Del turismo inmobiliario al turismo de naturaleza. ¿Cambio de modelo o cambio de discurso? El caso de Noja, un municipio en la costa cantábrica

Abstract

En este artículo se aborda un tipo de relaciones que, a priori, parecen difíciles de conciliar, las que se plantean entre el llamado turismo residencial (denominación bajo la que a menudo se esconden los intereses del sector inmobiliario) y el turismo de naturaleza en espacios litorales. Tras un encuadre de la problemática, hemos optado por un caso de estudio que reúne buena parte de los rasgos que definen este tipo de espacios turísticos: por un lado, fuerte crecimiento inmobiliario, expansión urbana, alto nivel de permisibilidad urbanística y escasa adecuación del modelo a las condiciones ambientales; por otro, entorno de elevado valor ecológico y declaración como espacio natural protegido. Además, este caso de estudio tiene también cualidades específicas o distintivas, entre las que se encuentra su localización en la costa cantábrica, donde estos procesos han sido menos estudiados que en el Mediterráneo, y su proximidad al área metropolitana de Bilbao que ejerce como centro urbano de influencia. A partir del repaso de todas estas características, analizamos si la puesta en valor turístico de un espacio protegido supone un cambio real del modelo residencial e inmobiliario seguido hasta ahora o simplemente la adaptación a unas nuevas condiciones de mercado. This article studies a relationship, which a priori appears incompatible, between so called residential tourism (a name under which real estate interests lie) and tourism related to nature in coastal areas. After establishing a theoretical and methodological framework, a case study is analysed: the municipality of Noja in the North of Spain. This case combines most of the features that define this area type. On the one hand, strong real estate growth, a high level of urban sprawl and speculation, and limited control and adjustment of the model to environmental conditions. On the other hand, it is an ecologically valuable, protected, natural area. Moreover, this particular case study has specific or distinctive qualities, such as a geographical location on the Cantabrian coast where few studies have been carried out, unlike the Mediterranean coast, and proximity to the influential metropolitan area of Bilbao. Following a review of all of the above characteristics, we analyse whether the implementation of tourist values in a protected space represents a major change in the residential and real estate model pursued to date or whether these changes are just a gradual adjustment to new market conditions.

Application of Time-Controlled Critical Point in Pressure Reducing Valves: A Case Study in North Spain

“…However, mainly during the summer period, bank holidays and Easter, the population grows dramatically to up to 80,000 habitants. Indeed, Noja is identified as the Spanish town with the highest percentage, 91%, of second residences over the total of residences in the village [49]. The population fluctuation between the summer period/bank holidays and the rest of the year generates big differences in the total amount of water supplied.…”

Pilgrimages on the Portuguese Way to Santiago de Compostela: Evolution and Motivations

“…The definition of religious tourism and pilgrimage tourism may seem alike, but there are, however, some differences (Vázquez de la Torre et al 2010). Regarding religious tourism, the most important are the places of worship; in the case of pilgrimage tourism, in addition to considering the places of worship, the connection between places is important, with the need to travel to continue the visit, which contributes to the appearance of routes, itineraries or pilgrimage circuits (Gil de Arriba 2006), among which is the Camino de Santiago.…”