Unknown makes unloved: How can you involve residents in tourism (policy) in the city?

CELTH, in a broad coalition with Utrecht Marketing, Utrecht University and the municipality of Utrecht, started working on practical interventions for resident involvement in the city. The project 'Unknown is unloved: Towards practical interventions in resident involvement', which was partly supported by the NBTC Impulse Budget, has now been completed and has provided valuable insights. CELTH is very active on the theme of 'residents'. Projects are still in progress on measuring resident benefits and research into a fair tourism model.

Cause

Many destination areas, including Utrecht, are looking for a good way to involve residents in tourism. How can you best conduct a dialogue with them, and which interventions are useful? Where do you start as a destination? What things should you pay attention to? Utrecht was the experimental zone for an exploratory study to develop a practical method for resident participation that can also be used at other destinations in the Netherlands.

“The project on resident involvement in tourism in Utrecht fits in well with the CELTH Agenda for Conscious Destinations (ABB),” says Jochem Jansen, a researcher at NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences / CELTH: “Within this agenda, the social value of the hospitality domain is central. CELTH expressly opts for the destination level because that is where all the different subsectors and actors come together. An important goal within the ABB is that residents experience the positive impacts of tourism as much as possible so that tourism can contribute to their quality of life.”

Quantitative research

The research started with a quantitative measurement among residents of Utrecht to gain insight into the level of involvement and perceptions surrounding the impact of tourism among residents. The internationally recognised RETS model was used for this, which has previously been applied in various regions of the Netherlands. Jansen: “The quantitative research is a starting point and provides an indicative insight into resident sentiment, but it is not an end. The combination of this quantitative measurement, coupled with an in-depth qualitative approach with focus groups, as well as testing different forms of interventions in a dialogue form, makes this research special.”

The quantitative research showed that most respondents believe that tourism contributes to a sense of pride in the city. They are otherwise neutral to slightly positive when they look at how tourism stimulates a sense of connection with the local community. Economically, less than a fifth of residents benefit from tourism. If we look at political empowerment, the influence of residents on tourism policy is very low. Only 11% of respondents feel that they have a voice in decisions regarding tourism developments and only 37% can share concerns about tourism developments in the city.

A small majority of Utrecht residents surveyed experience more advantages than disadvantages from tourism. Positive aspects are more shopping and catering facilities, preservation of heritage and culture and more recreational options. Respondents experience a negative impact due to pressure on traffic and the housing market. Overall, a small majority of them support tourism and want it to remain important in the city. More than 72% believe that Utrecht should remain a tourist destination. The quantitative research resulted in seven recommendations for policy actions.

Important for residents are:

• Ensure a good distribution of visitors
• Protect the housing market against tourist use
• Provide the opportunity to participate in decision-making regarding tourism
• Ensure that residents experience more benefits from tourism

Less important are:

• Solving staff shortages in the tourist-recreational sector
• Position the city as a destination for business events and visitors
• Offer tourists a high-quality guest experience

Results of qualitative research

The researchers organised a total of four discussion evenings, each with a different design and theme. For example, the highlights from the quantitative research were presented and discussed, residents were allowed to place tourism on the participation ladder and they could discuss various tourism themes such as crowds and distribution, the perspective of the entrepreneur and the overnight accommodation policy with experts.

Discussion leader Rob van Ginneken from Breda University of Applied Sciences / CELTH enjoyed talking to residents: “What I especially remember about the four focus groups – apart from the fact that residents of Utrecht are 'Utrecht residents', and not 'Utrecht residents' – is how beautiful the city is, and how much involvement is involved. But also: the sometimes simple and stereotypical images that exist about tourism.”

The four different interventions were well received by the participants. What was striking was that actual knowledge about tourism and tourism policy is limited. At the same time, the 'hunger' for information was great and the participants were very interested. Even though they consider input and participation important, residents certainly need an overarching vision from the municipality on tourism. In their view, this is necessary because they then know broadly what to expect. Residents believe that they can contribute important local knowledge to sub-topics in addition to the expertise of civil servants. When participating, it is important to agree in advance on what the municipality expects from the process to avoid disappointment. In addition, the fact that certain groups of citizens participate more easily than others must also be considered.

Insights and learning points

Municipalities and DMOs need to view residents as an important stakeholder group. However participation is complex and requires good preparation so that it is meaningful. An important advantage for Utrecht Marketing is that the process has put them in a more advisory role towards the municipality.

An important insight is that quantitative research with the RETS model in combination with an in-depth qualitative approach with focus groups works very well. Feedback on the results from the quantitative research made the conversation with the residents easier and provided direction. The participation ladder also worked well to discuss the different roles of the municipality, DMO and residents.

There were plenty of learning points. For example, when setting up a participation process, you must carefully consider the selection of participants for the focus groups. Also, make sure that it is clear to everyone what is meant by tourism, otherwise, you will end up with a discussion about a multitude of topics that are not primarily related to tourism. Also set clear frameworks, clear goals and create the right expectations. Introducing experts to the focus groups worked very well, giving residents the impression that their interests were being considered. Very practically, you should organise focus groups with residents in the evening with a maximum of eight participants, lasting two hours, and a break is not necessary.

Rob van Ginneken has one last tip: “Prepare many 'just in case' questions: sometimes you need them to get a conversation back on track, sometimes your standard questions yield few responses from the group, and so, you must broach another subject.”

Summarising

The research method followed of 'Unknown makes unloved' has proven to be a useful instrument for talking to residents. It is now important to keep the connection alive and make it meaningful for the residents. In any case, the first step has been taken, resulting in greater awareness among policymakers.

According to Jochem Jansen, the results of the research and the process leading up to it also clearly demonstrate the value for CELTH to be involved in such projects and to work together with various parties involved in the practical context. “There is still a lot of (practical) potential to shape and direct the social value of tourism at the destination level, together with involved stakeholders. In this way, we can better integrate insights from research, policy and actual (experienced) impact of the hospitality domain on the living environment.”

The complete research report can be read online: https://slider.utrechtmarketing.nl/onkend-maak-onbemind/?slide=1