Water Tourism: A New Strategy for the Sustainable Management of Water-Based Ecosystems and Landscapes in Extremadura (Spain)

José Antonio Folgado-Fernández, Elide Di-Clemente, José Manuel Hernández-Mogollón and Ana María Campón-Cerro
Additional contact information
José Antonio Folgado-Fernández: Faculty of Business, Finance and Tourism, University of Extremadura, 10071 Cáceres, Spain
Elide Di-Clemente: Faculty of Business, Finance and Tourism, University of Extremadura, 10071 Cáceres, Spain
José Manuel Hernández-Mogollón: Faculty of Business, Finance and Tourism, University of Extremadura, 10071 Cáceres, Spain
Ana María Campón-Cerro: Faculty of Business, Finance and Tourism, University of Extremadura, 10071 Cáceres, Spain

Land, 2018, vol. 8, issue 1, 1-18

Abstract: Water is an important element for the conservation of ecosystems and for human wellbeing. Recently, there has been a loss of awareness about the value of this resource, which requires scientific and practical action to encourage the rise of a new cultural attitude regarding water. Tourism gives water resources great potential, because it facilitates the development of such attractive resources, combining their protection with respectful use. However, studies that have explored the water tourism–territory relationship are still scarce. The objective of this work is to explore the current, touristic use of the aquifer sites in the Spanish region of Extremadura in order to determine whether these practices have the potential to generate new sensitivity about the value of water and its importance in socioeconomic development and environmental conservation. This research uses qualitative and quantitative methodologies, obtaining results that confirm the strategic role of water in the proper management of ecosystems and for the enhancement of human wellbeing. The empirical results show the beginning of a change in water-based tourism from both a supply- and demand-side perspectives. The conclusions suggest potential new measures that will facilitate a better understanding of the value of water, enhance the quality of life for everyone, and safeguard ecosystems.

Keywords: water; nature-based tourism; ecosystems; territory; tourism marketing; sustainable management (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/8/1/2/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/8/1/2/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jlands:v:8:y:2018:i:1:p:2-:d:193821

Access Statistics for this article

Land is currently edited by Ms. Carol Ma

More articles in Land from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().