La sostenibilidad en la política turística española. ¿Avances o retrocesos?

Abstract

Sustainability is recognized as a key factor of competitiveness of tourism destinations. However, the success of the actual incorporation of sustainability in the value chain of destinations depends on his assumption and development by policymakers and managers of tourist destinations through tourism policies they develop. This paper examines the historical development and current status of Spanish tourism policy with respect to its strategic relationship with the principles of sustainability. This has allowed observing the differences and similarities between the different policies applied in Spain through a critical comparative analysis. Then, it’s presented the results of a Delphi analysis, with a group of thirty experts in tourism policy, planning and sustainability, about the current situation of Spanish tourism from the perspective of sustainability, which allows knowing the key factors to be considered in future policy tourism. The conclusions obtained allow concluding that the treatment given so far to sustainability in Spanish tourism policy has been partially or wrong. There is not a proactive attitude of governments towards sustainable tourism development in Spain, so progress is minimal. This justifies the need for a new approach in the Spanish tourism policy that incorporates sustainability as a strategic issue.