Sustainability issues of rural tourism in Spain

Abstract

Rural tourism in Spain faces a number of problems that may hinder their sustainability in the medium and long term. Although in some areas impacts are identified due to the overcoming of the carrying capacity, the main conflicts in the medium and long term concern the socio-economic sphere of the phenomenon. The mismatch between public and private agents, the preponderance of an offer based on stereotypes of the "rural", standardized and barely distinguishable by the market, the widespread presence multiple-job holding among micro-entrepreneurs, without financial capacity and time constraints to qualify, innovate, invest in promotion and marketing and networking, are problems to be solved to ensure the sustainability of the sector favoring models of low environmental impact which, in turn, promote employment, incomes and basic services improving the quality of life and rural development.