Fourth International Conference on Tourism and Leisure Studies

Abstract

Several European cities nowadays struggle with the consequences of mass tourism, which also leads to conflicts between residents and tourists – a phenomenon referred to as “overtourism.” Most of the affected cities are seaports, like Barcelona, Venice or Dubrovnik. Therefore, cruise tourism with its cruise ships and cruise tourists is a main aspect in the debate about overtourism. It is in the spotlight of movements and campaigns of residents, political measures, and journalistic reporting. Pictures of cruise ships in front of Venice’s ancient buildings are well-known examples. In contrast to the small and ancient old towns of European cities, cruise ships appear like gigantic machines, spilling thousands of cruise passengers at the ports. These cruise passengers flood the old towns, rushing through them, driven by a lack of time. Hence, this paper argues that time and space are important categories for addressing cruise tourism in the context of overtourism. The aim of this paper is to examine the notions of time and space in the context of cruise tourism and overtourism, and to highlight the temporal and spatial concentration of cruise tourists and cruise ships.