In search of overtourism indicators in urban centres

Abstract

Urban tourism is in constant growth. The increase in the number of tourists has a special impact on historic centres. Some problems related to overcrowding arise in these spaces, which represent important challenges for urban management. This chapter reflects on the need to define overtourism indicators that allow dimensioning the phenomenon and its impacts. But it also involves a deep reflection on the limits of application of these indicators. These limits derive from the absence of reference values and the operational difficulties to obtain data. First of all, the state of the art regarding the indicators is made. Secondly, based on a review of the existing bibliography, the next section raises some indicators of activity and tourism specialization. The focus is on European cities and the application of these indicators is shown in the historic centre of Madrid. Another section also looks at the perception of the phenomenon by different local stakeholders due to the absence of commonly accepted overtourism values, referring to these perceptions as valuation criteria.