The Discourse on Sustainable Urban Tourism: The Need for Discussing More Than Overtourism

Abstract

The journal Sustainability has previously published special issues on sustainable tourism and on sustainable cities (both in 2014). This special issue presents recent insights from combining the two research topics. There is some convergence with respect to core challenges that sustainable urban tourism is facing. Firstly, relating to social sustainable development, there is the tension between the quality of life for residents in different ways and the development of cities to benefit the tourism industry. Secondly, relating to environmental sustainable development, there is the tension between residents and their desire for good local environmental standards and visiting tourists that create a number of over-tourism related local environmental problems. Thirdly, there are the challenges that so far have received less attention, but obviously are expected to become crucial in the years to come: The double climate change provides risks to cities from a changing climate and from more ambitious climate policies to come.Sustainability 2019, 11, 4228 2 of 12 what sustainable urban tourism can entail. In doing so, a broad approach to sustainability has been applied by including both the environmental, social and economic aspects of sustainable development.The journal Sustainability has previously published two special issues of relevance in this context-on sustainable tourism [10] and on sustainable cities [11]. This special issue tries to develop insights from these two previous special issues further and combines the perspectives already touched upon in the two previous special issues. Urbanisation and Urban Tourism are IncreasingAccording to EU statistics, urban areas accounted for almost two thirds of the total number of tourist nights spent in EU member states in 2014. Tourism statistics show an increase in urban tourism and higher occupancy rates in urban areas compared to suburban and rural areas [12]. This can be explained by at least three driving factors. Firstly, by a general global increase in mobility; i.e., a combination of an increase in mobility demand from both the private and public consumers, and an increase in mobility supply by means of an increased mobility capacity of all means of transportation, in particular aviation [13]. Secondly, an increasing share of the world's population live in urban settlements, and these figures are expected to increase further. The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) presents on a regular basis estimates on urbanisation prospects, with the latest being published in 2018. According to DESA, 55 % of the world's population are residing in urban areas in 2018, which can be compared with a corresponding figure of 30 % in 1950 and an expectancy of 68 % in 2050. According to DESA, this development is mainly driven by population increases and by the upward shift in the percentage living in urban areas [14]. Thirdly, business trips, which are included in the above cited statistics, usually take place in urban areas [15]. This segment of tourism ha...

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