Improving the resident–tourist relationship in urban hotspots

Abstract

High volumes of tourists often pose a threat to tourism and decrease the quality of life for local residents, particularly in attractive urban tourism places. Yet, to date only a few solution-oriented studies have attempted to alleviate the overtourism problems and to improve the resident-tourist relationship. This study aims to present potential solutions, based on data analytics. Combining venue-referenced social media data with topic modelling from a case study in Paris, this research reveals both similarities and differences in the temporal and spatial activity patterns of tourists and residents. Results offer strategic support to tourism planners on how to manage over-crowded urban tourism hotspots, which consequently facilitate the improvement of the resident–tourist relationship and improve destination attractiveness in the long run. Results further indicate that the exchange of social media-based information for residents and tourists are part of the practice-based solution for better sustainable tourism planning.