Tourism gentrification: a literature review and reflections on the Croatian context

Abstract

The spatial structure of modern cities is changing rapidly, and one of the most important processes contributing to this is gentrification. Gentrification was first described and explained by Ruth Glass in 1964 using the example of a working-class neighborhoods in London. Today, gentrification is a planetary phenomenon with numerous individual causes. It is assumed that the logic of market activities in space, which is inherent to the capitalist economic system, is the main driving force behind gentrification. In recent decades, gentrification has been increasingly associated with the growing role and significance of tourism. Therefore, the emergence of tourism gentrification is discussed. The development of tourism since the late 2000s has had a negative impact on the local community, exerting pressure on the real estate and long-term rental markets and leading to various forms of displacement. These are the main manifestations of tourism gentrification. The aim of this article is to present the development and basic characteristics of gentrification and the resulting tourist gentrification based on a review and critical presentation of foreign and domestic empirical and survey research. The main goal is to introduce the concept of (tourism) gentrification to the wider scientific community in Croatia, because although tourism is an important economic sector, little research has been published on it so far.