Abstract
This paper addresses the phenomenon of overtourism in Budapest from multiple perspectives, starting with an overview that uses information collected from news, media, and academic tourism literature. Further, the phenomenon of overtourism is addressed quantitatively using different indicators, including tourism density and intensity. According to these indicators, the center of Budapest (formed by districts I, V, VI, VII, VIII, and IX) has been strongly affected by the presence of tourists, while districts physically far from the center have been less affected. This fact suggests the heterogeneity of the city in terms of overtourism. The number one catalyst of the negative impacts of foreign visitors’ behavior is party tourism (‘ruin pub’ tourism), which involves an unconventional use of the Hungarian capital. Finally, using an unconventional optimization method called fuzzy linear programming, we attempt to explore the challenging problem of identifying the optimal number of tourists for the city. The results of the study have important theoretical, methodological, and practical implications. On the theoretical side, we offer a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon of overtourism in Budapest. Methodologically, the integrated approach in terms of data gathering and unconventional analytical methodologies (comprised of a case study analysis, the assessment of effective indicators for measuring the discussed phenomenon, and the demonstration of the sustainable number of visitors) represents a novel perspective about the extent of overtourism in Budapest. On the practical side, our findings provide valuable guidance for policymakers to help mitigate the problem of overtourism in the city. With regard to future research, we suggest extending and updating the results presented in this study to develop more sustainable tourism strategies.
Highlights
Airbnb units leveraged the number of tourists in Budapest, younger tourists whose units leveraged the number of tourists in Budapest, younger tourists whose main motives were having fun and partying in the so-called Jewish ghetto of Budapest, main motives were having fun and partying in the so-called Jewish ghetto of Budapest, located in the city center [9]
The government and Hungary’s tourism marketing organization, which covers Budapest, share responsibility for this boom in marketing organization, which covers Budapest, share responsibility for this boom in party party tourism due to the lack of a consistent and strong marketing campaign between the tourism due to the lack of a consistent and strong marketing campaign between the years years of 1990 and 2010 that resulted in an ambiguous brand image for the city [64,65]
An initial objective of the study was to examine how the selected urban destination is affected by overtourism
Summary
In 2019, Budapest was named the best destination in Europe, outranking classic urban destinations such as Paris, London, and Barcelona [1]. Within the same calendar year, the capital of Hungary ranked second on the “Best in Travel 2020” list, being awarded the title of the world’s most affordable large city [2]. The year 2019 witnessed unprecedented tourist traffic in Budapest and the Hungarian tourism sector enjoyed “a golden age” [3]. The contribution of tourism to GDP reached 13.2% in 2019 and the growth rate of the tourism sector exceeded both the EU and worldwide average [4]
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