Having spent many years worrying about the social and cultural impacts of tourism, policymakers in Amsterdam are now also beginning to worry about the economic impacts too. Residents and visitors from the Amsterdam Metropolitan Region generate a smaller proportion of revenue for shops and hospitality businesses in Amsterdam than in other major Dutch cities. Businesses are therefore even more dependent on tourists and the fluctuating demand this entails. In Rotterdam, The Hag

Mid-summer in the northern hemisphere is traditionally a time for trivial news stories to entertain us as we take a bit of a break from the ‘real’ world – the so-called ‘silly season’. Because a lot of us are on holiday, much of the content also focusses on tourism. Journalists suddenly call tourism and leisure academics asking questions like ‘why do people go on holiday?’ or ‘what is the optimal amount of time to be on holiday?’ or ‘what is the size of the stag and hen party

Looking at the development of the wine drinking market, one might be forgiven for thinking there isn’t much of a future for wine tourism. Globally, wine consumption and production volumes continue to fall, with a 4% decline in the US wine market in 2024. But help is at hand. Wineries are reacting to this challenging market by diversifying, and wine tourism is one of the major growth areas. A recent report by Roberta Garibaldi shows that in 2026, around 18 million Italians wil

The latest EasyJet in-flight magazine has an article about Lisbon as “Capital of Cool”. It praises the “friendly neighbourhoods where fado fills the streets and independent shops and bars thrive.” It is certainly true that there is plenty of fado music these days. A recent article by Iñigo Sánchez-Fuarros , Daniel Malet Calvo , Daniel Paiva & Jordi Nofre in Tourism Geographies shows that in the central neighbourhood of Alfama, fado venues increased 9-fold between 2012 and 20

It was a great pleasure to attend the Citymakers’ Day organised by Breda Marketing recently. This brought together around 140 participants from the public and private sector, from voluntary and cultural organisations and other actors involved in culture, placemaking and events. My presentation dealt with the contribution of events to the city, and the ways in which the city can support events. All too often events are seen purely as a means of attracting visitors and generati

December 11th marks 40 years since the launch of the campaign ‘Barcelona, posa’t guapa’ (Barcelona, make yourself beautiful). This urban renovation programme coincided with the preparations for the 1992 Olympic Games, the event that propelled the city onto the world stage. At that point, the writer Manuel Vázquez Montalbán recalled that the city was like “a sunken Titanic”. (in Ferrer Viana, 2001: 16)17. The Barcelona, posa’t guapa campaign had two main elements: renovating

A recent exhibition in Amsterdam highlighted the disappearance of the rough edges of the city in the face of continuing development. These ‘free spaces’ have offered havens for creativity, alternative lifestyles and sustainability programmes. Many of these locations around the fringes of Amsterdam have operated as cultural incubators, allowing artists to thrive and providing a base for experimental events and happenings. As we pointed out in a recent study of event space in A

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