Perception of local development and tourism in the vision of stakeholders in the Western Sierra Morena (Andalusia, Spain)

Abstract

Rural spaces take into account the multifunctionality of uses and economic diversification as adaptive strategies for development, while becoming areas for new socio-economic activities. Tourism is regarded as a tool for generating local development processes in this context. The goal of this study is to investigate the local development processes triggered by tourist activity in the three westernmost Nature Parks of Sierra Morena: Sierra de Aracena and Picos de Aroche (Huelva), Sierra Norte de Sevilla (Seville) and Sierra de Hornachuelos (Cordoba). A mixed methodology was applied: (1) conducting interviews with stakeholders so as to ascertain the perception of those who participate in the development processes or influence them; (2) using secondary data to evaluate the impact of tourism on local development. The results of the work indicate that: (1) turning the areas into Nature Parks has repercussions on the tourist supply and demand; (2) the economic dimension of tourism in local development is prevalent in the dominant discourse, while expectations are not found; (3) socio-cultural impacts on the community are barely perceived by stakeholders, with few positive impacts of tourism on the local community; (4) the environmental dimension is regarded as a personal, rather than a collective matter, underestimating environmental impacts; (5) tourism development in the different municipalities and Nature Parks is irregular. In conclusion, the effect of tourism on local development processes in the study area is limited, although there are differences between municipalities and Nature Parks.