The Relationship of Subjective Well-Being in Residents’ Perceptions of the Impacts of Overtourism in the City of Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil

Abstract

Tourism is an expanding sector, and it is one of the priorities of individuals seeking leisure. While the activity is developing rapidly, the increase in the flow of tourists in localities has interfered with the residents’ subjective well-being, generating a feeling of “excess of tourism.” Overtourism is associated with destinations that suffer from the tension of tourism when the maximum number of people who can visit a tourist destination at the same time is exceeded. Therefore, this study aims to correlate the relationship between the subjective well-being of the residents of Blumenau and the perceptions of excessive tourism in their territory of residence. To this end, a survey was carried out, with a quantitative approach with 400 residents of Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil. The survey results demonstrate that the subjective well-being of the autochthonous population correlates with tolerance to overtourism. Thus, the research has practical and managerial implications for tourist destinations. Managers must develop means for the subjective well-being of the population to be high, thus contributing to the decrease in the feeling of overtourism.