Abstract
Foncebadón, a small town located in the northwest corner of the autonomous region of Castile-León, serves as an example of one possible solution to the demographic crisis in Spain, characterized by abandoned towns throughout its rural regions. I examine what factors contributed to the survival of the town, including the redefining of traditionally Catholic practices, and the legacies of hospitality that form part of its history. Finally, I consider the role that rural tourism (RT) plays in Spain’s tourist industry and what examples may exist of the country’s reaching the third stage of maturity in the RT industry. Thirty years ago, I walked through Foncebadón on my way to Santiago and witnessed first-hand an abandoned town. Twenty years later I led a group of university students through the same town and saw the transformation that had occurred: Foncebadón now offered both food, in a tavern specializing in medieval cuisine, and several different options for lodging, including pilgrim refugios and small inns. This change is due in no small part to the drastic increase of pilgrims on the Camino over that time, the 1990’s to the 2010’s, from only a few thousand to over 200,000 annually. After considering the reasons for the increase in participation in the Camino, I answer the following: How does the significant number of tourists impact local communities and what conflicts arise between these localities and their regional governments? What role will RT play in the future of tourism in Spain, both on and off the Camino?
Presenters
Mc Kew DevittSenior Lecturer, Romance Languages and Cultures, University of Vermont, Vermont, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Changing Dimensions of Contemporary Tourism
KEYWORDS
Rural Tourism, Innovative Practices, Cultural Sustainability
