ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the politics of urban tourism in Hamburg as part of the city's neoliberal policy agenda and its focus on inter-urban competition, city branding and the notion of creativity. It also explores some of the dynamics and tensions present in the Gngeviertel in relation to tourism policies and the influx of tourists. The emergence of tourism promotion as being favoured for ailing urban economies needs to be traced back, in Hamburg, to the crisis of harbour-related industries in the 1970s. The shift towards post-Fordism resulted in high unemployment rates, low economic growth and rising welfare expenditure. The cultural appeal and authenticity the activists create in the Gngeviertel which is desperately needed for city branding activities to attract tourists as well as capital face the risk of fading away through processes of commodification. Ensuring openness to visitors needs to be a central concern to foster collective engagement in the making of a different city.
