Tourism in Spanish rural areas from a policy transfer perspective

Abstract

When nearly three decades have passed since the start of rural tourism in Spain, the literature seems to have neglected the circulation of instruments and models that have marked its development. However, the process of recomposition of the European rural areas is deeply affected by global flows of public policies where tourism occupies a predominant place. Therefore, this research proposes a policy transfer perspective to understand the development of tourism in rural areas of Spain. It deals with two policy instruments: LEADER (European Policy for Rural Development) and Destiny Plans (National Tourism Policy). The literature on its implementation is articulated with the analytical framework proposed by Dolowitz and Marsh (2000) to offer a systematization and a characterization of its transfer. In particular, the study offers an analysis of the transferred content from an evolutionary perspective considering the tourism models that are put into circulation.