Sustainable Tourism and Policy Implementation: Lessons from the Case of Calviá, Spain

Abstract

To date there is much literature identifying the need for sustainable tourism and for policy to address this need, however, there are few studies addressing sustainable tourism at a practical level or the effectiveness of policy implementation. This research focuses on the operational level of policy in order to gain a greater understanding of the barriers and possible solutions to implementation of sustainable tourism policy. This research focused on one of the Mediterranean's most popular sun, sea and sand tourist resorts – Calviá, located in Mallorca in the Balearic Islands, Spain. Calviá is an example of a mass tourism destination which, from a result of tourism pressure in the late 1980s, faced significant economic, social and environmental decline. By taking an integrated and collaborative approach to implement a sustainable tourism policy [using the participatory process of Local Agenda 21 (LA21)] Calviá received much international acclaim. This descriptive case study outlines the motivations behind establishing a sustainable tourism policy, the process, successes and barriers of implementation and lessons learned. By outlining sustainable tourism policy from development to evaluation, this case study hopes to provide recommendations for other destinations who aim to work towards sustainable tourism goals.