The COST Action on Tourism Impacts aims to foster collaboration between various fields and organizations to jointly develop an overarching framework for assessing and improving the impacts of tourism. Working Groups Join the COST Action If you are interested in joining the COST Action on Tourism Impacts, please contact us by filling out the form…
Tourism serves as a significant driver of economic growth, providing substantial revenues, employment opportunities, and investments to local destination communities. However, unplanned levels of tourism activity often lead to negative social, cultural, environmental, and psychological outcomes for destination communities, adversely affecting residents’ quality of life, health, and well-being. Current approaches to evaluating the impacts of tourism…
Venice is stepping up its efforts to manage overtourism by introducing new regulations aimed at reducing noise and preserving the city’s historic charm. Among the measures are bans on the use of loudspeakers by tourist groups and restrictions on noisy tourist parties and pub crawls. These rules are part of a broader initiative to address…
In response to the growing issue of overtourism, residents of Barcelona have adopted a creative and unconventional method to express their frustrations—using water guns to playfully deter tourists. This form of protest has emerged as a reaction to the overwhelming influx of visitors that has crowded neighborhoods, strained public services, and altered the city’s cultural…
Valencia has announced new measures to address the rising issue of overtourism, following similar initiatives by Barcelona. The city’s plan includes tightening controls on short-term rental licenses and limiting the number of tourist accommodations, particularly in neighborhoods heavily impacted by tourism. This move aims to protect the quality of life for residents while ensuring that…
At the UN Tourism headquarters in Madrid, a significant gathering took place to mark a milestone in the global tourism sector. Ambassadors to Spain from 24 Member States, including His Excellency Farrukh Tursunov, Ambassador of Uzbekistan, and Rosario Sánchez Grau, Spain’s Secretary of State for Tourism, were welcomed by UN Tourism leadership to look ahead…
Booking.com, in collaboration with UN Tourism, has launched a new series of online training sessions aimed at transforming sustainability in the hospitality industry. These courses, hosted on the Tourism Online Academy (TOA)—a collaborative project between UN Tourism and IE University—focus on key areas such as community engagement, energy and greenhouse gases, food, and water management….
The paper by Dr. Maksim Godovykh (2024) investigates the concept of transformative experiences in tourism, aiming to understand where, when, with whom, and how these personal transformations occur during travel. The study emphasizes that transformative experiences are profound changes in a person’s perspectives, values, or behaviors, often triggered by unique travel contexts and interactions. Contexts…
The study by Godovykh, Ridderstaat, and Fyall (2023) examines how tourism development affects the well-being and happiness of local residents, distinguishing between long-term and short-term effects. The research underscores the importance of evaluating tourism beyond economic benefits, focusing on its broader social and emotional impacts. Short-Term Benefits of Tourism In the short term, the study…
The study by Godovykh, Fyall, and Baker (2024) delves into the impact of sustainable hotel badges on guest perceptions and behaviors. It examines how sustainability certifications influence guests’ attitudes toward hotels and their booking intentions. By analyzing guest responses to sustainability labels, the researchers aimed to understand the role these badges play in shaping consumer…
