Objective: To apply the Butler Model to Tourism in Sitges and Calafell
Sitges and Calafell are approximately equal-sized settlements lying to the south west of Barcelona (see Figure 1). Both rely on tourism as a major source of income and employment and the study aims to compare the relative success of tourism, in its various forms, by employing the Butler Model.
Sitges and Calafell are approximately equal-sized settlements lying to the south west of Barcelona (see Figure 1). Both rely on tourism as a major source of income and employment and the study aims to compare the relative success of tourism, in its various forms, by employing the Butler Model.
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Remember the Butler Model?
The Butler Model is a method used to study the evolution of tourism over time and at which stage of the development model a settlement happens to be at this point in time.
Tourism is a major source of income for many settlements and those on the Spanish coastline are no exception.
Tourism has grown in importance as a major generator of wealth because of three main factors:
Both Sitges and Calafell have developed for these reasons.
The Butler Model is a method used to study the evolution of tourism over time and at which stage of the development model a settlement happens to be at this point in time.
Tourism is a major source of income for many settlements and those on the Spanish coastline are no exception.
Tourism has grown in importance as a major generator of wealth because of three main factors:
- The increased leisure time that people now have as a result of longer paid holidays, lengthier retirements and shorter working hours and weeks.
- An increase in disposable income. This refers to the money available to the individual or family once all fixed costs, such as mortgage or rent, utilities, food etc have been paid for.
- The greater ease of travel with developments in air and land transportation.
Both Sitges and Calafell have developed for these reasons.
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Sitges - a brief history
Sitges is a town of approximately 25,000 people and is located about 30 km south of Barcelona. Originally occupied by the Romans on a defensive headland looking out to sea, Sitges’ port was used to trade products from the Penedès region and other places from the Roman Mediterranean. Despite its direct contact with the sea, the town had more peasant farmers than fishermen, with vineyards being the main economic activity. In the 18th century Catalonia obtained permission to trade directly with the West Indian Spanish colonies and by 1833 more than 27% of the Catalans trading with Cuba were Sitgetans. The fortunes made were invested in the purchase or repair of the town's old houses. Sitges, although located close to Barcelona, was still hard to access at the time, but began to develop as a summer resort for taking the waters. As early as 1879, there are records showing that baths were already being used as medicinal therapy and spa enthusiasts directly became beach enthusiasts. However, it was not until 1881, with the arrival of the railway line from Barcelona, that tourism in Sitges really began to develop. With the arrival of Santiago Rusiñol in 1891 - one of the architects of Modernism - Sitges became the cultural centre of the modernists. In 1909, Sitges was visited by Charles Deering, a North American millionaire who converted a street in the historic core into a palace, the Palau Maricel. This palace and Rusiñol’s residence helped launch Sitges to tourist fame. In 1918, the Terramar garden city and the Passeig Maritim or Esplanade were constructed. Atracción de Forasteros (Tourist Attraction Company) was created in 1928 and the Tourist Information Office in 1934. From then on, Sitges would become a European tourism standard setter. |
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Calafell - a brief history
Calafell has a population of approximately 25,000 people and lies 50 km south of Barcelona. It owes its origins to a castle and occupied a defensive site on an inland hill. The name Calafell means 'small castle' and the earliest reference to it dates from 999AD. For years the economy of Calafell was devoted to agriculture and fishing. Like Sitges, the arrival in the late 1880's of the railway from Barcelona led to a change in its economic fortunes. Calafell became more accessible and the development of second homes around the railway stations flourished with the 1947 Garden City project known as the Quadra de Segur. At first people lived there only during holiday periods, but now the majority of the population are permanent residents. It was not until the 1960's that tourism began to develop strongly in Calafell, especially along the 5km of uninterrupted beach where numerous apartment buildings and hotels were constructed. With the blessing of successive city councils, a huge speculative boom in the 1970's led to an endless row of 6-storey apartments facing the sea. Later regulations prevented excessive vertical growth whilst inland the prohibition of building over two and a half floors led to more green space and a lower population density. Today, the town of Calafell is delimited into three very distinct areas. To the north, narrow streets surround the castle and the old church. To the south, and disconnected from the historic core, the former seafront fishing village has been converted into tourist area. And to the east is Segur de Calafell, a former Garden City of second homes developed on farmland surrounding the railway station. |
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Sitges & Calafell: A comparative study of two contrasting tourist resorts.
The aim of sustainable tourism is to meet the needs of present tourists and host regions while protecting and enhancing environmental, social, and economic values for the future.
The aim of the study is to examine the extent to which sustainable tourism in Sitges and Calafell is being successfully implemented.
Two RQ's (research questions) can be investigated.
1. How do tourist functions change with distance from the beach & promenade?
2. Are the two resorts at the same stage of the Butler Model?
3. How & why does tourism development differ between the two resorts?
4. Which resort is best geared to tourism sustainability and growth?
5. Do management techniques and policies used to avoid and resolve pressures and conflicts on the seafront vary between both resorts?
