real estate development, which leads to some contradictions regarding heritage protection. Finally, it shows that market traders opposed the evolution of a commercial place into a place of symbolic consumption. At another level, it shows the stakes of tourism diversification in a metropolitan tourism destination that is characterized by overtourism.
Research limitations/implications
More studies are needed to identify not only the potential of flea markets to diversify tourist areas and practices, but also any potential resistance. The consequences on metropolitan tourism can be the subject of additional investigations: can this tourism diversification reduce overtourism in the centre, or is it only a diversification that functions as an additional driver of attractiveness? This research opens new perspectives on the modes of diversification (spatial and experiential) of metropolitan tourism as well as on the role that commercial changes play in these evolutions. It also makes it possible to question the modes of engagement of investors and traders in tourism.
Originality/value
This is an in-depth analysis of the case of Saint-Ouen flea market. The issues raised herein are applicable to similar peripheral urban areas, flea markets especially, that are rarely studied on the tourism-aestheticization-gentrification nexus. The analysis also shows the diversification of places and imaginaries of metropolitan tourism.
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Ilaria Pappalepore and Maria Gravari-Barbas
Drawing on empirical research conducted in London and Paris between July 2020 and June 2021, this paper explores whether these two global metropolises may be able to take the…
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing on empirical research conducted in London and Paris between July 2020 and June 2021, this paper explores whether these two global metropolises may be able to take the COVID-19 crisis as an opportunity to develop more sustainable forms of urban tourism. More specifically, this study aims to analyse whether new forms of localised tourism have developed as a result of the pandemic, how these have been nurtured and encouraged by the tourism industry in these two cities and the implications of these trends for the sustainable development of tourism in these two cities.
Design/methodology/approach
A combination of research methods was used: an online Delphi method, followed by in-depth one-to-one interviews with selected stakeholders and complemented by the analysis of media articles, policy documents and secondary data.
Findings
The qualitative data analysis highlights some key findings: tourism sustainability gained new importance after the pandemic; however, the crisis did not bring the sustainable revolution some stakeholders wished or expected. Nonetheless, in both cities, tourism marketing adopted a new “hyper-local” approach with the objective of encouraging proximity tourism and involving local residents more; thus, pointing to the need to review traditional definitions of the (urban) tourist.
Originality/value
Although the blurring between tourism and every day in cities has been widely discussed in tourism theory, this paper provides empirical evidence from two world tourism cities, showing some of the wider, practical implications of these theoretical debates for industry and policymaking in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The purpose of this paper is to examine the adaptation strategies of inhabitants and the forms of participation they adopt in tourism activities in Paris. As public policies have…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the adaptation strategies of inhabitants and the forms of participation they adopt in tourism activities in Paris. As public policies have recently recognized the importance of taking into account inhabitants in the tourism development strategy in Paris and its suburbs, this paper proposes an analysis of the different forms of this participation and its stakes for the territories.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper gathers the first results of a thesis work in anthropology that is based on an ethnographic method combining participant observation, semi-directive interviews and bibliographic work. Observations took place in Paris and in several cities of the Grand Paris with inhabitants involved in tourism activities, or who are experiencing a difficult cohabitation with tourists in their neighborhoods. Thus, some 40 semi-directive interviews were conducted with inhabitants, members of associations and entrepreneurs. There were also participatory observation works within public institutions, mainly at the Paris City Hall, as well as interviews with dozens of tourism professionals from the private, public and associative sectors.
Findings
Not all residents have the same commitment to tourism and they do not all want to meet visitors. The relationship of inhabitants to tourism is complex and heterogenous. Nevertheless, this research shows that the roles played by inhabitants are multiple: producers of tourist services, ambassadors for their city or neighborhood, the permanent resident can also be seen as a product that attracts visitors, and as a tourist himself. The permanent resident offers the possibility of going off the beaten track, and promotes the revalorization of the identity of a territory and its inhabitants.
Originality/value
The originality of this research lies in the choice to focus primarily on the point of view of the visited population in a European capital. Ethnographic work allows for the observation and analysis of practices, in order to understand the stakes of visitor/visitor cohabitation and to anticipate possible movements of anti-tourist rejections.
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Hamed Mohammed Almuhrzi and Hamed Ibrahim Al-Azri
The purpose of this conference report is to provide an overview of the Second UNWTO/UNESCO World Conference on Tourism and Culture: Fostering Sustainable Development.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this conference report is to provide an overview of the Second UNWTO/UNESCO World Conference on Tourism and Culture: Fostering Sustainable Development.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a conference report that provides an overview of the Second UNWTO/UNESCO World Conference on Tourism and Culture: Fostering Sustainable Development. Based on the authors’ involvement in setting the scene for the conference and their attendance, they follow a thematic content analysis procedure to extract and synthesize the most important issues and concerns being discussed during the discussions and commentaries of the conference.
Findings
The report presents an overview of the conference, the main outcomes of its sessions and the main reoccurring themes during the conference’s sessions.
Originality/value
This is the first conference report on the Second UNWTO/UNESCO World Conference on Tourism and Culture: Fostering Sustainable Development.
Diogo Filipe Moleiro, Maria João Carneiro and Zélia Breda
This paper aims to provide an empirical analysis of residents’ perceptions and attitudes in the city of Aveiro, Portugal, regarding the appropriation of public spaces by tourists…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to provide an empirical analysis of residents’ perceptions and attitudes in the city of Aveiro, Portugal, regarding the appropriation of public spaces by tourists. An analysis of how the perceptions of this appropriation influence residents’ attitudes (RA) towards tourists, and even restructuring of space considering RA, is also presented. It is intended to do this based on a theoretical framework where tourism socio-cultural impacts on urban destinations are analysed with a focus on appropriation processes. Attitudes of residents are also examined.
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire survey (N = 301) was carried out with residents of the city of Aveiro, using a cluster sampling approach. The aim of the empirical study is to use multiple linear regression analyses to assess the extent to which the residents’ perceptions of tourists’ appropriation of public spaces influence the attitudes of the former towards the latter.
Findings
The results show that, overall, the residents consider that tourism has more positive than negative impacts. However, it can be observed that residents already perceive some negative impacts of tourism regarding the appropriation of space. Concerning RA, these tend to be more positive than negative. It can also be observed that various perceptions of appropriation of space significantly influence these attitudes. The paper ends with some guidelines for designing policies and strategies for tourism development that promote better use of public spaces by tourists.
Originality/value
Considering the limited empirical research on perceptions of appropriation of tourism space, the study carried out in this paper analyses the impact of a comprehensive set of residents’ perceptions regarding the appropriation of public space by tourists on various types of attitudes of residents towards tourists.
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Antonio-Miguel Nogués-Pedregal
This paper aims to show that tourism is one of the most perfect creations of the capitalist mode of production insofar as not only does it consume places and territories and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to show that tourism is one of the most perfect creations of the capitalist mode of production insofar as not only does it consume places and territories and perpetuate dependency relations, but in the expressive dimension, it also produces feelings and meanings and generates a new relationship of the past with the present and future (chronotope).
Design/methodology/approach
The study was carried out using a socio-anthropological approach with participant observation over several decades.
Findings
The modes of time are described and how the tourism chronotope shapes the historic centre of a consolidated tourist destination. The case study, analysed with the model of the “conversion of place through the mediation of tourism space”, illustrates the prevalence of instrumental and commercial values over one’s own aesthetic-expressive values in tourism contexts. This fact encourages the emergence of local political projects and the incorporation of uniformities outside the local place. These processes end up uprooting the anchors from collective memory. The definition of territories according to visitors’ imaginaries and expectations encourages the abusive occupation of public space and the adoption of new aesthetic attributes of urban space.
Research limitations/implications
Because of the chosen research approach and methodologies, the research results may lack generalisability. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to test both the model and the propositions further.
Originality/value
This study approaches the relationship of the idea Tourism with the idea Development based on the anchors of memory.
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Maria Teresa Gomes Leão and Filipa Aguiar Brandão
This study aims to illustrate the potential of the many centuries-old universities buildings, in European cities, in a historical, architectural, aesthetic and symbolic dimension…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to illustrate the potential of the many centuries-old universities buildings, in European cities, in a historical, architectural, aesthetic and symbolic dimension to diversify and differentiate urban tourist destinations supply.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a qualitative study supported by the analysis of public and classified documents, for which the main source is based on webography, and by conducting interviews.
Findings
The deficit of cultural tours, in the dimension of built heritage, is identified as one of the weaknesses of the city of Porto, as tourist destination, to be overcome. The interviewees are unanimous in recognizing the cultural, architectural and aesthetic impact of the historic buildings of the University of Porto, and most of them strongly agree with the integration of this legacy into the tourist offer of the city. The strategic sense of the heritage is emphasized, because of its location in charismatic areas of the city. The practice of effective networking, however, falls short of what is required to achieve ambitious and consistent objectives.
Research limitations/implications
The practice of effective networking, however, falls short of what is required to achieve ambitious and consistent objectives.
Originality/value
Emphasis is placed on the cities’ built heritage as a type of heritage that defines their uniqueness. The dissemination of cultural itineraries, which allows tourists and the community itself a broader and deeper cultural knowledge, contributes to the effective understanding of historic cities’ tourism. Given the scarcity of studies on the relationship between historic university buildings and tourism, the relevance of research focuses on highlighting the contribution of these cultural elements, through a network-based dynamic, to urban tourism destinations’ attractiveness. In particular, the University of Porto's potential for the integration of structured tourism products that contribute to the diversification and differentiation of the city of Porto as a destination is illustrated.
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José María Martín Martín, Juan F. Prados-Castillo, Mónica de Castro-Pardo and Juan De Dios Jimenez Aguilera
The expansion of online platforms for renting tourist accommodations has given rise to a great deal of controversy in society. Likewise, the arrival of tourists in residential…
Abstract
Purpose
The expansion of online platforms for renting tourist accommodations has given rise to a great deal of controversy in society. Likewise, the arrival of tourists in residential settings has led to a wide range of positive and negative impacts, resulting in conflicts between different stakeholders. The purpose of this paper is to analyze whether there is variation in the perception of the impacts associated with peer-to-peer accommodation platforms among different stakeholders? Additionally, it also seeks to investigate what kind of impacts generate the highest level of conflict among stakeholders?
Design/methodology/approach
Given the relative novelty of the problem, this paper proposes an exploratory study that sheds light on some of the main issues with the purpose of supporting further research in the future. The aim is to analyze which impacts are perceived as more positive or negative by each group and to create indexes of conflict for these groups regarding their perception of the impacts. This study is based on fieldwork carried out in April 2020, which consists of 600 online surveys of local residents in the city of Granada. This city, one of Spain’s main tourist spots, suffers the highest tourist pressure in the country.
Findings
The exploratory study suggests that the greatest consensus is generated in the assessment of economic impacts, either negative or positive. The greatest conflicts are related to the assessment of the effect of this activity on housing preservation. The group comprising accommodation owners of tourist flats is the one that shows a more dissenting opinion from the rest, confronting especially the group formed by citizens whose income depends on tourism.
Originality/value
There is a lack of studies on the perception of tourism impacts associated with online tourism rental platforms. This is the first study to analyze both, how the main stakeholders associated with this activity assess the different impacts derived from this form of tourist accommodation as a whole and the conflicts derived from such an assessment. An additional innovation is that the analysis investigates the potential fear of disease transmission caused by tourists. It would be interesting to continue this research by applying the same questionnaire in different environments, such as rural areas or societies with different structures from the one analyzed here. Likewise, future in-depth analysis of some of the conflicts is recommended so as to ascertain their origin.
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