The phenomenon of “overtourism” in cities is hardly a new one, however the process and nature of resistance has changed significantly in recent years. The work of Colomb and Novy [2017. Protest and Resistance in the Tourist City. London: Routledge] encapsulates the manifestations of resistance in numerous cities. They argue that many of the contestations surround tourism rather than being about tourism. This paper explores resident resistance in the Hungarian capital city Budapest. This includes the rejection of the Olympic bid in 2017 and protests surrounding a controversial new development project in the city park. An uncontrolled night-time economy has also adversely affected local resident quality of life. Questionnaire data collected from both local residents and tourists as well as an analysis of Facebook sites using Sentione software will be used to illustrate the key areas of discontent. The research attempts to demonstrate that tourism is often marginal rather than central to residents’ discontent and resistance to developments.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyse the phenomenon of overtourism with specific reference to the night-time economy (NTE) in Budapest, Hungary. Design/methodology/approach: The research took place between September and December 2017 in the so-called “party quarter” of Budapest – District VII. The chosen methods included mapping, observation, interviews and questionnaires with local residents, visitors and tourists. Findings: Partying opportunities are valued highly by tourists and the majority of customers in the bars are tourists. Many people feel that there are too many tourists in the area, although few had a bad experience with tourists. The most common complaints were the dirt and litter, public urination, street crime and noise. Most respondents would welcome a better cleaning service, more bins, more police, more public toilets and better street lighting. Research limitations/implications: The research was not undertaken in the high season, older residents were slightly under-represented and wider research across the whole city would give a more balanced perspective. Practical implications: Recommendations are made for managing the NTE better in order to improve the experience of tourists and visitors and to improve the local resident quality of life. Social implications: It is hoped that this research may prompt local authorities to take local resident perceptions and experiences into account by creating better management measures and regulations. Originality/value: This is the first paper to provide data from the perspective of three main stakeholder groups in the context of the NTE in Budapest.

Despite its popularity in urban studies, the smart city (SC) concept has not focused sufficient attention on citizens’ quality of life (QoL) until relatively recently. The aim of this study is, therefore, to examine the concept of QoL in SCs using a systematic review of 38 recent articles from 2020–2022. This includes definitions and concepts, indicators and domains that are used to measure QoL, and the typical research methods that are used to collect data. The review analyses some of the main themes that emerge from the field of SCQoL which include smart urban governance, sustainability, smart living, participation, and social inclusion. The findings from this SC and QoL research can help city planners to prioritize which domains are the most important or meaningful for citizens and which services to invest in. It has been suggested that smart living is the most important domain of a SC. However, various studies have found that citizens experience SC initiatives holistically and that QoL is quite dependent on context in terms of priorities. Therefore, citizen participation strategies should be tailored and adapted to each respective context. SC governance also needs to be more long-term and strategic with real evidence that citizens are involved in decision making and problem solving and are not just passive recipients.

The paper focuses on three dimensions of Cultural Ecosystem Services—cultural heritage, sense of place and tourism—and examines the relationships between them in a rural landscape context. Sense of place connects to landscapes that foster authentic human attachment, cultural heritage values and elements of local history and culture. This suggests that a sense of place cannot be considered in isolation from cultural heritage. However, cultural heritage has been relatively under-researched in the context of cultural ecosystem services, where it is defined as the tangible and intangible benefits that are derived mostly from landscapes. Researchers in rural development have highlighted the importance of sense of place and cultural heritage in both place-making and tourism development. This study explores these relationships further using three case studies from rural Hungary based on in-depth interviews with local stakeholders. The findings demonstrate that cultural heritage is an inherent part of rural place-making in Hungary and that cultural heritage values strongly shape a sense of place. Social and intangible aspects of cultural heritage are the most important for place-making, especially authentic local traditions. The findings suggest that even though a strong sense of place based on cultural heritage is a pre-requisite for tourism development, initiatives have often been more successful in strengthening social cohesion and cultural identity rather than attracting tourists.

The relationship between urban planning and tourism consumption is presented through one of the most attractive and popular districts of Budapest (District VII). Budapest is the capital city of Hungary and has a population of 1.7 million inhabitants making it one of the largest metropolitan regions in Central Eastern Europe. Budapest is typical of many other post-socialist cities in that its urban development process has followed a somewhat different trajectory from many Western European cities until recently, for example the relatively slow rate of gentrification in the post-socialist years. The paper will focus in particular on one central district of the city (VII) which currently contains a high concentration of hospitality and entertainment facilities (especially ‘ruin pubs’) and attracts a large numbers of tourists. The planning and development history of the district will be explained, including many controversies and conflicts which have arisen over the years. In addition to analysing the significance of the areas’ heritage and the intensive growth of the creative industries, the paper will also provide a case study about the Budapest-specific ‘ruin bar’ phenomenon, as well as data on the global issue of Airbnb, which is becoming an extremely topical and controversial issue in many other cities in the world today. ‘Ruin bars’ and Airbnb represent local and global examples of tourism consumption which have flourished despite or even because of an unstructured, often unregulated urban planning system. Through this examination, two main questions are addressed: to what extent has planning (or a lack of it) influenced urban development and the new trends of international tourism in Budapest? and what role has tourism played in the transformation of a central district within the inner city?

This paper reflects on the changing nature of the cultural tourist, including motivations, profiles and experiences. The paper firstly reviews broadening definitions of cultural tourism, which now include more intangible, interactive and creative experiences. The research focuses on urban cultural tourism and the city of Budapest in Hungary. The primary data examines how motivated tourists are by different activities including culture; how far tourists are interested in heritage sites and museums compared to everyday culture and creative activities; it analyses variations in cultural activities according to age, gender and nationality; and the types of experiences that are desired the most by tourists. Cultural tourists still appear to be highly educated, but educational experiences are less important than escapism or entertainment. Cultural contact is important, but creative experiences are not. There are only small variations between genders and nationalities, but larger ones according to age groups. Older tourists prefer heritage sites and museums, whereas younger ones prefer night-life, music events and festivals. Overall, the findings are important for urban capital cities that have concerns about overtourism and the night-time economy, as well as the desire to re-establish themselves as cultural tourism destinations.