**1. Introduction**

Tourism is an essential global activity as it develops local economies, promotes the development of activity in new destinations, and motivates individuals to leave their daily territory seeking new experiences. The increase in the movement of people worldwide, as well as the strengthening of destinations as "a strong brand," causes several impacts, including overtourism, which shows a substantial threat to places already consolidated in tourism [1,2]. Insh [2] proved this fact by arguing that, currently, two out of five European residents believe that the number of tourists represents a threat to Europe's cultural heritage. The term overtourism is recent in academic research, it appeared in 2016, used by Skift [3], and has been increasingly disseminated and used as a focus of research due to its relevance for tourism. The Responsible Tourism Partnership [4] (p. 1), conceptualizes overtourism as "destinations where hosts or guests, locals or visitors, feel that there are too many visitors and that the quality of life in the area or the quality of the experience has deteriorated unacceptably." Thus, there is a complexity of the consequences suffered by the most diverse agents involved within a destination, since in addition to residents, this phenomenon can also affect tourists, investors, and, consequently, the sustainability and economy of the destination [5].

Tourism can also affect the subjective well-being of residents, as it affects the other areas of their lives—economic, social, cultural, and environmental. Although the interest in the perceived impacts of tourism and the residents' quality of life has increased, and some research on this relationship is ongoing, there are still doubts about how residents' well-being is affected by tourists [6]. Ivlevs [7] (p.1) highlights that "understanding the effects of tourism on host populations has long been a question of primary importance for both academics and policymakers." Considering the overtourism characteristics and its consequences on residents' well-being, we need to analyze its influence within the context of a festival. Some festivals, including the Oktoberfest in Blumenau, were created seeking to promote and value German culture [8,9]. Due to their characteristics and the possibility of attracting visitors, currently, it has been increasingly used by destinations as a tourism product. It is attracting a significant number of tourists who wish to know and feel part of a new culture and also generating a possibility of leisure and entertainment for tourists and visitors.

However, Yolal et al. [9] state that if the residents perceive the development of the festival as a problem for their daily lives, they will develop a feeling of anti-tourism. If the negative impacts of such a development outweigh the positive ones, the tendency is that the community will not support the event in their city. It is understood, then, that if the increase in the flow of tourists is much higher than the capacity of the city, this can directly affect the residents' well-being, thus generating a feeling of overtourism. In addition to the residents' feeling of well-being, the excess of tourists visiting the same destination in a short period, due to festival schedules, can also directly influence the generation of irreversible impacts on the receiving community [10]. Thus, the ability of a destination to assess the subjective well-being of residents and its ability to support visitors can assist in the sustainability of the location [9,11]. There is a concern on the part of festival visitors, who are increasingly aware of the environmental and social responsibility of the organizers of the events they attend. Therefore, sustainability is becoming a must for events and destinations [12,13]. Sustainability should not be measured only through environmental aspects, but also to the social, economic, and cultural changes that residents can endure without this interfering in an extremely negative way in their routine [14,15] throughout the year and not just during the period of the festival [16–18].

An example of a Brazilian destination that suffers a considerable population increase during a festival is the city of Blumenau. The municipality is in the State of Santa Catarina, southern Brazil, and has held the Oktoberfest since 1984, considered the largest Oktoberfest in the Americas and the second largest in the world [19]. The festival's program includes a series of activities that seek to demonstrate to the residents and tourists the "folklore and cultural wealth, brought in the passion for music, dances, and typical German cuisine, striking elements of the Germanic traditions brought to Santa Catarina by the colonizers" [19] (p. 100).

According to data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) [20], the city that was colonized by Germans has approximately 357,000 inhabitants (third municipality with the highest population density in Santa Catarina) and received an amount of approximately 576.5 thousand visitors during the 19 days of celebration in 2019 [21]. Thus, the importance of holding the event for Blumenau is perceived, since it is currently the main tourist product of the destination, responsible for triggering the entire tourism industry during its realization. Based on this, more studies seeking to understand the residents' perception of the festival in their city, seeking to identify how they experience the changes caused by the significantly increased tourists flow driven by the Oktoberfest and its relationship with the well-being of individuals.

In addition to the managerial contribution, this research adds relevant theoretical data for different themes—such as festivals, subjective well-being, and overtourism—which, when combined, bring the originality to the research. Thus, this research aims to analyze the relationship between the subjective well-being of Blumenau residents (Santa Catarina, Brazil) with the perceptions about the impacts of excessive tourism in their territory of residence. To achieve our purpose, we structured the research into six sections. Initially, the introduction seeks to contextualize and justify the choice of the theme and, consequently, to present the goals of the study. Subsequently, a literature review on well-being and overtourism is carried out. The second section presents the methodology adopted in the construction of the work. The results and conclusions are presented in the third and fourth sections, respectively. Finally, the fifth section contains the references used in the theoretical framework.

## *1.1. Subjective Well-Being*

Happiness and unhappiness are not separate dimensions since they can be perceived differently, and they are part of the same phenomenon [22]. Based on this understanding, many researchers have been more concerned with understanding the processes that cause and influence happiness than with analyzing demographic variables that correlate with it [23], showing interest in understanding the implications between meeting needs, quality of life, and subjective well-being.

Well-being concerns the quality of life lived in the present, "right here right now," and its support for future generations [24], that is, the authors incorporate the principles of sustainability into the concept of well-being. Other studies that link these two themes reinforce that the focus of these researchers is precisely on increasing or sustaining the well-being of a location or event [24–26].

We have to consider that "we are beings of multiple and interdependent needs. Simultaneities, complementarities, and compensations are characteristic of the dynamics of the process of satisfying needs" [27] (p. 37). In this aspect, Wilson [28] emphasizes that satisfaction depends on the individual's levels of adaptation or aspirations, which are influenced by previous experiences, comparisons with other individuals, and personal values.

The control of individual satisfactions, people's emotional responses to different situations, and the global judgment of life satisfaction are included in a broad category of phenomena that compose subjective well-being [23]. Yolal et al. [9] understand subjective well-being as the result of cognitive and emotional assessments that people obtain and how it affects satisfaction with their life. Mendes et al. [29] claim that happiness, through well-being [9], and satisfaction with life [30] play a fundamental role in people's quality of life. It is no wonder that studies that make this relationship between happiness and quality of life have been increasing in recent years [29].

Nawijn [30] states that happiness can be understood as satisfaction with life. This happiness presupposes the general assessment of life, which is based on how well people feel and how life adjusts to their desires. Sirgy et al. [31] compare the levels of satisfaction to a pyramid, where the top characterizes satisfaction in general, the middle and the base of the pyramid are the other domains of life satisfaction, such as, for example, satisfaction with family, with the community, belonging, work, health, and social life.

According to the authors, satisfaction with life is strongly related to satisfaction with all areas of life. Therefore, the higher the satisfaction in the several domains of life, the higher the general satisfaction with life itself and, consequently, the higher the individual's happiness. Tourism is an example of a component of life's domains since participating in tourism activities contributes to the individual's sense of well-being [32].

Tourism studies that have focused on discussions related to the good life and human activities have been represented by a range of terms inspired by philosophy and psychology, such as quality of life, life satisfaction, happiness, and well-being [6]. Lee et al. [33] suggest that the tourist's happiness is influenced by the positive experience they had at the destination, also stating that the tourist seeks happiness through a satisfactory tourist activity.

Yolal et al. [9] investigated how the participation of residents in local festivals can influence their subjective well-being and their quality of life. Among the main results, the higher the perceived community benefits of festivals, the more significant the impacts on the residents' subjective well-being. Another positive relationship was between cultural/educational benefits and the well-being of the residents. However, concerns about the quality of life, which involve vandalism, traffic, and noise levels during a festival, have harmed the sense of well-being of residents.

On the other hand, the study carried out by Ivlevs [7], in 32 countries over 12 years, pointed out that with the increasing arrival of tourists to a particular destination, the subjective well-being of residents decreases, especially in terms of satisfaction with life. The author notes that tourism, on the one hand, brings benefits to the local community through the modernization of recreational facilities, cultural revitalization, organization of festivals, investments in tourism, and environmental infrastructure. In contrast, tourism activity can increase the local cost of living, contribute to the increase in noise pollution, agglomeration, traffic, crime problems, contributing to the decrease in the residents' well-being. In addition to the assessment related to the subjective well-being perceived by residents, the concept of overtourism is also directly related to how much the destination can deal effectively with the social and environmental effects generated by the tourist activity in its territory [2,34].

## *1.2. Overtourism*

The term excessive tourism, or overtourism, is used to describe a situation in which the activity ends up uncontrollably influencing the quality of life of residents and, consequently, the experiences of tourists who visit the destination [35]. Milano et al. [5] argue that when the destination reaches this capacity, it ends up being overloaded by additional tourists and consequently does not develop sustainably. It should be noted that overtourism is not a synonym for overcrowding, but a situation where the number of visitors overloads the services and facilities available at the destination. Above all, it becomes an inconvenience for residents [10,16].

Mihaliˇc and Kušˇcer [36] argue that the effects caused by overtourism are directly linked to the sustainability of the destination. The World Tourism Organization [35] states that overtourism affects the social sustainability of the interaction between residents and tourists when the number of visitors in the destination affects the quality of life, or the experience has deteriorated more than the local population was willing to accept.

This is demonstrated in the study by Kušˇcer and Mihaliˇc [37], who realized that the positive, sustainable impacts of tourism reduced the perception of Ljubljana residents about overtourism and even improved their view on the responsible management of the local Target management organizations, which consequently increased satisfaction with life at the destination. The results achieved in this research are similar to those found by Jamieson [38], who realized that destination managers must pay attention to the effects of excessive tourism in the social, environmental, and economic aspects of destinations that explore the activity.

The relationship between sustainability and overtourism was also addressed in the study by Cheung and Li [32]. In Hong Kong's context, managers must pay attention to the deterioration of relations between residents and tourists promoted by the impacts generated by tourism in the destination. As result, the authors also realized that for there to be no anti-tourism feeling, tourism resilience must be developed, and sustainable growth in Hong Kong should be explored.

Amore et al. [39] proved in their study that the feeling of overtourism and the perception of sustainable development of the destination are not directly linked to the number of visitors in the locality, but rather, to how much the residents can support. The results showed that many of the cities studied have below-average overtourism potential, which contrasts with the extensive media coverage surrounding the problem of overtourism that each city is facing. Thus, when the adverse effects of the tourist activity outweigh the benefits generated by the activity, a negative feeling may arise in the residents regarding the development of tourism in their destination [1,40,41]. Overtourism has been considered one of the greatest threats to global tourism development [34,42].

Koens et al. [43] and Phi [40] argue that it should be analyzed whether residents' perception of the negative impacts of tourism not only concerns the actual number of tourists visiting the destination but whether this presence is also aggravated under changes brought about in the community motivated by the presence of visitors. Insch [2] adds that tourism should generate local and global environmental benefits, providing an improvement in the residents' quality of life and, from the moment that this does not occur, the tendency is for anti-tourism feelings to grow in the destination.

Despite the relevance of analyzing the influencing aspects of overtourism in destinations, authors such as Capocchi et al. [1], Carballo et al. [44], and Insch [2], encourage research to understand how the process of development of anti-tourism feelings occurs, with regard to overtourism and

consequently the decline of destinations influenced by such phenomena. As already mentioned, this term has been used in the literature for a short time; it came out in 2016 [3]. Thus, it still needs more considerable attention and acclamation within the academia, so that it has greater visibility and depth in the analysis of the relationships between the residents' well-being and the perception of excessive tourism. Carballo et al. [44] further argue that research related to the theme has been approached as theoretical insights and reflections. However, they still need specific variables and scales that can measure the residents' feelings of overtourism.

Among the aspects related to the excess of tourism in a community, vandalism has been pointed out in research as a significant negative impact on the support or rejection of the residents toward the development of tourism in their territory of residence [7,8,45,46]. The increased flow of tourists within a destination and the possible increase in the number of police occurrences can decrease the residents' sense of security and their well-being in their locality [43].

When surveying in order to understand the attitudes of Ibiza residents about tourism in the destination, Serra-Cantallops and Ramon-Cardona [47] realized that these are divided into three groups: supporters, opponents, and light opponents. Residents, in general, realize that nightclubs and parties are fundamental to the image of Ibiza as a tourist destination. However, the noise perceived in the community is the primary motivator of opposition to tourism by opponents and light opponents. These groups claim that the movement promoted by the activity in the territory, makes the noise levels of tourists unacceptable, making the destination an "open-air party," reducing the quality of the tourist experience.

The results of the research presented here demonstrate different influencing aspects of the residents' perceptions of overtourism. Namberger et al. [48] and Smith et al. [46] argue that, among other aspects, the increased people flow circulating in the territory and, consequently, the overcrowding of traffic and access is a primary generator of anti-tourism feeling motivated by excess demand. Namberger et al. [48] in their study on the overtourism feeling during Munich's Oktoberfest, revealed that the city residents perceived a component of local disturbance caused by tourism. A growing crowd of tourists who generated local disturbances mainly due to cultural differences between groups, discouraging residents from receiving new visitors.

The results also show that destinations that use events and festivals as the main tourist product tend to directly cause concerns among their residents about the increase in the flow of visitors to the destination. In the case of festivals, Yolal et al. [9] argue that during the period of holding such events, there is a substantial increase in the number of visitors in cities, and this lasts for a short time (only as long as the festival's program exists). This means that residents do not adequately perceive the benefits generated by the festival achievement.

Thus, the perception is that their routine is directly altered, there is a considerable increase in the displacement of people and means of transportation [8,48], increase in sound and noise levels [8,47], vandalism and violent trends in the city [45], generating a feeling opposed to the achievement of festivals and events and, consequently, reducing their well-being in the destination [9]. It is worth mentioning that in most cases, the festival's participants are predominantly residents, reinforcing the argument that building relationships with communities over time is fundamental to the success of these events and should be adopted as a central management activity [49].
