Abstract
“Travel has the power to change the world,” the slogan goes, but for many global tourist destinations, that change has been for the worse. Worldwide international tourist arrivals have surpassed prepandemic levels. Why does it matter? Because tourism is one of the fastest-growing global economic sectors and a staple for many countries. This paper sketches factors leading to the current phenomenon, “overtourism,” and asks the question, What is the antidote to contemporary overtourism? How can we ameliorate the negative social impact of this consumer behavior? “Soft,” “medium,” and “hard” solutions are offered, but the Smith model, “Frequency of types of tourists and their adaptations to local norms,” suggests that only hard approaches are viable, “better destination management.” If media helps to create a self-reinforcing loop of images in the marketing of tourist sites around the world, then can effective advertising re-shape those images and, along with hard approaches, shift tourism patterns and alter tourist behavior?
Presenters
Jon R. WendtFaculty, Communication Studies Department, Century College, Minnesota, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Critical Issues in Tourism and Leisure Studies
KEYWORDS
Overtourism, Revenge tourism, Cruise industry, Film tourism, Overcrowding, Environmental damage
