Co-creating a regenerative future for tourism in Spain, with Sonia Teruel

Today we’ll continue the miniseries I’m building on regenerative tourism. This time we’ll take a close look at the specific context of the country where I live, here in Spain. Spain has been a top global tourist destination since the 60s and the industry that as grown to meet the demand for travel as shaped so much of the country especially the Mediterranean coast and cities like Barcelona, Valencia, and towns that have grown up entirely to cater to a specific type of budget tourism like Benidorm, Salou, and Lloret del Mar.

Yet in recent years there has been a major backlash from the local population protesting irresponsible development, skyrocketing prices, and exemptions from water restrictions directly related to the way tourism is managed. Here to explore these challenges as well as the potential to chart a new course for both hosts and visitors is Sonia Teruel. Sonia helps grassroots initiatives, entrepreneurs and Destination Management Organisations in their transition to a regenerative model in tourism. She is also a consultant, facilitator, and founder at The RegenLAB for Travel. In this conversation we explore the meteoric rise of Spain as a tourist destination and its impact on the communities where visitors concentrate. We look at the challenges that have ignited protests and opposition to the way tourism is managed as well as some of the responses to these issues which may cause bigger problems in the long term. From there we mine Sonia’s experiences as a community conversation facilitator who works to guide collaborative processes that explore the potential for new ways of managing visitors and hosts alike in order to achieve lasting solutions.

Sonia will be the first to admit that these efforts are still in their infancy and case studies of real success over time don’t exist yet in our region, but points to some promising projects to keep an eye on and perhaps emulate as they get established. Though the focus is on the Spanish context, I have no doubt that there are equivalents to many other places around the world where the tourism industry has shaped development and policy for decades, and I hope many of you listening will find inspiration for where you live as well.