[Conference Urban tourism]: Authenticity and local community satisfaction keys to success

On Thursday, 9 November 2023, Kranj hosted the international conference Urban tourism: Sustainable tourism in small and medium-sized cities, co-organised by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning, IPoP – Institute for Spatial Policy and the Community of Municipalities of Slovenia.

Urban tourism has boomed in the last decade. As cities have become more accessible due to better transport connections and access to information, the number of city visitors has increased. However, not only cities with well-known cultural and historical monuments are popular. Recently, smaller, less developed destinations have designed interesting tourist offer and have seen a rise in visitor numbers.

At the conference we were discussing how to ensure that the development of tourism will not have negative consequences on the local urban community, such as rising living costs, excessive crowding, or gentrification and how to involve citizens, ensure positive effects on local economy and at the same time preserve natural and cultural values.

More at the conference website.