Eliminating Overtourism in UNESCO Destinations: A Case Study from Slovakia

Abstract

UNESCO heritage sites represent one of the most important resources on which travel and tourism are based. Focusing on quantitative growth causes problems with environmental sustainability but also with the quality of life of local communities. In this context, the term overtourism has begun to be used in recent literature. Overtourism in cultural heritage destinations led to the search for new approaches in cultural destination management based on sustainability, taking into consideration the sociocultural dimensions rather than quantitative indicators. Implementation of various innovations in cultural destinations leads to sustainable development. Therefore, the chapter builds on these statements and presents a new approach to the management of UNESCO destinations. The research methodology is based on the exploratory case study approach to investigate the methods and strategies used to minimise overtourism in UNESCO destinations. The study adopts qualitative and quantitative research techniques. The study presents a conceptualisation of the phenomenon of overtourism in UNESCO destinations and offers the theoretical framework of a more sustainable approach to destination management based on innovations. The framework is tested in the Central European UNESCO destination Banská Štiavnica, Slovakia.