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tourism after lockdown • THE INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AND URBAN DESIGN

Editorial

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Searching for the untouched

“COLLECT MOMENTS, NOT SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS” • International society has perfected the art of making itself “instagrammable”. We’re not just talking about Ariana Grande, Ronaldo and the like. Architects and planners – such as Bjarke Ingels and Norman Foster for example – have also perfected the art of presenting themselves on the social media platform Instagram. It’s hardly surprising, then, that social media also massively determines our travel behavior. The problem: the cities themselves still use the platforms far too little. Yet they would be ideal for better guiding tourist flows.

Dubrovnik • Dubrovnik, the picture-postcard idyll in southern Croatia, is located directly on the Adriatic coast. Its appearance dates to the Middle Ages, when Dubrovnik emerged as a trading power and erected magnificent buildings. Today, the city and its 25-meter-high city walls with numerous towers serve as a set for the hit series “Game of Thrones”; one reason for the large streams of tourists that flood into the city each year. They pose a major challenge to the cultural heritage.

tourism after lockdown

A Still Life – Pandemic Landscapes • Emptied cities, skies, airports, stadiums, deserted parking lots, roads, schools, workplaces… 2020, a year where our world stood still, holding its breath and bracing for challenges unknown to the modern, developed world. This photo series is a visual story of human environments, but distanced from the personal and dramatic demise which the pandemic has caused to so many. Let this selection bear silent witness to the changes that have affected us all during the course of the past two years. These photographs were taken from a small airplane – (a Cessna 172 nicknamed Rusty for it’s original 1973 paint) – whilst crossing the continent during the early months of the pandemic. The original series has been supplemented by images taken a year later, as the vaccination efforts were in full swing.

The end of tourism? • The pandemic has devastated global tourism, and many will say ‘good riddance’ to overcrowded cities and rubbish-strewn natural wonders. Is there any way to reinvent an industry that does so much damage?

Boosting Aloha in Tourism • 137 volcanic islands with beautiful beaches, lush nature, modern infrastructure, and a welcoming culture: Hawai’i is a dream destination for many. The 50th state of the United States of America has long welcomed millions of visitors every year. But the pandemic brought the island’s tourism industry to its knees, begging international visitors to delay their visit. Why was this necessary and what is the way ahead for Hawai’i?

Barcelona – when a city is a brand • At first it felt like a relief. Now, the absence of tourist masses due to Covid-19 is showing the profound impact the tourist industry has made on the Catalan capital. Hotels are still closed and many flats and even entire buildings are blocked from local usage. How the pandemic changed the city of Barcelona and what the city needs now for a sustainable future.

“Barcelona is no holiday destination, it’s an urban experience.” • To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Antoni Gaudi’s death, Barcelona’s most famous sight, the Sagrada Família, was supposed to be completed (finally!) by 2026. But that won’t happen. The income from tourism to finance the construction is lacking. The tourism industry in Barcelona has lost about 70 per cent of its turnover in...