Newcomer's attitudes to further tourism development: the case of Alcúdia (Mallorca)

ABSTRACT

One of the potential outputs derived from large-scale tourism development in a certain area or region can be the attraction of large segments of immigrant population. This has been the case in Alcudia, a town located in the North of Mallorca, where a large proportion of its current population are “newcomers” fairly recently arrived as a consequence of impressive tourism development in the area. The advent of the twenty-first century has raised concerns about long-term potential negative impacts derived from tourism overdevelopment among residents and tourism planning authorities. Two rounds of surveys on residents’ attitudes towards tourism were conducted as part of the city's strategic planning. Findings show that attitudes towards further or additional tourism development vary according to a fundamental variable: the degree of integration into the host community which is correlated with the length of residence and concern about culture preservation: immigrant population show a lower degree of integration. Therefore, an excess of tourism development attracting large numbers of immigrants can result in a potential conflict, not between the host community and the tourists, but among residents: between those who want to carry on overdeveloping and those who want to keep nature, culture and self-identity.