Overbooking: Rethinking ‘sustainable tourism’ in the 21st Century

The global health crisis caused by Covid-19 since 2020 has severely affected national economies and the global tourism industry. National travel restrictions, together with quarantine measures and test obligations, temporarily interrupted the free movement of people. As a result, the tourism sector suffered from unseen breakdowns. This made crystal clear how much our global world, and in particular our cities, rely on tourism and mobility as both a lifestyle and a source of income. In Italy, Switzerland and elsewhere, the fact that the tourists stayed away was a burden for many economic actors, but it was also felt as a relief by many local people with view to their social and natural habitats. This crisis of tourism caused by the pandemic brought some structural key problems inherent to modern tourism back to our awareness, among them the negative effects of (over)tourism on the life-quality of local populations, environmental impacts, or the precarious work conditions of social classes depending on tourism. At the individual level, the experience of travel restrictions provoked reflections on our habits and needs regarding leisure time and working conditions. Expectations were high that the crisis would turn out as an opportunity for a fundamental change in global tourism. The 2022-edition of the DISPUTE series puts the future of tourism up for debate. It invites experts from academia, the public and the private sector as well as citizens to critically assess and debate the state of tourism after the crisis. How will the ‘new normal’ in tourism look like? How do the tourism industry, political decision-makers and NGO activists respond to the reinforced return of tourists in our city centres? Finally: is the ever-growing tourism industry, are we, the tourists, able to learn? And which decisions need to be taken to transform growth-driven tourism into more responsible forms of tourism in the future that care for both people and the planet? The event will be opened by a keynote-conversation between Marco D’Eramo and Lucia Tozzi. To allow for a deeper understanding of the local dynamics and ambivalences of modern global tourism, the event presents three sessions focussing on three individual case studies in Italy and Switzerland: Venice, Rome, and Lucerne. Each of the sessions discusses different challenges of modern tourism that are emblematic of the specific urban contexts. The session on Venice is complemented by a film screening that will take place at Casa del Cinema. A fourth session presents a roundtable in which stakeholders from Italy and Switzerland discuss challenges and possible solutions for more sustainable forms of tourism. The event is organized in collaboration with the Embassy of Switzerland in Italy, the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, the University of Lausanne, the University of Lucerne. The annual DISPUTE series at Istituto Svizzero provides a platform for citizen engagement relating to the globalization and the future of contemporary societies. Proposing a new topic every year, the forum aims to strengthen civic participation and public debate. Previous editions featured debates on migration, democracy, humanitarian law and the future of work. The two-day conference will be held in Italian and English, simultaneous translation will be provided. The event can also be followed online. Programme: Thursday 10.11.2022 H14:45 – Welcome Coffee H15:15 – Welcome Addresses Joëlle Comé, Director Istituto Svizzero and Maria Böhmer, Head of Science Istituto Svizzero Michele Coduri, Chief of Affairs, Embassy of Switzerland in Italy, Malta and San Marino H15:30 – Keynote conversation Marco D’Eramo, author, in conversation with Lucia Tozzi, journalist H16:30 – SESSION 1 Venice: overtourism between carnevale, cruisers, and the right to housing Moderation: Petra Reski, author and journalist, Venice Giovanni Favero, Professor at Venice School of Management, University Ca’ Foscari Venice, At the origin of overtourism in Venice: Winter tourism and the invention of the modern Carnival Giacomo-Maria Salerno, postdoctoral researcher in Engineering-based architecture and urban planning, La Sapienza University of Rome, Right to the city and tourist monocolture: a social movements perspective from Venice Anna Moretti, Professor at Venice School of Management, University Ca’ Foscari Venice, Exploring collaborative dynamics in times of crisis: the case of Venice H18:00 – Apéro H19:30 – Screening of the film Welcome Venice (2021) by Andrea Segre at Casa del Cinema, Largo Marcello Mastroianni, 1 Friday 11.11.2022 H10:30 – Welcome Coffee H11:00 – SESSION 2 Rome: eternal tourism between cultural heritage and ‘airbnbzation’ Moderation: Isabella Clough Marinaro, John Cabot University Rome Roberta Gemmiti, Professor of Economic and Political Geography, La Sapienza University of Rome, La città di tutti, la città di nessuno. Il ruolo del turismo nello sviluppo di Roma Sarah Gainsforth, author and journalist, The perfect place to be: Airbnb’s growth and impact in Rome Filippo Celata, Professor of Economic and Political Geography, La Sapienza University of Rome, Is it just tourism? Overtouristification and temporary populations in the short-term city H12:30 – Break H14:30 – SESSION 3 Lucerne: global tourism between luxury shopping, parking lots, and citizen engagement Moderation: Anja Nora Schulthess, author and journalist, Lucerne Timo Ohnmacht, Professor of Transport Sociology at Institute of Tourism and Mobility, Hochschule Luzern (HSLU), From Over-Tourism to Zero-Tourism and back? Opportunities for a New Beginning in Lucerne Mario Stübi, member of city parliament of Lucerne (Grossstadtrat, SP), Stopping the ‘avalanche of sheet metal’: local democratic resistance to tour busses Marija Bucher-Djordjevic, lic. iur., dipl. Hotelmanager HF, Boutique Hotel Schlüssel | since 1545, Lucerne, title tbc H16:00 – Coffee Break 16:30 – SESSION 4 Sustainable tourism – challenges and solutions in Italy and Switzerland Moderation: Chiara Rabbiosi, Professor of Economic and Political Geography, University of Padova Pierluigi Musarò, Professor of Sociology, University of Bologna, Director Festival IT.A.CÀ, Encouraging creativity and innovation to tackle over-and under-tourism problems: the case of IT.A.CÀ_Festival of Responsible Tourism Claudio Visentin, journalist and lecturer, Università della Svizzera Italiana, title tbc Speaker tbd H17:45 – Wrap-up Mathis Stock, Professor of Geography, University of Lausanne H18:00 – Closing apéro Poster-exhibition Project presentation: Overtourism: Cities Count Fabrice Bardet, Professor, École nationale des travaux publics de l’État (ENTPE) Victor Anduze Rivero, doctoral candidate, École nationale des travaux publics de l’État (ENTPE) Valérian Geffroy, Postdoc, University of Lausanne Davide Ceccato, doctoral candidate, University of Lausanne