Purpose
Over-tourism signifies the dilemma of managing tourism growth in cities. With growing media sensationalism and an oversimplification of the phenomenon of over-tourism, its academic theorization has become extremely important. Using Macau, a Special Administrative Region of China as a case in point, the purpose of this paper is to theoretically explore the nexus between over-tourism and sustainable consumption in cities, highlighting governments’ inevitable role in this successful convergence.
Design/methodology/approach
The study is based on a selective systematic literature review (SLR) of existing studies in the form of both news material and academic journals. It investigates the growing concern of over-tourism and the contribution of sustainable consumption grounded in strong political support. It also adopts a case study approach with specific reference to Macau.
Findings
The general overview of the literature provides evidence of an age-old concept that has re-emerged to make local residents’ voice more pronounced. Generally, the studies concentrate on understanding residents’ attitudes, the perceived impact of over-tourism, community resilience and sustainable strategies to tackle the problem. Most popular studies are recent (i.e. 2018 and beyond) and empirically set in developed cities of Europe.
Research limitations/implications
The SLR used in the current study requires further empirical testing to validate some of the proposed concepts in the literature.
Practical implications
The study highlights the role of government in ensuring that sustainable consumption is sustainably implemented in the context of over-tourism.
Originality/value
Given the re-emergence of over-tourism, yet with few theoretical discussions on the concept, this study serves as a knowledge-base for future studies both empirically and theoretically.
Research topic: Tourists’ preference for public space based on Big Data online. Case study: Fuzhou National Forest Park
