Times of tourism: Development and Sustainability in Lanzarote, Spain

Abstract

This chapter presents a global insight of the processes used in Lanzarote of Spain, a typical mass tourism destination which has combined growth with environmental protection and political commitment to sustainability. Tourism has been the key element of the development of the Canary Islands and helped in the construction of cultural identity and current social dynamics, as well as being the main source of direct and indirect economic resources. However, a detailed analysis reveals the paradox of tourism development and a progressive increase of the economic dependency of the industry, limited by the action of the local population who has seen improvements in their standard of living due to the implementation and development of tourism.