Urban Tourism Planning Research Articles

INCREASING THE MARKETABILITY POTENTIAL OF CITIES

Cities promote and brand to attract residents and investors. Planners and officials must adopt these methods. Image matters. Strengthen every asset to boost city perception (residents but also potential residents and visitors). Today, a city's "image" can influence visitors, investors, and even its residents more than its actuality. Marketing helps cities become post-industrial tourist, culture, and redevelopment hubs. Urban tourism is also influencing local government economic development policies. Attracting tourists is harder in the globalised economy. City marketing and city branding matters here. This paper discusses city marketing's role in urban governance. It examines city marketing and urban tourism planning. The study concludes that city marketing is important in urban planning by examining its relationship to city time planning, participatory planning, and urban regeneration. Keywords: City Marketing, Urban Planning, Tourism Planning, City Branding

Mobility Patterns of International Tourists: Implications for Responsible Urban Tourism

Up until the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the rapid growth of tourism in popular urban destinations around the globe saw the effects of chronic overcrowding and the breaching of acceptable limits of change imposed on local communities. Overtourism became prominent, intensifying amplified calls for planning and development regimes that emphasize responsible and sustainable tourism growth. In Japan, the term “tourism pollution” emerged as a response to untrammeled growth in cities like Kyoto, Tokyo and Osaka. Understanding the mobility of international tourists in urban contexts is raised here as one way to come to terms with urban overcrowding, particularly in hotspots where popular attractions predominate. In examining international tourist mobility, we argue that spatial and temporal behaviors can be constructive toward the responsible planning and development of urban tourism. Japan’s second most populated city Osaka is the context for this research with GPS big data collected in partnership with one of the country’s foremost navigation app developers. American, Chinese, and South Korean tourist mobility patterns were observed with the evidence pointing out that overcrowding evident at iconic attractions was largely influenced by public transport networks in the city. Evidently, there were distinct differences between the three groups of tourists highlighting that spatio-temporal behavior varied according to the tourist’s country of origin. The findings from this research are instructive to urban tourism stakeholders including policy makers, destination marketing organizations (DMOs), and public transport providers and can help inform responsible and sustainable urban tourism planning and development.

Serious gaming to stimulate participatory urban tourism planning

This paper examines how a serious game approach could support a participatory planning process by bringing stakeholders together to discuss interventions that assist the development of sustainable urban tourism. A serious policy game was designed and played in six European cities by a total of 73 participants, reflecting a diverse array of tourism stakeholders. By observing in-game experiences, a pre- and post -game survey and short interviews six months after playing the game, the process and impact of the game was investigated. While it proved difficult to evaluate the value of a serious game approach, results demonstrate that enacting real-life policymaking in a serious game setting can enable stakeholders to come together, and become more aware of the issues and complexities involved with urban tourism planning. This suggests a serious game can be used to stimulate the uptake of academic insights in a playful manner. However, it should be remembered that a game is a tool and does not, in itself, lead to inclusive participatory policymaking and more sustainable urban tourism planning. Consequently, care needs to be taken to ensure inclusiveness and prevent marginalization or disempowerment both within game-design and the political formation of a wider participatory planning approach.

Overtourism in urban destinations: the myth of smart solutions

The rapid increase in urban tourism flows generates problems of tourist overcrowding and gives rise to important challenges for city management. Within this context, urban tourism planning is experiencing a convergence of new paradigms related to the so-called Smart Tourist Destinations (SD). Smart tourism and its operational level open up new avenues for intervention in the city which can help to manage overtourism. Therefore, the objective of this study is to analyse the level of implementation of smart solutions in four Spanish destinations: Donostia-San Sebastián, Madrid, Málaga and Valencia. The methodology used combines the compilation of information on initiatives and measures found in public tourism planning documents with semi-structured interviews with those responsible for managing the Smart City strategy and the SD project. The results reveal that there is a gap between the SD approaches, the level of implementation of smart solutions and their operability in relation to the management of tourist overload. Almost no technological solutions have been developed to address this issue, which is barely perceived as a problem by local governments. However, the need to generate knowledge that is useful for managing tourist overload constitutes a challenge faced by a growing number of destinations.

Urban tourism, aerotropolis and local economic development planning: Ekurhuleni and O.R. Tambo International Airport, South Africa

Abstract One vibrant topic within the emerging scholarship around geographies of tourism development and planning concerns that of tourism and local economic development planning. Across many countries tourism is a core base for planning of place-based local economic development programmes. In post-apartheid South Africa the country’s leading cities have promoted tourism as part of economic development programming. This article examines planning for South Africa’s aerotropolis around the O.R. Tambo International Airport in Ekurhuleni, which is adjacent to Johannesburg. Under circumstances of economic distress and the need for new sources of local job creation Ekurhuleni is undertaking planning for tourism development through leveraging and alignment to aerotropolis planning. The nexus of aerotropolis and urban tourism planning is analysed. Arguably, the strengthening of tourism in Ekurhuleni offers the potential for contributing towards inclusive development goals.

Residents’ Involvement in Urban Tourism Planning: Opportunities from a Smart City Perspective

In this paper, we speculate that new advances in technologies will reshape tourism planning and residents engagement in many ways which subsequently will help cities to work towards sustainable urban planning practices. The paper addresses the question how should destinations prepare themselves for being ‘smart’ and responsive to co-participative tourism planning? The paper reviews the most relevant literature on the topics of resident’s attitude towards tourism, residents’ involvement and smart cities. Furthermore, examples are provided of cities who through the implementation of smart principles, plan specific domains in their cities with their residents. Important questions related to managerial challenges and residents-related challenges and set a general research avenues are set out. City planners can use this paper to start designing their strategies to effectively involve and collaborate with residents at the intersection of ICT and tourism in their cities.

Landscape Optimization in a Highly Urbanized Tourism Destination: An Integrated Approach in Nanjing, China

Planning and developing urban tourism destinations must encompass landscape optimization to achieve healthy urban ecosystems, as well as for evolution sustainability. This study explored sustainable landscape planning by examining the optimization of landscape spatial distribution in an urban tourism destination–Nanjing, China—using an integrated approach that included remote sensing (RS), geographic information system (GIS), and landscape metrics in the context of an urban tourism destination evolution model. Least-cost modeling in GIS was also used to optimize decision-making from an ecological perspective. The results indicated that landscapes were more homogenous, fragmented, and less connected. Except for the eastern area, the landscape evolution showed characteristics of both degeneration and growth. A complete greenway network including sources, greenways, and nodes were constructed, and an increase in natural landscapes was strongly recommended. The findings provide geographic insights for sustainable urban tourism planning and development via comprehensive methodological applications.

Outlining triple bottom line contexts in urban tourism regeneration

This viewpoint offers perspective on pressing issues concerning urban tourism planning, policy and development. This paper outlines how different approaches and contexts of urban tourism regeneration, planning and development are considered in relation to the triple bottom line. Triple bottom line approaches are widely recognized by scholars, teachers, planners and businesses in the area of tourism when planning for sustainable tourism futures. While notions of people, profit and planet are important to conceptually outline, it is important to reflect on the recent literature and examples that emphasise contexts of sustainability. It must be noted that sustainability is often regarded as a term that looks at the environment and financial growth. Increasingly, researchers are focusing on social impacts seeking to address opportunities such as new enterprises, volunteering, education and training, in addition to restored place and community pride. This viewpoint attempts to present perspectives and encourage directions to further consider in urban tourism research, with an emphasis on sustainability and regeneration.

Codification of Strategy of Urban Tourism Development in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province

Industrial tourism is reliable for earning production of many countries. However, for purpose of preventing waste of resources and actualization of capabilities, codifying strategies and determining their priorities would be necessary. Chahar Mahal and Bakhtiari province has not been already considered desirably with high growth of tourism compared to other provinces of Iran. The main objective of the present study is codifying strategy of urban tourism planning with case study of Chahar mahal and Bakhtiari Province. Applied method in this study is a combination of descriptive and analytical methods with applied orientation and statistical population of the study includes experts and scholars of the province in field of tourism management and strategic management, which has reached to 53 persons using snowball sampling method. Obtained results from the study indicate that strategic priorities of urban tourism planning in Chahar Mahal and Bakhtiari Province respectively from the highest to lowest level include studying and implementing the plan of equipping tourism orientation for supplying support services of regional tourism; studying and designing construction of park and camp of tourism in talented regions; studying and implementing comprehensive tourism plan in

Exploring Residents' Perceptions and Participation on Tourism and Waterfront Development: The Case of Manado Waterfront Development in Indonesia

Waterfront development is acknowledged as being significant to urban tourism planning, and ideally, the involvement of local community should be required in the development program. Although the residents’ participation in many development projects has been widely discussed, it is found that there is little story of success concerning the implementation of residents’ participation in waterfront development. This research attempts to answer the question of what and how the residents' perceptions toward the waterfront development in the context of participation, impacts and tourism development in Manado, Indonesia. The principles of local participation are assessed in a situation in which there is tension between the achievement of socio-economic benefits and the protection of environmental quality. This research involved fieldwork comprising questionnaire surveys, interviews and on-site observations that used to provide evidences of waterfront development in Manado and decision-making process that preceded it. This study reveals that waterfront development is a key element which determines the future of the city. The Manado waterfront is the focus of trade and business, as well as tourism and recreational activities for residents and visitors. The importance of the initiative demands that all residents should have an opportunity to participate in making the decisions which will greatly influence their future. Thus, broader and deeper participation would have been and would still be desirable in the Manado case.

Repositioning of Barcelona's Image in the Light of a Redefinition of the Urban Tourism Planning Model

Barcelona's city tourism model over the last fifteen years has chalked up many successes in terms of soaring tourist numbers, overnight stays, cruise liner passengers, hotel beds and visits to priced sights. Growth in city breaks has soared to the point where Barcelona has become one of Europe's most visited cities. But this growth has come at a heavy price: mass tourism, concentration in certain neigh- bourhoods, competition for space between tourists and residents, lack of adequate inter-modal transport. All of these problems threaten Barcelona's competitive position. The paper reviews the city's competitiveness, comparing Barcelona to ten other European cities. Starting out from a qualitative analysis of internal players and a Delphi Study with external players, we find the city's tourism model needs correcting. We also identify the vectors and most important factors for achie- ving this repositioning. The vectors reinforce the competitiveness concerning the model's sustainability, integrated management and governance, and client orientation. The proposed strategic repositioning will

Theming cities, taming places: insights from singapore

This paper explores the ‘thematic development’ of Singapore's Little Historic District and the socio‐spatial effects of this thematic enhancement scheme. Specifically, I argue that when landscapes are ‘themed’, which is often the case in urban tourism planning, places will be ‘tamed’ as a result. This argument is substantiated by the case of Singapore's Little India which was designated a historic district in 1989. I contend that as Little India is redeveloped as an Indian theme district with a mix of modern and traditional activities, it is tamed in three ways. The taming process is exemplified by: (1) a decline in traditional Indian‐owned retail outlets and activities; (2) Little India's conversion into a retail attraction rather a place of residence; and (3) a dimming of its rich Indian cultural identity. The taming of activities, community and identity, I shall show, has also generated vociferous reactions from the grass‐roots which can be described as anything but tame. Indeed, as gross‐roots agencies (comprising merchants and residents) resist the government's development approach, there has been a fundamental rethinking of what Little India means to its people and a re‐evaluation of their communal ties to the place. As a result, a reassertion of Indian identity and community occurs even as Little India is being themed and tamed.