Gerda K. Priestley

The post-stagnation phase of the resort cycle.

Abstract This research focuses on the development of contemporary beach resorts in the poststagnation stage of the resort cycle which has not been as closely examined as the earlier ones. But sufficient evidence has now been accumulated to test assertions referring to the model. The Catalan coast, with its long tradition of both international mass tourism and second home development, is particularly suitable for empirical analysis. The paper proposes an alternative model for the expansion of new resorts, with the basic objective of reconciling environmental impact with tourism development.

Planning Implications of Golf Tourism

The development of golf tourism requires the provision not only of one or more golf courses, but also of many other related infrastructures and facilities, obviously including hotels and other forms of property development. As a result, the process of the development of golf as a tourism product generates a profound impact on the location in which it takes place and can provoke conflicts and even imbalances where it is implanted. It is therefore essential to plan golf tourism regions carefully in order to make economic and social objectives compatible and thus contribute to the sustainability of the tourism sector, the product, the territory, the landscape and the local community. The issues examined in this paper include: the advisability of specific legislation for the implantation of golf, and of urban planning; the search for a correct balance between residential and hotel development on the one hand and golf course development on the other; the relative advantages and disadvantages of different types of property development, and its location both on and away from the coast; and the integration of golf courses in the landscape. Golf tourism development faces various challenges in its efforts to comply with the widespread objectives of overall sustainability, which include: economic profitability; long-term viability as a product; environmental integration and improvement; and cultural acceptability. This contribution aims to outline some steps to the achievement of these objectives. Firstly, the structure of golf tourism (from the perspective of its implications for planning) is briefly outlined to set the scene, including an evaluation of the different types of construction that are associated. The concept, objectives and process of tourism planning are outlined, followed by reference to aspects that are particularly applicable to the case of golf tourism. The problem facing planners is then defined. The instruments available and the initiatives and solutions most frequently applied in planning for golf tourism are examined and, finally, some recommendations are offered.

Religious tourism and sacred places in Spain: old practices, new forms of tourism

Heritage, images, shrines, beliefs and devotions are related to culture, identity, religious feeling and faith, but also to the consumption of a tourism product. Religious tourism is an important type of cultural tourism that is now firmly established within the range of tourism products available in Spain. The article aims to demonstrate that religious tourism and cultural tourism form a joint trend that is an expression of the commercialisation of culture or, more exactly, of religion and popular devotion. Based on this hypothesis, the authors examine the cases of Montserrat monastery, the Road to Santiago and Holy Week in Granada that have in common a link between religious heritage and tourism. They emerge as examples of cultural and religious expression that have become multi-motivated tourism products, albeit with a significant religious base.