Challenges of urban tourism: A systematic review of impacts on sense of place and placemaking

Abstract

Urban tourism is a growing sector globally that offers several economic and social advantages. Regrettably, the growing trend of urban tourism has created several effects on urban living across various contexts, presenting numerous challenges for sustainable urban development. Placemaking is a concept focused on developing enjoyable, vibrant, and versatile environments for people, primarily encompassing tourism activities and public spaces. However, the concept of placemaking has also faced challenges due to the current trends in urban tourism, negatively affecting the sense of place. Sustainable places cannot be developed or maintained without fostering a sense of place and honouring place relationships. Therefore, this study addresses the subject of urban tourism and its impact on the sense of place and the placemaking concept. The objective of this research is to critically review and identify the challenges of urban tourism that impact the sense of place and placemaking, to provide effective recommendations to address the concerns connected with urban tourism while simultaneously restoring the sense of place for enhanced urban living quality. To comprehend the whole context, the research conducts a systematic literature review following the PRISMA systematic research protocol. This is an ongoing literature review and initial abstract screening of 37 papers, which has been completed. After the initial abstract screening step, the examination of 24 full-text studies is presently in progress, revealing some preliminary descriptive coding. Identified challenges through descriptive coding include spatial reconfiguration, housing market pressures, resident displacement, lack of regulations, insufficient infrastructure, overtourism, a sense of exclusivity, degradation of local identity, and political conflicts. It is expected to provide findings relevant to the challenges of urban tourism, sense of place, and placemaking, and those findings will be synthesised, leading to recommendations for reducing the challenges of urban tourism. Consequently, this review expects to provide significant findings for the research domain of sustainable urban tourism development, sense of place, and placemaking contributing to global sustainable urban development.