SMARTDEST is a European project supported by Horizon 2020, a multi-year innovation program set up by the European Commission. The project focuses on the social effects of overtourism in major European tourist destinations, such as Venice, Barcelona and Amsterdam. Large numbers of tourists and the rise of Airbnb changed the shopping, hospitality and housing offerings. There, for example, the cost of living is rising, but the character and appearance of entire neighborhoods are also changing. Such effects can lead to gentrification and social exclusion. With SMARTDEST, we seek innovative and inclusive solutions with partners, from residents to entrepreneurs.
We examine the Amsterdam situation. We combine various forms of research for this purpose. For quantitative research, we collaborate with the Research, Information and Statistics Department of the City of Amsterdam. Corona independent is our 2000-2020 discourse analysis of changing policy discourses, based on a collection of many thousands of articles from various media. We also conduct qualitative research with residents, experts (Amsterdam & Partners, Reinvent Tourism Network) and stakeholders in Amsterdam to identify problems and existing coping mechanisms. To conclude, we are conducting participatory research involving co-creation with residents, stakeholders and students. To this end, we are deploying the Urban Leisure & Tourism Lab Amsterdam.
"It has been agreed to share student data with SMARTDEST researchers. Therefore, there is a continuous interaction between education, field and research."
The importance is multifaceted. Acquired insights and issues flow back into education through educational programs such as domain-wide elective courses and minors. We also connect a number of partners we work closely with to students for their graduate programs. The program Tourism Management for example, has set up a separate graduation circle around Fairbnb and as part of the Reinvent Tourism Festival #21.
We collaborate with universities from Spain, Italy, Scotland, Austria, Portugal and Israel, among others. Inholland is of great added value because since 2015, thanks in part to the Urban Leisure & Tourism lab and our design-oriented approach, we have a diverse network and design experience. Locally, we collaborate with the City of Amsterdam (Department of Research, Information and Statistics), Amsterdam & Partners, residents and various stakeholders and interest groups such as Reinvent Tourism Network.
At the end of the project, we deliver European and local policy makers policy and community tools that have (proven) impact.
