“Overtourism” en centros urbanos¿Qué opinan los técnicos de la administración local?

Laburpena

For decades a very positive view of the effects of tourism on the city has predominated, mainly as a vehicle for economic development. More recently, attention has been highlighted from various quarters to the more negative aspects of tourism with reference to processes of touristification, overtourism and/or tourism gentrification. However, the perception of these phenomena is not homogeneous, neither between different cities nor within the same city. This paper deals with the perception of local administration technicians on the effects of tourism in the historic centres of Spanish cities, a key factor in shaping the political agenda of those in charge of the institutions. To this end, a survey has been carried out among technicians whose work is directly or indirectly related to tourism. The results show a notable influence of tourism on different processes in urban centres, as well as a high degree of consensus on the positive effects generated by tourism. There is also agreement on the importance of thorough public control of the negative effects of tourism, which seem to be maintained or even increased in recent years. The results of the survey acknowledge some work by local governments to prevent or reduce such negative effects.