62% of residents in Barcelona support tourism

Tourism in big cities has increased significantly over the last decade, to the extent that it has become one of the main driving forces behind progress and development in these urban areas. However, at the same time as this growth various social and residents' movements have emerged which advocate less mass tourism and oppose the gentrification of the districts that are most popular amongst travellers, due to the development model that this promotes, and the problems that it can cause.

A team of researchers from the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) studied the opinion of residents in those neighbourhoods in the city of Barcelona in order to obtain a better understanding of the phenomenon of overtourism in big cities.

"There's a difference in how residents perceive mass tourism in cities which is due to emotional response factors. This aspect has so far been considered to a limited extent in the study of overtourism," explained Francesc González Reverté, the lead author of this study, a researcher in the NOUTUR (New Perspectives in Tourism & Leisure) group at the UOC, and member of the university's Faculty of Economics and Business.

Residents' perceptions in these districts may include either a negative or a positive/accepting emotional response to the presence of tourists and tourism. "Various factors partially account for the emotional responses, such as proximity to areas receiving tourism and the activities carried out by tourists in those neighbourhoods of the city," was the explanation given by González for the different perceptions.

Perceptions of mass tourism

This study, which was carried out by surveying 450 Barcelona residents in the months leading up to the pandemic that began in early 2020, presents differences at various levels. Thanks to a psychosocial analysis of the residents' responses, the author has highlighted three profiles with different emotional responses to tourism, which are 'tourism supporters', 'neutral' and 'tourism-opposed'. 

In broad terms, 62% of residents are favourable to tourism, the neutrals account for 30%, while the tourism-opposed represent 7.5%. "We identified two profiles among the people favourable to tourism. We call the first category 'tourism supporters', whose emotional response is very positive, and others 'residents who support tourism', whose emotional response is clearly positive, although there are also some negative factors in their responses, such as the environmental impact," said the expert when providing a more in-depth understanding of this phenomenon of tourism, which is creating major problems in some big cities.

A key aspect for understanding the differences in the emotional responses between these profiles is the perception of the local community's loss of control over their place of residence, and the feeling of irritation caused by the presence of tourists or the inconvenience they represent for some residents. Meanwhile, within the positive emotional response, some residents react to the presence of tourists in such a way that they have already become familiar with tourism and find it natural, to the extent that they even consider it part of their daily landscape.

"Interestingly, some activities receive a particularly negative emotional response, even from the supporters of tourism, such as the presence of drunken tourists, underclothed tourists, and stag and hen parties. However, there are also some activities that are valued positively by all resident profiles, such as activities associated with consuming culture and walking and socializing in public spaces," said González.

Varied opinions

The authors of the study explained that there is a clear difference between people's perceptions and opinions depending on the district in which they live. For example, this study compares heavily touristed neighbourhoods such as Barceloneta, the Gothic Quarter and the area around the Sagrada Família with other much less touristed areas such as Sarrià, Vallcarca and Sant Andreu.

"In heavily touristed neighbourhoods, negative emotional reactions to the presence of tourists are more common, although not widespread, while in less touristed neighbourhoods positive or neutral emotional responses to tourism are more common," explained González. Moreover, residents opposed to tourism are much more numerous in heavily touristed neighbourhoods than in those that don't receive tourism, where attitudes favourable to tourism are predominant," pointed out the UOC member of faculty.

This UOC research contributes to achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs) 11, sustainable cities and communities, and 12, responsible production and consumption.

Reference

González-Reverté, Francesc. 2021. The Perception of Overtourism in Urban Destinations. Empirical Evidence based on Residents' Emotional Response, Tourism Planning & Development. DOI: 10.1080/21568316.2021.1980094

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