More is better? Tourism intensity and its impact on destination sustainability

Many destinations still measure their success by the number of visitors, preferring the-more-the-better-principle. However, in the case of sustainable destination development, maximization of the number of visitors may not be the optimal option due to the excessive burden of the area. In this respect, the number of visitors must not exceed the carrying capacity of the destination. The overcrowding at attractive tourist sites is associated with the extrusion of residential functions by the functions of tourism. The process of touristification is accompanied by the congestion of public space, affecting residents' quality of lift and also visitors' quality of experience. The paper focuses on congestion in the historic city centres - Venice and Florence - with excessive tourism development. The aim is to evaluate the impact of tourism intensity on the visitor experience and on sustainability pillars. The research is based on the application of a qualitative method of interpretative phenomenological analysis, used during the field survey conducted in model destinations in December 2018, supplemented by an analysis of quantitative data. The results show that congestion may not be a problem for the visitors themselves and that it negatively affects the residents' quality of life.