Minimizing conflicts between residents and local tourism stakeholders as a way to achieve sustainable tourism in Prague, Krakow and Braga

• Published in: Tourism review (Association internationale d'experts scientifiques du tourisme) 2024-08, Vol.79 (7), p.1367-1384
• Main Authors: Walas, Bartłomiej, Szromek, Adam R., Kruczek, Zygmunt, Rončák, Miroslav
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cities; Gentrification; Pandemics; Quality of life; Sustainable development; Sustainable tourism; Tourist attractions
• ISSN: 1660-5373; 1660-5373; 1759-8451
• DOI: 10.1108/TR-04-2023-0210

Purpose There is an ongoing discussion on tools that can lead to sustainable tourism, as well as attempts to implement them. In the selection of tools, the attitudes of residents – local stakeholders and their degree of acceptance of such tools should be analysed and taken into account. Some cause conflicts, and hence, the purpose of this study is the comparative analysis of three cities (Prague, Krakow and Braga). Design/methodology/approach Analysis of the basic types of conflicts was conducted using the division proposed by Moore. The research was conducted among residents – experts representing the tourism sector. Based on the literature review, three hypotheses were formulated. Statistical tests were used to analyse the results. Findings The results showed a strong impact of the conflict of information and the interests of those dependent on the degree of development of the city’s tourist function. It was established that in the process of achieving sustainable tourism, to minimize conflicts, the following are necessary: paying attention to communication and the involvement of local communities, creating attractions that benefit both residents and visitors, measuring and monitoring tourist traffic, supporting initiatives for new tourist offers and initiating discussions on development problems, and setting common goals for all residents. Research limitations/implications The research was conducted during the pandemic and is based on the opinions of experts indicated by the city authorities. While the attitudes of the inhabitants towards the development of tourism were recognized in earlier studies, the awareness of tourists and their readiness to accept limitations related to respecting the needs of the inhabitants were not examined. This aspect may be an interesting direction for further research. A limitation of this research is the small scope of the study, caused both by the restrictions in force during the research period (related to the COVID-19 pandemic) and also by the inability to conduct in-depth interviews with experts. It should also be noted that among the experts participating in the research were tourist entrepreneurs directly interested in rebuilding tourism after the pandemic. Due to this, their opinions may have been biased, but there is no way to prove or disprove this. However, the answers gathered were considered collectively; therefore, the opinions obtained were considered to be objective. Attempts to balance tourism so far have