Localhood for sale: left ungoverned, sold by the market

As cities grapple with the pressures of overtourism, many are shifting from growth centered strategies toward approaches that prioritize urban liveability. In this context, localhood-oriented tourism has emerged as a response to the rise of New Urban Tourism, where visitors seek out everyday life in residential neighborhoods. While localhood strategies promise more sustainable and community-driven tourism, their implementation often unfolds within broader frameworks of neoliberal urban development, raising critical questions about their actual outcomes.This thesis investigates how localhood strategies are implemented and experienced in Rotterdam's Oude Noorden, a post-industrial neighborhood identified in the city's 2020 tourism vision as a priority for place-based development. Despite policy ambitions to invest in local identity and quality of life, little empirical research has addressed how such aims translate on the ground.The central research question is: How can a genuine localist tourism policy for Rotterdam's Oude Noorden be implemented in the face of neoliberal development challenges? This is guided by a sub-question: How do Oude Noorden's local actors from government, academia, industry, and civil societyperceive the impacts and implications of localhood tourism implementation? Using a qualitative case study approach, the research draws on 14 semi-structured interviews with stakeholders from all four domains of the quadruple helix. Thematic analysis reveals three key findings: (1) ambiguity in decision-making power, exposing unequal influence among stakeholders; (2) a dislocating identity and offer, highlighting the narrowing of local appeal; and (3) Oude Noorden's resilient fabric, emphasizing the strength of grassroots initiatives. Based on these insights, the thesis presents seven context-specific recommendations to foster a more inclusive, place based, and community-led localhood strategy in urban tourism planning.