Urban tourism at a crossroads

Abstract

The city of Macau was a territory under Portuguese rule for more than 400 years until it was returned to China in 1999. The postcolonial government liberalized its casino industry in 2002 while aggressively positioned the city as the world’s casino capital. However, there is a growing concern of overtourism as well as the impacts of new tourism products on locals. This chapter focuses on the diversification and transformation of Macau through extensive research on the perceived carrying capacity for the Dragon Boat Museum proposal located in the defunct shipyard. Social carrying capacity and physical carrying capacity are carefully addressed through in-depth interviews. The results reveal that residents’ rights, co-creation, place attachment, and authenticity construct their attitudes toward new tourism development. Although the adaptive reuse of the defunct shipyard appears to be a good idea for the community, limited knowledge about the project on the part of local residents clearly reflects their alienation from local government and tourism businesses. The social carrying capacity is shown by strong residents’ right, co-creation, and place attachment for this isolated neighborhood, while physical carrying capacity is affirmed by the meaning of authenticity.