Luxury tourism and Alpine gentrification in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic

Magda Bolzoni, Giovanni Semi and Marta Tonetta

Chapter 21 in Handbook on Tourism Gentrification, 2025, pp 384-400 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: This chapter explores the issue of Alpine gentrification and luxury tourism, which have been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. We aim to illustrate the transformation of an area of the Alps long known as the "playground of Europe," particularly the northwestern Alps, which have served as an escape for urban elites from polluted and crowded cities for over two centuries. Entering the new millennium, these areas face significant transformations driven by climate change, economic and social inequalities and new health concerns. This chapter draws on both existing literature and original data gathered through multi-sited fieldwork in prime locations in France, Italy and Switzerland between 2021 and 2023. We demonstrate how a new wave of value extraction, driven by various actors, is contributing to widening social and spatial inequalities. Additionally, we highlight the significant role of digital technologies and platforms in structuring these dynamics, adding new dimensions to the understanding of platform urbanism.

Keywords: Gentrification; Luxury tourism; Alps; Pandemic; Housing; Platform urbanism (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
ISBN: 9781035327348
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