Analyse the extent to which Poon's theory relates to the changing nature of tourism in the Costa Brava.

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International Tourism Cases Group Report                Costa Brava

1.0 Introduction

Poon (1994) suggests a change in tourism demand; identifying a shift from old tourism, characterised by ‘mass, standardized, and rigidly packaged holidays’, towards a ‘flexibility, segmented and more authentic new tourism experience’.  This report aims to analyse the extent to which Poon’s theory relates to the changing nature of tourism in the Costa Brava.  

2.0 The demand for tourism

Spain first became a major destination for ‘mass tourism’ between the 1960’s and 70’s, following the industry boom and by the 1990s Germany, UK and Spain accounted for over three quarters of visitors (Buswell, 1996). In 2000, Spain was the third most visited country in the world, attracting more than 48,500,000 visitors per annum (WTO 2000).

New technological advancements in the airline industry, cheap oil, standardisation of product and use of economies of scale drove down the price of holidays even further, and Spain was able to capitalise on the increased desire for sun-lust tourism. As Gomez and Sinclair (in Barke et al., 1996, p.67) illustrate: ‘between 1951 and 1990 most tourists visited the country during the summer months to take advantage of the sun and the beaches’.  However, a study carried out by González and Moral (1996, p. 747) found that the clear seasonal fluctuations in demand identified in the mid 90’s have since become more homogeneous throughout the year, suggesting that people are no longer visiting the Costa Brava simply for the sun, lending credence to Poon’s theory of a change towards new tourism.  Both Reynolds (1993) and Urry (1995) also acknowledge the decline in physically orientated holidays and the rise of culturally orientated choices.  Richard’s (1996) assertion that cultural tourism is a growing market, and Shackley’s (1998) claim that ‘throughout the world heritage tourism is experiencing a period of rapid growth’ serve to reinforce Poon’s theory of a ‘new tourist’.  Prat (1996) also suggests the demand for tourism in Costa Brava is partially evolving toward Poon’s new tourism, by highlighting the changing demographics, and motivators of visitors to the region: ‘Tourism in the Costa Brava is primarily family tourism, nevertheless, recent years have shown an increase in the presence of young single people, and tendencies towards more personalised and individualistic tourism forms, such as interest in the quality of the natural environment and appreciation for cultural differences’.

3.0 Supply Issues

In its early stages (1908-1958) tourist promotion and the development of the Costa Brava was perfectly integrated with the landscape, the economy and the lifestyle of the region’ (Prat, 1996). However, in the post war period that followed, the political and economic circumstances of Spain and Europe pulled the Costa Brava toward a dizzying tourist growth and sustainable tourism principles were forgotten. Tourist development was characterised by property speculation, insufficient investment in infrastructure and the predominance of tour operators. Supply escalated, and by the late 1970s the majority of buildings in Lloret de Mar were hotels, shops and restaurants, even local farmland was used to develop hotels.

Some resorts on the Costa Brava, such as Tossa de Mar, remain largely unspoilt despite the increasing demand outlined in section 2.0; others however, including Blanes and Lloret de Mar are intensely developed, Lloret de Mar, one of the major towns on the Costa Brava housed 60,000 bed spaces in 1996 (Prat, 1996) and has since increased. At present, the supply of tourist facilities in the Costa Brava is primarily two and three star hotels, apartments, campsites, farms and country houses. The International airport, and a number of tourist attractions, such as four theme parks and sixteen golf courses serve the area, which has been designed to appeal to all demographic sectors of the population ().

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There are numerous supply issues in the Costa Brava that need to be addressed in order to maintain tourist levels.  Perhaps, the most pressing at present is the extent of oversupply; of the total 46,000km of Mediterranean coastline, 25,000 km is urbanized and development has already exceeded a critical limit. (WWF, 2002), illustrating Poon’s theory that old tourism held no ‘limits to growth’. As a result, the heritage and natural beauty in many areas of the Costa Brava have been destroyed, eliminating aspects attracting new tourists to the resort, therefore potentially decreasing future demand.

Current supply and infrastructure ...

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