Breaking the Policy Silos: Integrating Tourism into Urban Governance
In her PhD research at the University of Glasgow, ETFI senior researcher Bernadett Papp examined how cities integrate tourism into their wider urban policies. By comparing four European city destinations, she developed a governance framework to make tourism policy more effective.
Project duration: 2020 – 2025
The challenge
Tourism is increasingly intertwined with everyday city life, from housing and mobility to the use of public space. Yet it is often managed in isolation, separate from other urban policies. Fragmentation between departments, levels of government and sectors makes it hard to develop tourism policy that contributes to sustainable urban development.
With protests against overtourism growing in many cities, the pressure on governments to respond in a more timely and effective way is increasing.
Our approach
Bernadett followed a qualitative, comparative approach, analysing urban tourism governance in four European cities. Her research combines tourism studies and political science within the field of urban studies. It identifies the factors that enable or prevent integrated tourism policy design and implementation, building on earlier ETFI work on overtourism and urban tourism governance.
The impact
The research results in an optimised governance framework that helps cities position tourism within their wider urban agenda, rather than treating it as a separate policy field. It strengthens the understanding of the complex relationship between tourism and urban life.
The insights feed directly into ETFI’s work with city destinations and into Bernadett’s teaching in the Master International Leisure, Tourism & Events Management, and she regularly shares her expertise in international media.
What could we discover together?
Whether you have a research question, a project idea or an interest in collaborating, we'd love to hear from you.
Contact our team!