La planificación estratégica en espacios turísticos de interior: claves para el diseño y formulación de estrategias competitivas

Abstract

Strategic planning requires a specific approach that can meet the needs and expectations of the rural world. Inland tourism planning must additionally consider the integration of other spaces, such as medium-sized towns that help articulate and organise the territory into a hierarchy (e.g. small regional or provincial capitals, industrial or commercial hubs, etc.), and the natural milieu, where environmental management and sustainability criteria must always prevail. In the light of the above, the present research work seeks to empirically identify the key strategic lines and aspects of preferential interest for the effective planning of inland tourism areas, keeping at all times local development, tourism competitiveness and territorial sustainability as the essential premises. In order to achieve this twofold objective, we carried out an intense, comprehensive fieldwork which took the interior of the Alicante Province as its pilot area. Using different techniques, we collected the opinions of business groups and public institutions which, together with the analysis of numerous secondary sources, served as the basis for the diagnosis of the main dysfunctions affecting inland spaces. A methodological proposal is presented in response to these dysfunctions where we formulate and justify seven broad strategic axes which are then broken down into different aspects of preferential attention at inland tourism space planning.

Turismo agroecológico como modelo sostenible en las comunidades

“…Fase inicial: Se abordó una revisión teórica sobre los modelos sostenibles, donde preciso la triangulación de los principios de la sostenibilidad y la propuesta de Diez (2011) afirmando que la planificación turística "es la piedra angular del desarrollo sostenible del turismo (…). La necesidad de adaptar una metodología propia de planificación turística deriva del hecho que los destinos turísticos en espacios rurales deben hacer frente a importantes retos, e incluso amenazas como la alienación sociocultural de la población local, el endeudamiento de los entes locales, el abandono de los modo tradicionales, la excesiva demanda del monocultivo turístico, el sobredimensionamiento de la oferta de alojamiento, la falta de competitividad de las empresas y la insuficiente rentabilidad" (p. 636).…”

The Role of Cultural Routes in Sustainable Tourism Development: A Case Study of Syria’s Spiritual Route

“…Cooperation and collaboration among the different actors involved in a cultural route are also key to ensure the overall accessibility of an itinerary. Tourism services and facilities need to be accessible to visitors, and the staff employed in these services needs to be trained [29,37]. The accessibility of an itinerary includes transportation and information.…”

Linking Destinations Through Sustainable Cultural Routes

“…Charlemagne has always been considered as a key figure in European history and back in the Middle Ages the emperor was even raised to sainthood (Depreux, 2014;MVH, 2014;Rogeau, 2014). Also today, news related to Charlemagne and his heritage are reported quite frequently in the press (e.g., see Alié, 2014;Crémers, 2013;Gihousse, 2014;Jacquemin, 2012;RA, 2014) and a former Carolingian capital city such as Aachen has been effectively building its image and tourism brand around the emperor (Aachen, 2016). Therefore, the Via Charlemagne appears to have some good market potential and attractiveness.…”

“…The efforts put on the communication of the initiative by its proposers may also contribute to the successful development of this cultural route. Even if some information and some translations are still missing, a website (MEM, 2016) that serves as a sort of inventory for the project is currently in place; furthermore, the proposal has already acquired some good coverage in the local press of the regions interested by the initiative (e.g., see Bechet, 2013;Crémers, 2013;Gihousse, 2014;RUA, 2014).…”