Museums and Coping with Overtourism

Abstract

Newer strains of tourism research are often aimed at finding out good practices for dealing with overtourism and propose a broader understanding of stakeholders of sustainable tourism development. Drawing on qualitative empirical findings from two institutions located in major tourism hubs in Poland, the authors inquire to what extent negative impacts of overtourism can be mitigated by museums. As the findings indicate, museums provide the commercial sector with good examples of conservation and adaptation of historic buildings to contemporary functions and encourage environmentally friendly behaviors. They can contribute to the quality of heritage narration and the quality of merchandise offered to tourists. They may have an impact on community cohesion and local residents’ quality of life as well as encourage immaterial heritage practices. Lastly, museums may exert indirect impact on transformations of urban space by getting involved in strategic planning and discussions on contemporary challenges of urban development.

Has COVID-19 brought a temporary halt to overtourism?

“…The year 2018 witnessed the movement of approximately 1.4 billion international tourists globally, and the target set for 2020 was swiftly achieved in 2018 itself. This unprecedented growth in the sector delivered not only economic benefits but also negative effects on communities (Murzyn-Kupisz, Holuj, 2020;Perkumienė, Pranskūnienė, 2019), the environment (Benner, 2019;Weber et al, 2017) and on destinations themselves. Several famous destinations like Venice, Barcelona, Maya Bay in Thailand, Dubrovnik, Amsterdam, and Machu Pichu had been significantly affected by the unprecedented growth in tourism and tourists.…”

A Spatial History of Independent Art Spaces in Krakow from the 1970s to 2019

“…In this context, I was interested where subsequent generations of independent artistic initiatives were located during the last five decades, both within the urban structure and within the built environment. It was reflected in my interest in studying how different independent endeavours were using meanings associated with various parts of the city in their artistic practices and which were evolving during the period under study (Górka 2004;Murzyn 2006;Smagacz 2008;Zwiech 2018). Additionally, their location was put in relation to the clusters of galleries emerging after 1989, when both non-profit art spaces and commercial galleries were allowed to operate without political constraints (Działek 2021).…”

“…It was originally a separate medieval town incorporated into Krakow at the end of the 18th century and known until the Second World War as the home of Krakow's large Jewish community. After 1989 it became, in the Central European context, an outstanding example of the urban transformation of a neglected quarter after decades of decline (Murzyn 2006;Smagacz 2008).…”

“…Later in the mid-1990s, they were followed by a small group of art establishments that were invoking the Jewish heritage of this neighbourhood in their programming. The tragic wartime past and the decay of the quarter which followed were also drawing the attention of the independent art spaces that began to penetrate deeper into the district and, together with other alternative art establishments, started to shape its new alluring image (see Murzyn 2006). One of pioneers was the artist-run space Otwarta Pracownia (literally Open Atelier), which was established in 1995 (active as of 2019) in the premises of an abandoned store on the main street of this, then considered dangerous, district of Krakow.…”

Czy pandemia COVID-19 czasowo zatrzymała zjawisko overtourism?

“…W ciągu ostatniej dekady niekontrolowany rozwój branży turystycznej przyciągał coraz więcej inwestorów (World Tourism Organization, 2004). W 2018 r. mogliśmy zaobserwować przepływ ok. 1,4 mld turystów międzynarodowych na całym świecie, a tym samym został wówczas osiągnięty cel wyznaczony na 2020 r. Ten bezprecedensowy wzrost w sektorze przyniósł nie tylko korzyści gospodarcze, lecz również negatywne skutki dla lokalnych społeczności (Murzyn-Kupisz, Holuj, 2020;Perkumienė, Pranskūnienė, 2019), środowiska (Benner, 2019;Weber i in., 2017), a także samych miejscowości wypoczynkowych. W kilku bardziej znanych, jak: Wenecja, Barcelona, Maya Bay w Tajlandii, Dubrownik, Amsterdam i Machu Picchu, zaczęto bardzo odczuwać niespotykany dotąd rozwój turystyki i wzrost liczby turystów.…”