Tourism Business in Spanish National Parks: A Multidimensional Perspective of Sustainable Tourism

Abstract

In recent years, nature tourism has increased its prominence in the tourism market due to sociocultural change and greater concern for the environment in our society. In this sense, Spanish national parks have become important tourist destinations, increasing the number of visitors significantly in the last decade, exceeding 14.81 million in 2019. In addition to their incalculable ecological value, these protected natural spaces are a key factor in achieving the socioeconomic development of their rural area of influence. The main objective of the study is to contrast the development experienced by tourist businesses in the areas of socioeconomic influence of the Spanish national parks. This has been done from a multidimensional perspective: infrastructures, socioeconomic development, and the perception of the residents belonging to the area of influence of the parks. The indicators associated with each dimension have been compiled and a logit model was used to contrast the relationships between the different variables. The results confirmed that perceived economic development and infrastructure have a significant impact on tourism businesses. In conclusion, local socioeconomic development requires greater effective public–private partnerships to achieve business prosperity and a better quality of life as factors for the sustainability of nature tourism in national parks.

Sociocultural valuation of ecosystem services in protected areas: A study applied to Southeast Spain

“…The first of these corresponds to the promotion of sustainable tourism development since the region stands out for rural and active tourism. Tourism is an activity that can improve the economic development of this region (Pérez-Calderón et al, 2022), and according to experts, the natural park is a fundamental actor in achieving this. Most of the visitors come from the province of Almería and the neighbouring region of Murcia.…”

“…On the other hand, sustainable rural tourism should be promoted (Pérez-Calderón et al, 2022). Tourism is an activity that can improve the economic development of this area, for which it is necessary to carry out actions that allow the generation of a solid tourist offer and that reinforce the image of the territory while preserving the natural space.…”

Evaluation of the Sustainable Development of Traditional Ethnic Village Tourist Destinations: A Case Study of Jiaju Tibetan Village in Danba County, China

“…Regarding the sustainable development of tourism destinations, scholars believe that attention should be paid to the dual needs of tourists and local residents. From the perspective of local residents, the sustainable tourism development can drive economic development and infrastructure construction, achieve economic prosperity and improve the quality of life of residents [36]. From the perspective of tourists, tourist experience is one of the key elements in determining the sustainable development level of tourist destinations [37].…”

Urban tourists' intention towards visiting national parks: an exertion of theory of planned behaviour and expectancy theory

“…The topic of national parks has been the focus of several studies (Esfandiar et al , 2020; Goh et al , 2016; Goodwin, 2002; Hu et al , 2022; Jia et al , 2022; Miller, 2019; Nugroho and Numata, 2022; Perez-Calderon et al , 2022; Ramkissoon et al , 2014; Rao et al , 2022; Scholte et al , 2022; Wengel et al , 2022; Xu and Fox, 2014; Xue et al , 2023). However, this is one of the first kinds of research to integrate the elements of urban tourists in a nature-based setting and at the same time synergize two very important models of human behaviour.…”