Positive and Negative Urban Tourist Crowding: Florence, Italy

Abstract

Urban tourism is booming and overcrowding is recognized as a major problem in many tourist cities. However, the way tourists experience high tourist densities is still a neglected topic in urban tourism research, whereas it is one of the most frequently studied subjects in outdoor recreation. In this article the crowding concept is transferred to urban tourism. The study is based on qualitative in situ interviews using Florence, Italy as an example. The interviews reveal that negative crowding (i.e. a feeling of stress) is a major problem, but good crowding (i.e. a positive feeling where the crowd adds to the experience) is also important for the urban tourists’ experience, albeit difficult to achieve in the case of Florence. Furthermore, coping mechanisms to best experience a city of mass tourism have been identified, with spatial and temporal strategies playing a major role.

Key Words:

• Crowding
• coping
• heritage city
• mass tourism
• urban tourism
• Florence
• Italy
• tourism impacts