Ko Koens, Professor for New Urban Tourism at Inholland University of Applied Sciences in Rotterdam, talked with the Catholic University Eichstätt-Ingolstadt. By answering three key questions, he explains some of the central qualities of new urban tourism. You can find the short interview here.
Urban talk: “(New) Urban Tourism as a Matter of Urban Development”, Christoph Sommer
Friday, May 17th, 2023, 6.00 p.m. | floating university, Lilienthalstraße 32, Berlin
In terms of visitor numbers, “post-COVID” Berlin is nearly back on track as a thriving tourist city. This is a good moment to reflect on what can be learned from the media-hyped “overtourism”-debate and its connection with the idea of ‘New Tourism Areas’ (Maitland/Newman 2009). Using Berlin as a case, the lecture initially introduces both phenomena as an expression of a – historically – unique tourism intensity.
https://habitat-unit.de/en/events/urban-talk-50-cristoph-sommer/It is claimed that it is not surprising that tourism critique primarily results from steadily growing urban tourism taking place off the beaten track in inner-city neighbourhoods. In a second step the lecture shows that the academic discussion of this ‘New Urban Tourism’ is doubtlessly instructive; it helps to explore basic aspects of living together in the ‘Tourist Age’ (d’Eramo 2021): Which performances of tourism are approved as acceptable? Why does almost nobody want to be a tourist? Which moments of conflict and conviviality result from the prosumption of places by tourists and residents?
However, taking into account these more general questions as well as the growth perspective of urban tourism, it is argued to analytically break away from “new” tourism areas or “old” tourist bubbles. Thus, the lecture finally outlines some more general aspects of growing tourism as matter of urban development.
“City-compatible tourism from and for Berlin – How can this succeed?” +++ 4. April 2023, 14:00 – online
visitBerlin is organizing an online event on April 4th, 2023 in the context of the tourism hub e-learning platform for Berlin’s tourism & events industry, dedicated to the question of how participation of the population in Berlin tourism can look like:
„Die Zukunft von Berlin mitgestalten.“ – das ist eine häufig genannte Motivation für Bürger:innen sich bei Beteiligungsprozessen zu engagieren. Gehört werden, Mitreden und Mitwirken sind menschliche Bedürfnisse, die auch in Entscheidungsprozessen einen immer höheren Stellenwert einnehmen. Prozesse bei denen die Belange aller Stakeholder, inklusive die der Bevölkerung berücksichtigt werden, sind zudem erfolgreicher. Auch im Rahmen der Stadtverträglichkeit des Berlin-Tourismus wird das Thema verstärkt umgesetzt.
Among the invited experts is Eva Erdmenger from our URG New Urban Tourism. The event will be held in German, for more information and registration please follow this LINK
Multiple Krisen über den Tourismus verstehen?
Session im Rahmen der Tagung Neue Kulturgeographie 2023 – „Geographies of Overlapping Crises” +++ 26.-28.01.2023 / Halle (a.d.Saale)
Im Rahmen der kommenden Tagung der Neuen Kulturgeographie in Saale wird es eine Doppelsession zum Thema Tourismus geben:
Tourismus betrifft und verbindet als Querschnittsbereich vielfältige Dimensionen des alltäglichen Lebens. Deshalb drücken sich die verschiedenen ökonomischen, sozial-kulturellen und ökologischen Krisen, wie die Wirtschafts- und Finanzkrise, die Klimakrise, die Krise der sozialen Reproduktion, die Krise der Arbeit oder die Krise in Folge der Corona-Pandemie immer auch als Krisen des Tourismus aus. Im Rahmen der Session wollen wir aus verschiedenen Perspektiven ausloten, inwiefern die „Brille“ des Tourismus dazu beitragen kann, die verschiedenen Aspekte multipler Krisen zu verstehen.
Unsere Urban Research Group New urban Tourism ist mit zwei Vorträgen vertreten:
- Nils Grube (TU Berlin): The same as it was? Wandel und Persistenz stadt- touristischer Politiken in Zusammenhang pandemischer Krisenerfahrungen
- Eva Erdmenger (Universität Trier): Kultur, Karma und Kommunikation. Eine sozial konstruktionistische Perspektive auf Tourismus-PROsilienz
Die Tagung findet am 26. bis 28. Januar am Institut für Geowissenschaften und Geographie der Martin-Luther-Universität Halle (a.d.Saale) statt. Mehr Informationen und das Programm hier
Guest article in the taz newspaper about Berlin’s tourism policy: “Raus aus der Werbeschleife” [Out of the advertising loop]
Together with Johannes Novy, URG member Christoph Sommer reflected on the future of Berlin’s tourism policy. Based on three arguements, they call for “less marketing and more tourism policy“. Firstly, they point out that the tourism policy stipulations made in the coalition agreement of the Berlin state government do not offer adequate answers to the current crises of tourism (COVID pandemic, possible return of “overtourism”, climate crisis). Secondly, the authors critize that it is part of the “business as usual” of Berlin’s tourism policy that good and long-standing tourism policy ideas (hotel development plan, travel and sightseeing bus concept, citizens’ advisory council) are not implemented. Finally, Novy and Sommer illustrate the need for intelligent “urban (tourism) development” that addresses Berlin’s tourism appeal as well as the quality of life of Berlin’s residents by looking at specific urban tourism sites (Checkpoint Charlie, Rummelsburger Bucht, Spreepark).
The article is in German, you can read it here: „Raus aus der Werbeschleife“
Gemeinsam mit Johannes Novy hat sich URG-Mitglied Christoph Sommer Gedanken zur Zukunft der Berliner Tourismuspolitik gemacht. Ihr Plädoyer für „weniger Marketing und mehr Tourismuspolitik“ gründen die Autoren im Wesentlichen auf drei Beobachtungen. Zum einen kritisieren die Autoren, dass die im Koalitionsvertrag der Berliner Landesregierung getroffenen tourismuspolitischen Festlegungen, den Krisen des Tourismus (COVID-Pandemie, womöglich zurückkehrender „Übertourismus“, Klimakrise) nicht gerecht würden. Zum „business as usual“ der Berliner Tourismuspolitik gehöre zum zweiten, dass es nicht gelänge, gute und lange schon existierende tourismuspolitische Ideen (Hotelentwicklungsplan, Reise- und Sightseeingbuskonzept, Bürgerinnenbeirat) umzusetzen. An konkreten Orten des Stadttouristischen (Checkpoint Charlie, Rummelsburger Bucht, Spreepark) veranschaulichen Novy und Sommer schließlich den Bedarf einer klugen „Stadt(tourismus)entwicklung“, die den touristischen Appeal Berlins genauso adressiert wie die Lebensqualität der Berlinerinnen und Berliner.
Den vollständigen Artikel gibt es hier: „Raus aus der Werbeschleife“
New Urban Tourism – Short Trip #4
Our 4th short trip will be held in German.
Für unseren vierten digitalen Short Trip gibt uns Christian Smigiel von der Universität Salzburg einen tieferen Einblick in seine aktuelle Forschung zu:
“New Urban Tourism und die Wohnungsfrage: Ein multidimensionales Spannungsverhältnis“.
- 07. April 2022
- 18:00 –19:00 Uhr
- Registrierung ab jetzt möglich (Zoom): https://bit.ly/3wvDeXN
New Urban Tourism – Short Trip #3
The short trips are back! Register now for our third digital short trip:
https://bit.ly/3KeFGpY
PhD candidate Shirley Nieuwland will talk about
“Touristification or gentrification? Urban Changes in Valencia, Spain“
on February 17, 2022, 6–7PM.
If you are researching urban tourism yourself or are simply interested in the topic, join us:
https://bit.ly/3KeFGpY
Conference: “Tourism in turbulent times”
The Working Group on Tourism Research (AKTF) of the German Association of Geographers (DGfG) hosts its annual conference. The title of the event is “Tourism in turbulent times” and some of our research group members will be attending and/or giving a presentation.
The conference is structured along four sessions:
(1) COVID-19 and city tourism,
(2) Post-COVID-19 and regional tourism in Germany,
(3) COVID-19, tourism and media,
(4) sustainability.
More information (in German only) here.
New Urban Tourism – Short Trip #2
Join us for our second digital short trip! This time we will hear about the work of the Lockdown Stories Collective in Rio de Janeiro. Our short trip is called
“Crisis as Attraction: Storytelling and Community Resilience in Rio’s Favelas”
and it will be held by
Camila Moraes, Isabella Rega, Juliana Mainard-Sardon, Bernado de La Vega Vinolo, and Fabian Frenzel
on
May 20, 2021, 6–7PM.
Join us for the presentation and discussion via zoom, please register at https://bit.ly/3vxEzJV
Abstract: COVID-19 has hit communities around the globe and brings unprecedented challenges. Among more deprived communities, such as favelas in Rio de Janeiro, the impact of the virus, its consequences for the health, income and social life of the communities is exacerbated by a priori exclusion and marginality. In this talk some of the responses that citizens in those communities have developed to the crisis will be presented. This includes practices of digital storytelling, the telling of ‘lockdown stories’. In these practices, favela residents and collectives, often previously involved in community tourism and guided political tours, are reorganizing their touristic offerings for global virtual audiences. The lockdown stories research collective brings together researchers and community activists in Rio’s favelas. The project is based on a collaboration between Dr Isabella Rega (Bournemouth), Dr Fabian Frenzel (Centre for Philosophy and Political Economy) and the Observatory of Favela Tourism, led by Dr Camila Moraes at the University of Rio. It includes groups such as the Museo de Favela (MuF), the Santa Marta Tour Guide collective and others engaged in community led tourism and political and social advocacy.
New Urban Tourism – Short Trips 2021
The Urban Research Group New Urban Tourism is back!
As the COVID-19 pandemic restricts physical travel, we invite you to join us for our digital Short Trips, a series of online talks at our imaginary pool bar. Changing guests will present their perspectives on urban tourism phenomena and current research findings. The first talk
“Touristification, social movements and creative professionals: Findings from Athens”
will be held by
Dr. Dimitris Pettas (Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow, TU Berlin) on
March 15, 2021, 6–7PM.
Join us for the discussion via zoom, please register at https://bit.ly/37IbIJx
Abstract: During the last few years, Athens has experienced a substantial increase in tourist inflows, while transforming from a one-day stop destination during summer to a year-round, city-break destination. This overall shift in the city’s touristic identity was driven by a series of trends and events that increased Athens’ popularity. The presentation explores the role of the aforementioned developments in the emergence of Athens as a city-break destination, along with processes of touristification, focusing on the central district of Exarcheia, where grassroots political activity and creativity co-exist in high densities. Due to the increased touristic traffic in the area, specific, often interrelated problematic conditions emerge concerning housing, residents’ everyday life and local businesses’ activity. At the same time, political groups and precarious creative professionals are facing substantial threats due to touristification.
Cheers, your Urban Research Group New Urban Tourism
New Urban Tourism 