The role of tourism in land utilization conflicts on the Spanish Mediterranean coast

Abstract

Spain's Mediterranean coastline is strongly influenced by conflicts between different land utilization. Space of diverse qualities (sunshine, proximity to the sea, ground-water, modes of transport, quality of soil) represents a limited resource that can either be wasted by specific preferences of be preserved and used in public interest.

The activity that uses up most land is national and international ‘hard’ tourism, which has influenced the appearance of the coastline since the nineteensixties. Unplanned building of holiday residences and of settlements (urbanizaciones) as well as the high concentration of hotels along the beach have resulted in excessive use with nearly irreparable desasters.

Land prices rose dramatically in the sixties and in the first half of the seventies. In the meantime, however, the bad state of the nation's economy has put the lid on it. Pollution and high traffic density, provoked among others by tourism, eventually boomerang against tourism itself.

Agricultural areas of high yields in the huertas tend to disappear. Tenants and labourers leave and seek for jobs in construction or services. In a few cases only does tourism lead to a more intensive tillage. It is not only the unlimited desires of a leisure-oriented society that causes such destructive development, but also, speculation among land owners and contractors in order to achieve the highest profit possible as well as the lack of planning and of steadfastness within public administration.