Completion of the Study on the Carrying Capacity of Tourism in the Municipality of Athens
Αfter a year of intensive work, the study on Tourism Carrying Capacity (TCC) for the destination of Athens was completed, conducted by the Municipality of Athens through the Development Agency of Athens SA, in collaboration with the Technical Office “Gimisis+Associates” and the Department of Tourism Studies at the University of Piraeus.
As part of this project, 18 semi-structured interviews were conducted including all institutional tourism stakeholders, while 788 questionnaires were answered by residents and professionals in the Municipality. Th study’s findings were presented in an open consultation at the City Hall in the presence of the Mayor of Athens, Mr. Haris Doukas, along with representatives from professional and tourism associations of the city.
The study was widely endorsed by the local community, stakeholders, and the municipal authority for its comprehensive and methodical approach, establishing the Municipality of Athens as a pioneer in adopting the applied methodology (neighborhood-level indicators, big data analysis, field research).
The TCC study for the Municipality of Athens is not only strategic and diagnostic but also preventative, enabling the city to manage potential negative effects of “Overtourism.” The working group developed seven (7) strategic pillars focusing on a framework of sixty three (63) actions with specified timelines and designated implementation stakeholders.
For the study’s execution, “Gimisis+Associates” employed an innovative approach using Geospatial and Statistical Analysis at the Neighborhood level (most usually applied at Municipal/Regional level), incorporating seven (7) Tourism Indices (Tourism Intensity Index, Tourism Density Index, Tourism Functionality Index, Tourism Pressure Index, Overnight Stays Index, and Tourism Concentration Index) and three (3) Sustainability Indices (Tourism Water Consumption Index, Tourism Energy Consumption Index, and Tourism Waste Consumption Index), based on international literature.
Longitudinal data (2018-2023) from Short-Term Rentals (Big Data from the AADE Registry and AirDNA), Hotel units (Registry of Hellenic Chamber of Hotels, INSETE), and recent data from Long-Term Rentals were utilized to identify neighborhoods with high, moderate, low saturation, as well as those that remain unsaturated to date.
You can view the results/conclusions of the Study here.
Publications from the daily press can be found below:
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