De-marketing is the key to solving the over tourism debate, according to academic Simon Hudson.
Mr Hudson, a tourism professor at the University of South Carolina said: “research shows if residents and workers are not content, then the tourists won’t be. There’s a definite link to that, particularly in destinations that have become over-reliant on tourism. Marketing — particularly how a destination markets itself and to what types of tourists — is one of the first areas that tourism authorities should evaluate when tourism success has created negative impacts for residents.
De-marketing is a short-term strategy that can be effective in tourism dispersal. De-marketing doesn’t mean negative marketing or not accepting tourists; it simply means directing tourism demand to alternative destinations. Spanish tourism authorities, for example, could direct tourists to cities outside of Barcelona, where anti-tourism protests have recently made headlines.
In an overt example of changing a marketing target, earlier this year Miami Beach famously broke up with spring break. In a video that went viral, the city told the set of notoriously rowdy travellers, one the beach destination has attracted for decades, to stay home. Miami Beach enforced curfews, banned alcohol consumption and loud music on beaches, reiterated its ban on short-term rentals and implemented strict traffic regulations during peak travel days in March.
Another short-term strategy is to raise tourist taxes and prices during the peak season when demand is highest, while likely effective, the tactic does punish tourists, potentially limiting the ability of people to travel.
Higher taxes would be better embraced if there was more transparency in how that revenue directly benefits residents, tourists and the communities in question.
Aruba’s putting another $20 tax as you come through the airport — they’re calling it a sustainability fee — and that’s fine if it’s used visibly for sustainability and benefits the residents and gives them a better lifestyle. But unfortunately, in many destinations those taxes disappear to pay for something else.
Short-term strategies need to work in conjunction with midterm and long-term ones, in order to comprehensively manage tourism in any destination.
A midterm strategy might involve school systems changing holiday break schedules to better diversify when families travel together, he said. Educating travellers on lesser-travelled destinations, or “dupes,” is another example.
Long-term strategies, Tosun said, aim to alter a society’s systemic behaviours that may contribute to and exacerbate the challenges stemming from a destination’s tourism success. Education plays a huge role in how attitudes toward travel and tourism are shaped and later adopted by travellers.
Long-term strategies change the mindset of the ‘mass-consumption society’; we need to prepare the younger generations to avoid overconsumption and be responsible,” Tosun said, adding that if more people “consume less, waste less, pay more and share more,” it could provide a new model and direction for the next generation of travellers.
Research indicates that currently, there is more intention than action on that front. A Kantar market research study this year revealed that 82pc of travellers said sustainability is important to them, but only 22pc have actually changed their behaviour.
Wonderful Copenhagen, the Danish capital’s tourism arm, is bridging that gap through a new programme called CopenPay, which will reward tourists for green behaviour when visiting the city, such as biking or taking the train. The point is to change the mindset of tourists and encourage sustainable behaviour, which officials there say they’ve recognized as a missing link. Is it easy to change your mindset? No, but it’s not impossible.
The effort to better manage tourism and improve the quality of life for locals, businesses, and tourists requires accurate identification and treatment of tourism-related issues at short-term, midterm, and long-term levels.
Residents should be involved early and often in the tourism management process as their contentment directly impacts the satisfaction of tourists.
Marketing strategies, such as de-marketing to disperse tourism demand to alternative destinations, can help alleviate negative impacts on residents in over-touristed areas.
Short-term strategies like raising tourist taxes during peak seasons and ensuring transparency in revenue usage can benefit residents, tourists, and communities, while long-term strategies focus on educating travellers for more responsible and sustainable travel behaviours.
Lawmakers and destination management companies need to more accurately identify and effectively treat tourism-related issues at the short-term, midterm and long-term levels.”
