Sustainable tourism in coastal areas – The challenge of urbanisation

Description:Coastal cities and towns are facing urbanization challenges. This goes for those large cities exposed to population growth and mass tourism, but also those coastal towns facing the opposite – loss of population and work places; reduced competitiveness concerning attracting citizens and tourists. The urbanized city-areas have been subject to big changes in the last decades, involving modification in housing and infrastructures, change of destination of ports and docks as well as intensive use of coastal areas due to the changing models of tourism from a low-profile or niche tourism to mass and cruise- tourism. Enhancing coastal and maritime tourism in Europe, while maintaining the original atmosphere and population diversity is one challenge; a second is preserving and/or strengthening the environmental and place-based qualities of the coastal cities and towns. These are two key challenges of most European countries.

Notes:Room 024 Building C

Sectors:

Tourism

Transport

Ports

Urban and industrial uses

Themes:

Climate change

Risk, vulnerability and resilience

Hazard and the protection of coastal areas

Cities

Technology and innovation

Jobs and investments