Tourist Impact in the Historic Centre of Prague: Resident and Visitor Perceptions of the Historic Built Environment

Abstract

a focus of tourist activity and is widely considered a compulsory part of any visit to Prague. In short, there is clearly a definable historic core which has long been the overwhelming focus of tourist activity in the city (see Fig. 1). Since the collapse of communism at the end of the 1980s, cities in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe have undergone a process of rapid transition. With the opening up of these countries to the influence of mass international tourism, related land-use change in historic city centres has emerged as a key aspect of post-socialist urban restructuring. Whilst sharing common themes, the impact of tourism in historic cities is inherently place specific. Prague's historic env¢onment is imbued with significant social, political and cultural meanings, which have become all the more important as the Czech Republic struggles to maintain its cultural identity within the processes of globalization and European integraiion. The complex intelplay of tourism and historic preservation lies at the centre of the management of urban conflict in historic European cities (Ashworth and Tunbridge, 1990). In the first instance, tourism can be regarded as a threat to the historic fabric. Conversely, however, the economic gains incurred by tourism's accompanying development can directly and indirectly finance the required conservation measures.