Sociological insights on residential tourism: host society attitudes in a mature destination

Abstract

This paper analyses the attitudes of residents in a region of the Spanish Mediterranean coast where tourism is mainly based on the building of second homes, often on a massive scale. A face-to-face survey (n=430) conducted within the Spanish population indicates that the ideological context in which residential tourism has developed with such intensity is contained in a framework of social legitimisation. However, it is possible to distinguish between two groups: the defenders, who tend to view the region as one that is essentially tourist in nature, and the critics, who place greater emphasis on the property dimension. The former tend to justify this process and its evolution by recognising the economic benefits it may bring, whereas the latter tend to question the socio-cultural and environmental costs of such development.