A comparative study for understanding the impact and evolution of the tourism role in Burgos province

Resumen

Nowadays, tourism plays a very important role in the growth of the economy, and in particular, in the province of Burgos the tourism sector is an important source of economic and social development. Therefore, it is necessary to optimize the competitive advantages of this area of northern Spain by creating a responsible and sustainable tourism model that aims to reach the 17 SDGs. This study analyses the evolution of tourist supply and demand, comparing it with data from Castilla y León, Spain and five other provinces in Spain, as well as examining the tourist's profile and perception. The findings show that the increase in the number of hotel establishments was greater than that at national and regional level, but the growth of the supply of rural tourism accommodation establishments has stagnated in the last two years. The number of passengers in Burgos has been growing since 2012, with a slight decrease in 2018, in contrast the number of travellers in rural accommodation establishments has increased substantially since 2015. The visits are characterized by being short and with few expenses, focused mainly on the restoration. The degree of overall satisfaction and loyalty continues to be high. Finally, all services related to catering, infrastructures, information points and complementary activities to historical tourism should be improved to maximize tourist satisfaction and loyalty.