Tourism’s Impact: Spatial, Economic, and Policy Implications

Posted on Feb 13, 2025 in Geography

The Spatial Implications of Tourism

  1. Demographic Repercussions

    • a) In coastal areas, tourism increases the actual population. Additionally, tourism increases the population employed.
    • b) In some rural and mountain areas, and in some historic towns in decline, tourism slowed depopulation and encouraged the revival of crafts and traditions.

  2. Impact on the Land

    • a) On the coast, tourism extends the urban settlement and favors the formation of conurbations.
    • b) In some rural, mountain, and urban areas, tourism contributed to the rehabilitation of built heritage.

  3. Economic Repercussions

    • a) Tourism generates more than 12% of employment. However, much of this employment is seasonal.
    • b) It has a multiplier effect on other economic activities that are stimulated by tourism demand.
    • c) Regarding the country’s wealth, it contributes around 11% of GDP.
    • d) It offsets the balance of trade by curbing foreign debt.
    • e) It influences transport policy, aimed at providing good accessibility to tourist centers.

  4. Political, Cultural, and Sociological Implications

    • a) Tourism promotes closer relations between peoples and fosters understanding between states.
    • b) Tourism focuses on local society, either with modernization or loss of identity cues.

  5. Effects on Land Management

    • a) In the most touristy coastal areas, tourism orders nearby spaces according to their needs.
      • Changes the environment and the landscape (ponds, quarries, etc.)
      • Economic transformations (valuation of farmland)
      • Conflicts over land use and resources; urbanizing pressure on arable land and conflicts over water use.
    • b) In areas of rural and mountain tourism, it can create conflicts with agricultural activities or encourage their abandonment.
    • c) Historic towns specializing in tourist activities are in service.
    • d) Environmental repercussions arise from the development of the sector in a short time in a small space.

Tourism Policy Issues

The most important tourist problems are:

  • The predominance of the traditional model is a mid-level clientele with a high seasonal and spatial concentration.
  • The demand puts new demands: improvements in quality and variety.
  • Growing international competition due to improved transport and search for destinations not massified.

A tourism policy aims to solve these problems in coordination with the autonomous communities and with the EU.

  • The Autonomous Communities are competent for tourism policy.
  • The EU has proposed to promote tourism for its advantages in creating jobs and redistributing incomes between rich and poor.
  • Portugal realized its tourism policy in the Spanish Tourism Plan Horizon 2020, and its objectives are:
    • The increased quality of supply to attract more tourists and more affluent.
    • The offer to meet the desire for variety in demand.
    • The use of new technology, innovation, and knowledge to achieve customer satisfaction and business success. Plans R + D + i.
    • Tourism promotion in fairs like Berlin or FITUR to confront external competition and attract new customers.
    • Improved marketing to increase tour profits.
  • The achievement of sustainable tourism that meets the requirement of environmental quality demand.