On May 12, Associate Professor Yuansi HOU from the Department of Integrated Resort and Tourism Management was invited to deliver an academic seminar titled “Overtourism and Social Crowding: Implications for Tourist Experiences” at the University of Birmingham in the UK.
Prof. Yuansi HOU pointed out in the lecture that in recent years, overtourism and social crowding have become increasingly prevalent phenomena, a trend that has intensified in the post-pandemic era, particularly in popular tourist destinations. While existing literature has extensively examined the impact of social crowding on destination management and local communities, research on its effects on tourist experiences remains relatively limited.
Prof. Yuansi HOU introduced a series of studies published in leading tourism journals, exploring key theoretical perspectives on overtourism and social crowding while highlighting their practical implications for the tourism industry.
The relevant research results shared by Prof. Yuansi HOU are as follows:
Hou, Y.S. & Zhang, K. (2020). Space and Money: How and Why Crowding Influences Tourists’ Sensitivity to Price Magnitude, Journal of Travel Research (ABS: 4, SSCI 1).
Hou, Y., Zhang, K., & Li, G （2021）. Service robots or human staff: How social crowding shapes tourist preferences. Tourism Management (ABS: 4, SSCI 1, ESI Highly Cited Paper)., 83, 104242.
Xue, N., Liu, X., Wan, L., & Hou, Y.S. (2024). Relaxing or challenging? How social crowding influences the effectiveness of activity-based destination advertising, Tourism Management (ABS: 4, SSCI 1)
