Swedish travellers’ perceptions of urban overtourism with link to social density theory: conceptualisation and solutions

This paper aims to conceptualise Swedish travellers’ attitudes towards urban overtourism, linking these perceptions to Social Density Theory (SDT), and exploring their proposed solutions. The research used online surveys for data collection. A content analysis method was employed to analyse the quantitative data (answers to closed-ended questions) and qualitative data (answers to open-ended questions, and comments) in the survey. The analysis tool NVIVO 12 was used. The data comprised 370 completed online questionnaires. The respondents identified numerous urban destinations worldwide, mostly European, as suffering from overtourism. Their interactions with these destinations and with other tourists are often described as less pleasant. Most respondents viewed overtourism as a problem, while a minority perceived it as an opportunity. Both groups suggested a range of soft and hard measures to address this issue. This research offers theoretical and practical implications for tourism stakeholders and scientists who should consider travellers’ attitudes and propose solutions. It extends SDT by emphasising travellers’ perceptions of overcrowded urban environments and includes their solutions. The authors concluded that all involved actors need to approach the multifaceted problem of overtourism. The lack of insight into respondents’ behavioural patterns during and after their visits has been a limitation of this research.