Sustainable tourism: MBA thesis investigates resident attitudes towards tourism in Bruges

At a recent press conference in the Flemish art city of Bruges, Belgium, MBA alumnus Vincent Nijs revealed his master thesis results about resident attitudes towards tourism in Bruges in company of the Flemish Tourism Minister Ben Weyts and Bruges Mayor Renaat Landuyt. Despite strong tourism pressure on the city, Bruges inhabitants still support tourism activities and believe the advantages of tourism outweigh the negative impacts. An international model on resident attitudes was tested for the first time in a European heritage destination following successful tests in the US and Japan.

For Visit Flanders in cooperation with MODUL University and Visit Bruges, MBA alumnus Vincent Nijs conducted an online research project among 1,250 Bruges inhabitants. Since Visit Flanders is concerned with sustainable development in the Flemish tourism sector, resident surveys are an important monitoring tool that can give an indication about the carrying capacity of the destination.

With 8,8 million visitors annually and a theoretical pressure of 126 visitors on average per 100 inhabitants on a daily basis, tourism pressure in Bruges is high. Despite the pressure, and thanks to good city management, the high support scores given by Bruges inhabitants are remarkable and interesting. 70% think the advantages of tourism outweigh the negative impacts. Three in four inhabitants support tourism and 90% want Bruges to remain a top tourism destination.

Moreover, the study reveals the relationship between citizen pride and resident perception of the positive impact of tourism. This means that cities can try to make more residents proud of the city they live in in order to boost tourism support. In Bruges, more than 8 out of 10 locals are proud to live in Bruges.

However, Bruges residents are not blind to the negative effects. Half of them are afraid that the inner city might become overcrowded due to tourism.  Two in three fear that tourism will make their daily lives more expensive. Also tourists can be a nuisance, especially in traffic.

Vincent successfully defended master’s thesis defense at MODUL University Vienna this past January. Congratulations from MU to Vincent Nijs, MBA!

Photo L-R: Flemish Tourism Minister Ben Weyts, Bruges Mayor Renaat Landuyt, Vincent Nijs