An analysis of the effect tourism has had on regional Spain.
Spain’s tourism industry has experienced exceptional growth since the first visitors arrived at San Sebastian in the early 1900’s (Barke et al. 1996). In the 1960’s, following their European counterparts, Spain launched a major promotional campaign attracting international visitors. This initiated the tourism boom; a period of intense structural and economic growth during which tourist arrivals grew by 16.5 million between 1973 and 1987 (Solsten and Menditz, 1988) and created an industry that today accounts for ‘11% of Spain’s GDP’ (OECD Publishing, 2008:198). This analysis will discuss the contrasting effects that tourism has had on regional Spain and consider how tourism as a diverse product can continue to be an important source of income.
The combination of sun, beaches and low prices offered along the Mediterranean coast and Balearic Islands, is what initially attracted tourists to Spain. Rapid economic growth, far beyond that of more northern ‘communidades’, and ‘uncoordinated and unplanned’ (Burton, 1997:230) construction of ‘ciudades de hormigón’, such as Benidorm and Benalmadena, produced low quality structures, damaged the local environment and exploited natural resources. The spread of population across the regions also experienced ‘a shift towards the Costas and Balearic Islands’ (Burton, 1997:231) where employment opportunities were seasonal but vast. Casado-Daiz (2004) suggests that the construction industry became heavily reliant upon tourism as it provided important employment opportunities. This has, more recently, proved detrimental to the Spanish economy and could have indirectly contributed to its collapse (Tremlett, 2009).
These regions of Sp...
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...affected. Economically, the tourism boom has continuously provided much a needed income but has also been responsible for the destruction of the natural environment and essential resources such as water. Despite this, mass ‘tourism remains as one of the pillars of the Spanish economy’ (Batolomé et al. 2009:2742). Moving forward, the ‘plan turismo 2020’ aims to sustainably improve the quality of infrastructure, tackle geographical and seasonal distribution and ensure that ‘different parts of the country supply different tourism products’ (Bote-Gomez and Sinclar, 1996:65). It is therefore suggested that all regions of Spain can only benefit from this diversification of the tourism product. Nevertheless, with 59.2 million tourists per year (IET, 2008) it is important that any future growth needs to be appropriately and sustainably managed to the benefit of all regions.
The tourist industry has changed by a large amount, over the past few years due to the change in peoples’ life style and the change in the economy. Now that people earn much more money than in the past people can afford to spend more money on leisure. People now have the benefits of a paid holiday which leads to a lot of tourism as the individual gets his/her holiday money from their work place.
Strengths: This entry of the book is pretty up to date as it is published in 2017. That supports its reliability as well as its credibility. Moreover, it outlines that climate change and tourism are linked to each other and also affect each other.
Catalonia is located in the northeast of Spain, bound to the north by the Pyrenees Mountains. Catalonia was not always independent and due to this Catalan is spoken not just in Catalonia but also in Valencia, Andorra and the Balearic Islands. Catalonia has always been a place of great popularity and wealth for many reasons such as industrialization, trade and being the host of the Summer Olympics in 1992. (www.everyculture.com , 2014) This brought in a lot of visitors and the years to follow saw a huge increase in the number of immigrants, bringing the population to over 6 billion. Catalonia’s capital, Barcelona, is home to over 25% of this six billion.
The discourse concerning the impacts of tourism in national development, economic and otherwise, has had both negative and positive connotations. Societies hosting tourist attractions are seen as the victims of the negative effects of tourism while the tourists seen as the perpetrators of the crime; bringing their culture and values and imposing them on the host societies. While these generally accepted stereotypical thoughts may be true in some instances, it is however misleading to hold these notions regarding the changes in the social and cultural aspects of a society. Whereas sociocultural changes may in part be due to tourism, it can also be due to other modernization and global factors such as international trade relations, military actions, migration etc (Sharpley R. and Telfer D., 2002).
I Mr. Saumyadip Maiti hereby declare that the report on Spanish Tourism Market for India “A case Study of LPTI” is an original piece of research work and carried out by me under the guide line of Mr.Navin Mishra (General Manager of LPTI Spanish Market). The information is collected from the true and valid source. To achieve the partial fulfillment of Master in Tourism Administration I have submitted this report to our college.
When speaking of the beginnings of tourism, its etymology of the English language "tourism" is established and that the Royal Academy of the Spanish Language defines it as: "activity or fact of traveling for pleasure", that is to say that it is a fact or socio- Directly impacts the economy where the person or group of people move to recreate.
Barcelona the capital of Spain is officially the country’s most popular destination, so tourism is prevalent throughout the year. This city is a combination of stunning Gothic- style architecture with rich flora and resplendent seas. The city is a heady blend of natural scenery and lush green forestry. Barcelona is a hit destination for explorers, adventurers or nature enthusiasts. If you really want to get the feel of Barcelona city you have to take strolls. Walking is the best way of commuting as it will give you the experience of Barcelona’s surreal beauty. This city has the power to keep you occupied for days together. Vacationing in Barcelona stands out as an exceptional travel experience because of its heritage sites, varied museums and myriads of restaurants.
Spain has been identified as a potential target for Tourist Australia’s global operations. Hence, research into the factors related to the political, legal, economic, socio-cultural, and technological environment of Spain were conducted. This was combined with a SWOT analysis of Tourist Australia to make the appropriate recommendations. This report is the compilation of the steps above and is aimed at assisting the Senior Management team of Tourist Australia on the feasibility of Spain as a possible location for global operations.
According to the ‘World Tourism Organization’ (UNWTO), the tourism industry is one of the fastest growing sectors in the world, as it is estimated that by the year 2020, 7.8 billion people (roughly a quarter of the world’s population) will embark on a foreign trip (Bennett & Gebhardt 15). The Caribbean is said to be the most economically dependent on this industry, as the ‘Caribbean Tourism Organisation’ states that the industry forms the “economic backbone of most countries in the Region”(“Caribbean Tourism Industry” 1), implications for what tourism’s affect on the region have arisen and have prompted further research into matter. Since the 1970’s research regarding tourism in the Caribbean has attempted to determine the social, cultural, environmental, and economic impacts of tourism. Much of the research has found that there are in fact many negative adverse affects, and Jackson’s article asserts that, “Governments often commit money and other resources to support the growth and development of tourism and often turn a blind eye to its negative impacts” (574). The reason why tourism looks attractive (and thus turn a blind eye) to these Caribbean countries is because of “its potential to foster GDP growth, to create employment, to increase foreign exchange earnings, and attract capital investment” (Daye, Chambers, and Roberts 2). This paper will overview such impacts by first discussing a case study conducted in Jamaican resort town, Ocho Rios, with Sheere Brooks discussing the observed social, cultural and economical consequences of Jamaica’s reliance on the tourism industry and will finally look at tourism in relation to capitalism, with Robert Fletcher suggesting in his article that the tourism industry (and more specifically...
Tourism has been described as a global activity with local implications. We are all aware of the tourism potential to boost economic diversity and growth within their regions. The decentralized nature of t...
Nowadays in the rea of globalization, according to the World Tourism Organization, “seven hundred million people travelled abroad in 2003”, and the number is estimated to increase to 1.6 billion by 2020. (International Labour Organization, 2005). Tourism is spreading in unusual places. A lot of people want to be in the midst of adventure. It is a vital source of revenues for the GDP of many countries. I partially agree that tourism hugely benefits the local community. This essay will discuss some of the economic, social and environment effect of tourism on the host community.
The economy can be clearly identified as the most beneficial aspect of tourism. “According to recent statistics, tourism provides about 10% of the world’s income and employs almost one tenth of the world’s workforce” (Mirbabayev, 2007). In Australia alone, Tourism contributed $87.3 billion in 2012, and employed 908,434 (7.9%) people (Kookana & Duc Pham, 2013). Tourism is “one of the most profitable and rapidly developing industries in the world” (Popushoi, 2004). Every year the number of tourists increase dramatically and consequently the revenues from tourism will increase substantially.
Since 2013, there has been major investment to prepare for hosting the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games. The country is especially strong in terms of natural and cultural resources, but this is now complemented by significant improvements in airports and other tourism infrastructure and in the tourism labour market. The main challenges faced by Brazil include issues around market openness (e.g. the visa regime), safety and the business environment. The need to build on the opportunities and address the challenges is reflected in the National Tourism Plan 2013-16, which links to Brazil’s overall Multi-Year Plan 2012-15. The National Tourism Plan sets out the contribution of the sector towards economic and social development and the elimination of poverty. It is based on a number of principles, including the need to improve participation and dialogue with society, generate employment and entrepreneurial opportunities, encourage innovation and knowledge and strengthen regionalization in the territorial and institutional approach to planning.
At the present time, one of the inseparable parts of the economic growth is considered as tourism industry. Commonly, tourism is the movement of people to other places for business or leisure purposes as well as covers their activities. Holloway and Humphreys defines that the places where tourists come and spend their money are called as “tourist destinations” in other words “receiving areas”. Many countries have been improving tourism to overcome economic difficulties since it is growing fast. The industry activities have been demonstrated a general positive trend in the economy and it has already become the inherent part of economic development. In host countries, tourism has led to such positive consequences as the improved infrastructure,
In the more economically developed countries (MEDCs), synonymous mainly with the industrialised countries of the northern hemisphere there, has been an explosion in the growth of leisure and tourism industry, which is now believed to be the worlds second largest industry in terms of money generated. In order to differentiate between leisure and tourism it should be recognised that leisure often involves activities enjoyed during an individual’s free time, whereas tourism commonly refers to organised touring undertaken on a commercial basis. Development in the two areas could be attributed to changing patterns in working lives within the last four decades. Generally, people now have more disposable wealth, work shorter hours, receive longer, paid annual leave, retire earlier and have greater personal mobility. In addition, according to Marshall & Wood (1995), the growth of the tourist industry per se can be associated, in part, with the concentration of capital; the emergence of diversified leisure based companies, sometimes within wider corporate conglomerates and often associated with particular airlines. Furthermore, the development of tourism can generate employment both directly, in jobs created in the hotels, restaurants etc, and indirectly, through expenditure on goods and services in the local area. Nevertheless, although the tourist industry is competitive, which essentially keeps down the cost of foreign travel, the success of tourism in any one area can be ‘influenced by weather, changing consumer tastes, demographics, economic cycles, government policy, not to mention international terrorism and other forms of conflict.’(1) Although such factors may have a detrimental affect on the economy of a popular tourist destination (or even tourism in general, in light of September 11th 2001), the consequence of tourism in general is often three fold: environmental, social and cultural, which in turn has prompted a search for new ‘friendly’ approaches that are less destructive.