Natalie Stors & Andreas Kagermeier 115 Crossing the Border of the Tourist Bubble: Touristification in Copenhagen Natalie Stors & Andreas Kagermeier (Trier) Keywords: touristification, tourist bubble, Copenhagen, Vesterbro, Nørrebro Summary City tourism has entered a new dimension in recent years. Tourists no longer restrict themselves to the classic routes of cultural, shopping or MICE tourism. In some ways, it can be said that tourists are ‘coming of age’ and crossing the borders of the traditional tourist bubble. ‘Modern explorers’ tour independently, leaving the beaten track of well-known historic city centres and CBDs to im- merse themselves into everyday life in urban destinations. They prefer the au- thentic feeling to the artificial experience and become a temporary member of local communities, emancipating themselves from the suggestions and propos- als made by traditional offers produced by the tourism industry. Due to such behaviour, tourists actively participate in the ongoing process of urban change. Denmark’s capital, boasting extensive 19th century districts, is a perfect desti- nation for the new ‘explorer’ type of tourist. Copenhagen has large areas where tourists can explore authentic urban life in the quarters surrounding the CBD, untouched by commercialised tourism activities and fine-tuned offers. Due to on- going gentrification and urban renewal, the touristification process is becoming apparent across Copenhagen’s ‘bridge quarters’ of Vesterbro and Nørrebro. In this article, an analysis is given of how tourists visiting the bridge quarters can be characterised, how local inhabitants perceive this influx of tourists and the touristification process, and the role played by the local authorities. First prelimi- nary results are provided, based on a survey conducted during a student rese- arch project, which has been the beginning of further ongoing research activities. 1 Introduction Research on city tourism focuses primarily on the economic impact that tourists have on their surrounding environment. Marketing strategies or cooperation to increase guest arrivals and the diversity of possible motifs for a city trip have been evaluated extensively. In contrast, considerations on or abstract model- ling of tourist spaces in cities have rarely been carried out; the analysis of ur- ban tourism precincts away from the traditional tourist track is a relatively new approach. Nevertheless, a number of researchers have since discovered the evolution and development of tourist spaces in cities as an important field of re- search, with Judd’s concept of the urban ‘tourist bubble’ (Judd 1999, p. 36; see also Urry 1990, p. 8) representing an important contribution. Tatjana Thimm (Hrsg.): Tourismus und Grenzen Mannheim 2013, S. 115 - 131 (= Studien zur Freizeit- und Tourismusforschung, 9)