Sustainable Practices in Tourism Hotspots
Khanal, Arun (2025)
2025
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202505079800
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202505079800
Tiivistelmä
This thesis focused on the economic, sociocultural, and environmental effects of overtourism in Paris, Barcelona, and Venice. The study's objectives were to assess how well-suited the current sustainable practices are to addressing these problems and to offer practical suggestions for establishing a balance between the expansion of tourism and the preservation of the destination. Key questions concerning the effects of overtourism, the function of management policies, and lessons for popular tourist destinations around the world were covered in the study.
The Triple Bottom Line (economic, social, and environmental sustainability) and Doxey's Irritation Index, which describes local opinions toward tourism expansion, were among the sustainable tourism ideas that served as the study's foundation. Butler's Tourism Area Life Cycle (TALC) model was used to contextualize case studies in order to comprehend the stages of destination evolution and stagnation.
The study used netnography to examine discussions on TripAdvisor, Instagram, X (previously Twitter) and TikTok as well as a complementary survey with 23 participants, which was carried out in March and April of 2025. While the survey offered structured data about traveller behaviours and local experiences, netnography captured unfiltered stakeholder perspectives. Reliability had been established by triangulation.
Major environmental damage (such as canal erosion in Venice and beach pollution in Barcelona) and sociocultural tensions were caused on by overtourism, as locals protested rising living expenses and displacement. Economic benefits disproportionately favoured corporations over locals. Current policies (e.g., tourist taxes, cruise bans) were deemed insufficient by stakeholders. Respondents to the survey emphasized the importance of community involvement and stronger regulations.
The study concluded that more strong regulations, fair economic distribution, and substantial local involvement are necessary for sustainable tourism. Diversification of tourism revenue streams, eco-tax reinvestment, and visitor caps were among the recommendations. The results made it clear how urgent it is to deal with overtourism to protect these locations for coming generations.
The Triple Bottom Line (economic, social, and environmental sustainability) and Doxey's Irritation Index, which describes local opinions toward tourism expansion, were among the sustainable tourism ideas that served as the study's foundation. Butler's Tourism Area Life Cycle (TALC) model was used to contextualize case studies in order to comprehend the stages of destination evolution and stagnation.
The study used netnography to examine discussions on TripAdvisor, Instagram, X (previously Twitter) and TikTok as well as a complementary survey with 23 participants, which was carried out in March and April of 2025. While the survey offered structured data about traveller behaviours and local experiences, netnography captured unfiltered stakeholder perspectives. Reliability had been established by triangulation.
Major environmental damage (such as canal erosion in Venice and beach pollution in Barcelona) and sociocultural tensions were caused on by overtourism, as locals protested rising living expenses and displacement. Economic benefits disproportionately favoured corporations over locals. Current policies (e.g., tourist taxes, cruise bans) were deemed insufficient by stakeholders. Respondents to the survey emphasized the importance of community involvement and stronger regulations.
The study concluded that more strong regulations, fair economic distribution, and substantial local involvement are necessary for sustainable tourism. Diversification of tourism revenue streams, eco-tax reinvestment, and visitor caps were among the recommendations. The results made it clear how urgent it is to deal with overtourism to protect these locations for coming generations.