An Analysis of the Factors behind the Citizen’s Attitude of Rejection towards Tourism in a Context of Overtourism and Economic Dependence on This Activity

José María Martín Martín, Jose Manuel Guaita Martínez and José Antonio Salinas Fernández
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José María Martín Martín: Department of Business, Faculty of Business and Communication, International University of La Rioja, Avenida de la Paz, 137, 26004 Logrono, Spain
Jose Manuel Guaita Martínez: Faculty of Business, Valencian International University, Carrer del Pintor Sorolla, 21, 46002 Valencia, Spain
José Antonio Salinas Fernández: Department of Spanish and International Economics, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Granada, Campus de Cartuja s/n, 18071 Granada, Spain

Sustainability, 2018, vol. 10, issue 8, 1-18

Abstract: New tourism trends, such as vacation rentals websites and low-cost tourism, have generated a new environment of interactions between tourism and the citizens. To this, we must add the fortuitous increase in demand in some touristic destinations. This has derived in situations of rejection in traditionally tourism-dependent environments. In this study, which is focused on the city of Barcelona, we use work-field data to analyze the elements that lie behind the popular aversion to tourism. Assuming a non-forced analysis that takes the Social Exchange Theory as a framework, we have determined that the negative economic effects derived from the increase in the number of accommodations destined for vacation rentals and in the demand lie behind this rejection. The main impacts that are perceived directly from these factors are: the increase in residential rentals prices and a shift from a traditional market to one oriented to the tourist with higher prices. It has also been determined that the most vulnerable population groups are those who manifest a stronger rejection, tenants of apartments in city centers, and citizens with a low/medium income, who perceive rises in the prices and a change in the market focus to a larger extent.

Keywords: social sustainability; tourism; sharing economy; economic impacts; overtourism; anti-tourism movements; tourism-phobia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (44)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:8:p:2851-:d:163172

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