Survey about tourism in Ypres

[AOK4]

I happened to see this article (in Dutch) about a survey, taken in Ypres, about how locals look at the many tourists in their city. It seems in general they are quite happy with the tourism as it brings in a lot of money, but they don't like the increased traffic and the increased cost of living. It may lead to certain changes, e.g. not allowing bus coaches in the centre any more.

 

https://www.hln.be/in-de-buurt/ieper/ieperlingen-zien-toeristen-graag-komen-maar-niet-de-verkeersproblemen-die-ze-met-zich-meebrengen~a5ead32a/

[ianjonesncl]

The inhabitants of Ypres are positive about the tourism in their city. This is shown by a study by Tourism Flanders in collaboration with ku Leuven and the city of Ypres. In the last week of April, 787 online surveys were completed by residents of Ypres and the municipalities. 67 percent of those surveyed think that there are more advantages than disadvantages associated with tourism, but a larger proportion are more negative about the traffic problems caused by tourism.

 

In 2017 and 2019, Tourism Flanders and the art cities carried out studies in Antwerp, Bruges, Ghent, Leuven and Mechelen. In addition, Ypres and Genk also had the opportunity to look at the inhabitants' views on tourism in their city. The main conclusion in Ypres is similar to that of the Flemish art cities: Ypres people are positive about tourism in their city. Almost 80% say they support tourism and want it to remain important in our city. 67 percent think that in general the benefits of tourism in the city outweigh the disadvantages. That's similar to the art cities. 85% think that the city of Ypres should remain a tourist destination.

 

Living standards
Another aspect was the liveability and it was questioned on the basis of two theorems: Whether in certain parts of the city one is hindered in comfort by tourists and whether tourists cause nuisance in the city. On the first theorem, Ypres scores slightly higher than the average in art cities: 37 percent say yes. On the second aspect, the result of Ypres is identical to the average, namely 16 percent.

Tourism, among other things, creates more vibrancy in the city, according to 89 percent of those surveyed, while 58 percent say it contributes to the income and living standards of the inhabitants.

 

Balance 
Less than half of Ypres people feel that life in the city has become more expensive due to tourism. Ypres are a lot more negative about the traffic problems in the city due to tourism. "This finding is in line with the results of our large residents survey in 2019", commented Mayor Emmily Talpe (Open Ypres). "We are aware of this and have already started working on it. For example, we are working on a plan to stop tourist buses from driving en masse through the city centre."

"Tourism plays an important role in our city, but we want to keep a balance with the quality of life for our inhabitants," says The Netherlands' Diego Desmadryl (Open Ypres). "We are satisfied with the results of the survey: the Ypres people still like to see the visitors come and support the tourism. The high response to this survey is also positive."

 

[dah]

I live very close to Oxford - another major tourist attraction as well as destination for language students seeking to improve their english. It has a profound impact on the city during the summer months in particular.

 

 I'm reasonably sure that an Oxford city survey would produce similar results to the responses from the Ypres inhabitants. Happy to have the benefit of added revenue; shame about the road traffic and congested public areas. Measures are taken to reduce excessive numbers of coaches, but the overall message to tourists is......keeping coming, keep spending ....and to local government, don't shoot the goose that lays the golden egg.

 

Long may it continue.

 

Atb,

 

David