Short-term accommodation and overtourism in Portuguese urban centres

Abstract

This chapter (i) explores the connection between short-term accommodation growth and overtourism in two major Portuguese cities, Lisbon and Porto, where this growth has been most notable; and (ii) makes a comparison with the medium-sized city of Aveiro, where the tendency to be governed by tourism-focused growth has recently emerged. The chapter examines whether the overtourism phenomenon emerged as a consequence of the short-term accommodation boom, or if overtourism led to expansion of this accommodation type, in the context of urban tourism in the three Portuguese cities.