Life cycles, stages and tourism history

Abstract

To date, most analysis on the historic development of tourism has been limited to observing its evolution through a single Life Cycle identified with the mass tourism stage. However, many of the major destinations have a much longer history and seem to have passed through different consecutive Life Cycles related to different stages. Research shows the value of the Tourism Area Life Cycle combined with Regulation theory when analyzing the long-term historical development of tourism. In this article, we present the case of Catalonia, one of the main tourist destinations in Europe. The article shows how the combination of these theories can be especially practical for constructing a global model that groups tourism development by phases with its paradigmatic changes.