Studying tourist congestion as a form of overtourism through Tripadvisor reviews: Case study: Charles Bridge, Prague

Abstract

Overtourism is a current phenomenon which also includes crowds of people in a tourist destination. This research analyzes overtourism to a much visited tourist objective through Tripadvisor reviews, by highlighting the key concepts which are suggesting the existence of the overtourism phenomenon. The method consisted to examine the reviews posted on Tripadvisor by the tourists who visited one of the most important tourist attractions in Prague, namely Charles Bridge. The tool used for this purpose was Leximancer program. Using an analysis from multiple perspectives (during the 2019 low and peak tourist season, and during the Covid-19 pandemic), the results of the concept maps captured the intensity of the phenomenon of overtourism in all three contexts. Thus, specific themes and concepts generated by the program suggest that Carles Bridge suffers from overtourism regardless of the tourist season.