Deconcentration strategies as tools for preventing gentrification as perceived by residents of tourism destinations
Agnieszka Niezgoda
Profilo Orcid e 
Categoria dell'articolo: Research Article
Pubblicato online: 14 ott 2024
Pagine: 201 - 210
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/ijcm-2024-0015
Parole chiave
© 2024 Agnieszka Niezgoda et al., published by Sciendo
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Purpose
The issue of residents' attitudes is essential in the context of phenomena such as overtourism, tourismphobia, gentrification, and touristification at destinations. An important operation is the management of tourism flows (deconcentration strategies) to counteract negative phenomena. The purpose of this article is to assess the attitudes of residents of destinations of different sizes toward the activities of local government in regulating tourist traffic, which are understood as deconcentration strategies.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative research method using the focus group interview method (focus study) was applied. The survey was conducted with six groups of respondents from cities experiencing the effects of overtourism and small towns and villages where these effects are not apparent.
Findings
The survey showed that not all residents of large and well-known cities (Krakow and Tricity) and smaller towns are optimistic about the deconcentration strategy. In particular, residents of areas outside the centers of large cities do not want the dispersion of tourists.
Practical implications
There is a fundamental conclusion to be drawn about the need for sustainable management, in which citizens are active players at the planning level.
Social implications
This study has shown the need for public consultation before introducing deconcentration strategies, as residents of large well-known cities and smaller towns are not always favorably disposed toward the tourism management solutions implemented by local authorities.
Originality/value
Despite managing tourism and teasing out deconcentration strategies, the effectiveness of these measures is an emerging fundamental problem, particularly regarding the perceptions of residents.