Tourism and the city: the impact on residents' quality of life

Abstract

The present work investigates the relationship between tourism presence and perceptions of urban quality of life of resident populations (UQOL). Nowadays, this topic is at the forefront since many European cities have started raising their voice against mass tourism. An ad hoc questionnaire was designed and submitted to resident population of two Mediterranean destinations. Following an integrative approach à la Sen, UQOL is analysed using the presence of the services/amenities (capabilities) as well as their accessibility (functionings). Findings indicate that both presence and mainly accessibility of services/amenities matter for UQOL and that a negative effect of tourism prevails.