Support for tourism in Zeeland is under pressure

By means of: Editorial

Thu, April 20, 2:08 PM
General

VLISSINGEN – A majority of residents in eight Zeeland municipalities support tourism, but that support is not particularly strong, according to new research from the HZ Knowledge Center for Coastal Tourism. On the coast, residents experience more negative than positive effects from tourism. Slightly more than half of the inhabitants of the four participating coastal municipalities fear that tourism will make it busier and that this will cause friction. More than 5,500 people participated in the study.

In 2019, research was conducted for the first time on resident tourism support. Commissioned by the Province of Zeeland and in collaboration with eight Zeelandic municipalities, the HZ Knowledge Center for Coastal Tourism conducted a new study at the end of 2022. The knowledge center presented the first results during the Knowledge Update LIVE event on February 16. The full report was released this week. It contains results for four coastal municipalities (Noord-Beveland, Schouwen-Duiveland, Sluis, Veere) and four inland municipalities (Borsele, Kapelle, Reimerswaal, Tholen). Since only eight municipalities participated, it was not possible to paint a provincial picture.

To what extent do locals support tourism?
Support for tourism scores 3.3 on the coast and 3.5 inland on a scale of 1 to 5. So there is support in both regions, but it is generally not crushing. In addition, support for domestic tourism is slightly higher than on the coast. Both on the coast and inland, about two thirds of the inhabitants believe that their municipality should remain a tourist destination. Inside, a similar group agrees with the statement “I support tourism and I want it to remain important in my municipality”. On the coast, just over half of the inhabitants share this opinion. Inside, a small majority of inhabitants believe that tourism should be actively encouraged. On the coast which is only a third.

What effects do residents feel from tourism?
A positive effect is that there are more shops and restaurants thanks to tourism, according to four out of five inhabitants of the coast. Inside, a little more than half of the inhabitants experience it. Also, both on the coast and inland, more than two thirds of the inhabitants believe that tourism strengthens the local economy. This makes the strengthening of the local economy inland the most felt positive impact of tourism. The most frequently mentioned negative effects in coastal municipalities are traffic problems. Four out of five coastal residents believe that tourism contributes, followed by an increase in waste. Inside, the litter is at the top. More than two in five residents believe that tourism has increased this.

What has been the evolution since 2019?
In the municipalities of Tholen, Veere and Sluis, where the Knowledge Center also conducted research in 2019, support for tourism and perceived positive impact decreased, while perceived negative impact actually increased. It is plausible that the increase in tourism played a role, according to the study.

How to increase support for tourism?
A number of governments are already working hard to reduce the negative effects of tourism. This research confirms that this helps to foster accompaniment. The research also shows that too few people know what municipalities do in terms of tourism and what the positive effects of tourism are. Raising awareness of the positive effects and efforts to increase them will promote support for tourism. The full report can be downloaded at the website of the Knowledge Center for Coastal Tourism.