CHAPTER 14 . Tourist Development in the Costa Brava (Girona, Spain)
1200
c==J 1987- 1988
..,..
1000
c=:::J 1989-1990
>- ttl
"
_1991-1992
(I)~
800
- '"
0."
o c
(I) ttl
0.'" 600
.... :J
0 0
.... ~
( I ) -
.o~
400
E
:J
Z
200
0
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
J
F M A M J
J
A
5 o N D
Fig. 14.3. Monthly seasonal occupation of the Costa Brava region (resident population in 1994 was
calculated around 250000 people). Adapted from "Estudis Estadistics Informatics de l'Index
Ocupacional de la Costa Brava (1987-1992)", EUPG (1993)
on long-term goals. Besides economic and competitive circumstances, whatever Plan
would be adopted for the future will not be possible without detailed environmental
and sociocultural measures to avoid further environmental degradation.
14.3
Environmental Impacts of the Tourist Industry in the Costa Brava
Tourism's relationship with the environment is complex. Tourists arriving "en masse"
in a specific territory can destroy the very qualities that attracted them to the site in
the first place if local managers or stakeholders do not act in consequence, making
decisions in order to alleviate the pressures exerted on public goods. In the Costa Brava,
direct and indirect environmental impacts related to coastal tourism can be catalogued
into: environmental pollution and deterioration of the natural heritage (Fig. 14.4)
14.3.1
Environmental Pollution
Increased tourism leads to a higher demands for transport facilities, water supply, sewage, and waste disposal facilities (see environmental indicators for the Costa Brava in
Table 14.2). It therefore implies increased contamination of the atmosphere by traffic
congestion, the land by inappropriate waste disposal, and the water by the effluents of
sewage and sludge. The seasonality of walite production, characterized by a peak during summer (the tourist season), and lower production the rest of the year, clearly reflect tourist activities in the area (Fig. 14.5a). Solid waste disposal has been a major
problem in the past when many uncontrolled dumps were observed throughout the
territory. Most of this dumping sites have been recently sealed off, and remediation
practices have been applied. Landfill practices have evolved considerably during the
last years and proper management is now been conducted. Old landfill sites has been
1200
c==J 1987- 1988
..,..
1000
c=:::J 1989-1990
>- ttl
"
_1991-1992
(I)~
800
- '"
0."
o c
(I) ttl
0.'" 600
.... :J
0 0
.... ~
( I ) -
.o~
400
E
:J
Z
200
0
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
J
F M A M J
J
A
5 o N D
Fig. 14.3. Monthly seasonal occupation of the Costa Brava region (resident population in 1994 was
calculated around 250000 people). Adapted from "Estudis Estadistics Informatics de l'Index
Ocupacional de la Costa Brava (1987-1992)", EUPG (1993)
on long-term goals. Besides economic and competitive circumstances, whatever Plan
would be adopted for the future will not be possible without detailed environmental
and sociocultural measures to avoid further environmental degradation.
14.3
Environmental Impacts of the Tourist Industry in the Costa Brava
Tourism's relationship with the environment is complex. Tourists arriving "en masse"
in a specific territory can destroy the very qualities that attracted them to the site in
the first place if local managers or stakeholders do not act in consequence, making
decisions in order to alleviate the pressures exerted on public goods. In the Costa Brava,
direct and indirect environmental impacts related to coastal tourism can be catalogued
into: environmental pollution and deterioration of the natural heritage (Fig. 14.4)
14.3.1
Environmental Pollution
Increased tourism leads to a higher demands for transport facilities, water supply, sewage, and waste disposal facilities (see environmental indicators for the Costa Brava in
Table 14.2). It therefore implies increased contamination of the atmosphere by traffic
congestion, the land by inappropriate waste disposal, and the water by the effluents of
sewage and sludge. The seasonality of walite production, characterized by a peak during summer (the tourist season), and lower production the rest of the year, clearly reflect tourist activities in the area (Fig. 14.5a). Solid waste disposal has been a major
problem in the past when many uncontrolled dumps were observed throughout the
territory. Most of this dumping sites have been recently sealed off, and remediation
practices have been applied. Landfill practices have evolved considerably during the
last years and proper management is now been conducted. Old landfill sites has been