Description
Book SynopsisBefore COVID-19 hit, the biggest problem in the world of travel was overtourism. Crowds threatened to spoil natural environments and make daily life unbearable for residents of popular travel destinations. Then, seemingly overnight, tourism nearly ceased. Yet there is no question that travel will resume; the only question is, when it does, what will it look like? Will we return to a world of overrun monuments, littered beaches, and gridlocked city streets? Or can we do things differently this time? Overtourism: Lessons for a Better Future charts a path toward tourism that is not only sustainable but regenerative for the places we love and the people who live there. Bringing together tourism officials, city council members, travel journalists, consultants, scholars, and trade association members, this practical book explores overcrowding from a variety of perspectives. After examining the causes and effects of overtourism, it turns to management approaches in five distinct types of tourism destinations: 1. historic cities; 2. national parks and protected areas; 3. World Heritage Sites; 4. beaches and coastal communities; and 5. destinations governed by regional and national authorities. While each location presents its own challenges, common mitigation strategies are emerging. Visitor education, traffic planning, and redirection to lesser-known sites are among the measures that can protect the economic benefit of tourism without overwhelming local communities. As tourism revives around the world, these innovations will guide government agencies, parks officials, site managers, civic groups, environmental NGOs, tourism operators, and others with a stake in protecting our most iconic places.
Table of ContentsForeword \ Elizabeth Becker Acknowledgments Chapter 1. A Growing Problem \ Arnie Weissmann Chapter 2. Historic Cities Chapter 2.1. Europe’s Historic Cities \ Francesca Street Chapter 2.2. Barcelona, Spain \ Albert Arias Sans, Aina Pedret, Natalia Sanchez Castro Chapter 2.3. Charleston, South Carolina \ Dan Riccio Chapter 2.4. Edinburgh, Scotland \ Aileen Lamb Chapter 3. National Parks and Protected Areas Chapter 3.1. US National Parks: The Unfatigued Allure of Wild Places \ Richard Bangs with Martha Honey Chapter 3.2. Brazil’s National Parks \ James R. Barborak, Juarez Michelotti, Thiago do Val Beraldo-Souza, Paulo Eduardo Pereira-Faria Chapter 3.3. Banff National Park, Canada \ Kaitlin Worobec Chapter 3.4. Serengeti National Park, Tanzania \ Dave Blanton Chapter 4. World Heritage Sites Chapter 4.1. Overtourism at World Heritage Sites \ Martha Honey Chapter 4.2. Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail \ Louise Norton Chapter 4.3. Luang Prabang, Laos \ Robyn Bushell Chapter 4.4. Mount Everest \ Birendra KC with Kelsey Frenkiel Chapter 5. Beaches and Coastal Communities Chapter 5.1. Beaches and Coastlines \ Andrea Sachs Chapter 5.2. The Galapagos \ Carter Hunt Chapter 5.3. Big Sur, California \ Roberta Atzori Chapter 5.4. Hawai’i \ Frank Haas Chapter 6. Destination Governance Chapter 6.1. Overtourism and Destination Governance \ Jonathan Tourtellot Chapter 6.2. Iceland \ Nathan Reigner, Maria Reynisdottir Chapter 6.3. Lake Tahoe, CA & Nevada \ Julie Regan Chapter 6.4. Colorado \ Cathy Ritter Chapter 6.5. New Zealand \ Andrea Insch Chapter 6.6. Trolltunga \ Christina Beckmann, Kaitie Worobec Chapter 7. From Overtourism to No Tourism: Finding a New Normal \ Martha Honey List of Acronyms List of Contributors About CREST Index
