Touristification in historic cities. Reflections on Malaga

Abstract

This research analyses the consequences in the economy of the city, in the urban environment and in the life of residents affected by the massive arrival of tourists in the historic centre of Malaga in Andalusia, Spain. The research combines a mixed methodology consisting of analysis of urban plans and administrative documents, statistics, direct observation of tourism-related activities, the definition of a list of indicators and verification of their application in the case study. Mass tourism in a historic city is a cause of conflicts between visitors and residents, but there are also positive effects such as job creation, cosmopolitanism or the expansion of the cultural offer. This research shows that it is necessary to act on tourists-residents’ conflicts in order to avoid the transformation of historic centres into places that expel the neighbours to give place to tourists. Planning and urban management, the active participation of citizens, as well as an awareness by the public administration, are key issues to avoid that historic centres become emptied of urban content to be turned into a scene for tourist consumption. This is the first research of the kind developed in the city of Malaga, one of the Spanish cities where tourism is growing faster, thus, the results could be applied to other cases in the same situation in the country and the Mediterranean.