Water management in Spain: foundations, contradictions, and challenges within the framework of development models, from the tourism perspective

Abstract

This article examines the current state of water governance in Spain from a critical, multidisciplinary, and structural perspective. Its objective is to analyse the development models that have historically guided water planning, identify the contradictions that emerge from their practical application, and propose reforms that will allow us to move toward a more just, efficient, and sustainable paradigm. Starting from a comprehensive review of the physical, territorial, and climatic foundations that shape the availability of water resources in Spain, this paper examines the legal and institutional evolution of water policies, from the Water Law of 1866 to the incorporation of the Water Framework Directive into the national regulatory framework. This paper analyses the multilevel management that characterizes the Spanish system, characterized by the fragmentation of powers, the coexistence of divergent models, and the growing influence of the European Union. It also addresses the structural contradictions between official discourse and institutional practices, between the logic of supply and the need for demand-based management, and between economic interests and the principles of sustainability. Underscoring the importance of creating and implementing sustainability indicators, it allows us to interpret water management as a multidimensional phenomenon, facilitating the integration of water management into our country's territorial policies.