Resumen de Destinations versus living environments: the clash over concurrent claims among different interest groups in cities
Andreas Kagermeier, Eva Erdmenger
In recent years, overtourism has become a major issue, especially in some wellknown cities. After all, besides being destinations for urban tourists, cities also provide a living environment for the residents of those cities. Based on findings from German cities, this article places special emphasis on the question of the extent to which it is possible to identify and develop proactive, comprehensive approaches to integrating residents’ sentiments about tourism and its growth. Findings generated in focus group interviews conducted in Munich showed that there was little interest or willingness among the population to express minor irritations and feelings of unease or discomfort. The local population only expresses its problems and complaints once a certain threshold is crossed. By the time the local population has voiced its concerns about perceived visitor pressures and the negative effects of tourism, it is too late to implement pre-emptive approaches. For this reason, it is crucial to develop early-warning, low-threshold approaches which ensure that the local population’s sentiments are heard before they become in the subject of local government discourse – often transformed into the hostile rejection of tourists. At the same time, it may also be necessary to integrate local residents into decision-making processes to dampen “overtourism perception syndrome”.
