Local perceptions of tourism planning: the case of Cuéllar, Spain

Abstract

The rapid and unplanned speed of development that took place on the Mediterranean Coast of Spain, after WWII led to some well documented negative impacts. In the closing decade of the 20th century, however, the Spanish Government took steps to rationalise development by adopting a more sustainable and planned approach. This includes the twin-track formulation of new tourism development plans to improve the quality of the well established Spanish tourist resorts ( Plan de Excelencia Turı́stica), and develop new tourist resorts in municipalities where tourism activity did not exist ( Plan de Dinamización Turı́stica). Taking the inland village of Cuéllar, which acted as a pilot for the national scheme, this paper draws on primary evidence in the form of non-probability sampling, to provide some insights into local perceptions about the way the first Plan de Dinamización Turı́stica was approached.