Effect of Overtourism on Residents' Quality of Life in World Heritage Cities

Abstract

The main aim of this paper is to determine the perceptions of residents towards overtourism (tourism impacts) and to reveal the effect of overtourism on the quality of life in Safranbolu. In the research, the data were analyzed with the statistical package program. Percentage, frequency tests, factor analysis and multivariate regression analysis were used to reach valid and reliable results. Results show that one-third of the residents believe that the city suffers from overtourism, and it affects the quality of life negatively. Besides, residents agree that tourism is harmful for the physical environment as it increases traffic congestion, parking problems, litter, water consumption and noise. In addition, they believe that tourism deteriorates the natural environment and exceeds the carrying capacity. Therefore, they have concerns about the devastation of cultural heritage arising from too many tourists.