Modelling environmental attitudes toward tourism

Abstract

In recent years tourism has played an important role in the economic development of many Spanish regions. However, different surveys have brought to light an increasingly growing concern that tourist expansion could lead to environmental costs such as the depletion and overexploitation of natural resources. This study analyses the relationship between the density of hotel beds in a given municipality and local resident perceptions of the negative environmental impacts of tourism. The results show that a higher density of tourist accommodation in a municipality implies greater tolerance by its residents.