The World Tourism Organization suggests that understanding local residents is key to addressing overtourism. This is easier said than done.
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The World Tourism Organization suggests that understanding local residents is key to addressing overtourism. This is easier said than done.
Tourism studies show that residents are a highly heterogeneous group and their support for or opposition to tourism varies based on economic dependency on tourism, seasonality, level of education and where they live.
Research has also shown that residents’ attitudes towards tourists are not always rational but can be influenced by ideology.
For instance, younger people in Hong Kong were found to be less favourable towards tourists from mainland China, possibly due to their experience during the Umbrella Revolution. In contrast, older people in Vietnam displayed more hostility towards Chinese tourists, potentially due to memories of the Sino-Vietnamese War of 1979.
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