The sustainability of island destinations: Tourism area life cycle and teleological perspectives. The case of Tenerife

Abstract

Tourist destinations are in a state of continuous change. This development is more intense in the case of island destinations due to their geographic limitations. This paper considers the use of the tourism area life cycle model [Butler, R.W. (1980). The concept of a tourism area cycle of evolution: Implications for the management of resources. Canadian Geographer, 24, 5–12.] alongside a teleological model to explain the movement towards sustainability of an island destination in its maturity stage. The proposed model leads us to demonstrate how integrating strategic aspects of the teleological approaches can help to overcome some limitations of the life cycle model. Ensuring the sustainability of natural, cultural, human and infrastructure resources is considered as a strategic objective. To achieve this aim, it is necessary to combine strategic decisions that are both internal and external to the island destinations. The case study presented in this research is Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain). Along with an analysis of the life cycle of this island destination, two types of strategic decisions are considered: the political–legal decisions of the regional government to regulate tourism activity and the decisions to regrade supply, developed by the administrative institutions related to tourism activity in Tenerife.