Leisure travelling is known to be a contributor to visitors’ well-being and quality of life yet only little is known about the influence of tourism on the destination residents’ quality of life. Given rising imbalances and perceived conflicts of use between visitors and residents particularly in an urban context, research interest in residents’ perspectives have increased and new measures such as the tourism acceptance score have been developed to measure perceived tourism impacts over time. While tourism intensity has been proposed to be an indicator for low tourism acceptance and decreasing quality of life, little empirical evidence is existing. This study examines the relationship between tourism acceptance and perceived quality of life and the moderating role of tourism intensity. The data base used consisted of representative samples in 11 German cities. Results demonstrate a positive relationship between personal tourism acceptance and the residents’ quality of live. This relationship is moderated by the tourism intensity and is generally stronger in cities with higher tourism intensity.
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Technology is becoming omnipresent in public spaces: from CCTV cameras to smart phones, and from large public displays to RFID enabled travel cards. Although such technology comes with great potential, it also comes with apparent (privacy) threats and acceptance issues. Our research focuses on realizing technologyenhanced public spaces in a way that is acceptable and useful for the public. This paper gives a brief overview of the research that is aimed to unlock the positive potential of public spaces. This paper’s main focus is on the acceptance of sensor technology in the realm of tourism. The ITour project which investigates the potential and acceptance of using (sensor) technology and ambient media to collect, uncover and interpret data regarding tourists’ movements, behavior and experiences in the city of Amsterdam is particularly discussed as an example.
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This paper examines how a serious game approach could support a participatory planning process by bringing stakeholders together to discuss interventions that assist the development of sustainable urban tourism. A serious policy game was designed and played in six European cities by a total of 73 participants, reflecting a diverse array of tourism stakeholders. By observing in-game experiences, a pre- and post -game survey and short interviews six months after playing the game, the process and impact of the game was investigated. While it proved difficult to evaluate the value of a serious game approach, results demonstrate that enacting real-life policymaking in a serious game setting can enable stakeholders to come together, and become more aware of the issues and complexities involved with urban tourism planning. This suggests a serious game can be used to stimulate the uptake of academic insights in a playful manner. However, it should be remembered that a game is a tool and does not, in itself, lead to inclusive participatory policymaking and more sustainable urban tourism planning. Consequently, care needs to be taken to ensure inclusiveness and prevent marginalization or disempowerment both within game-design and the political formation of a wider participatory planning approach.
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