Presentation short abstract

This cross-sectoral case study of Catalan protected areas argues that regenerative tourism can contest growth-led models. It examines how actors co-create non-extractive, grassroots futures by identifying the barriers and enablers that shape ongoing transformations in the region’s tourism system.

Presentation long abstract

Regenerative tourism is regarded as an alternative to the environmental, social and economic issues arising from traditional tourism activities and extractive approaches to local territories. However, this emerging research domain lacks practical applications of its theoretical concepts. Despite the evolution of epistemological approaches and frameworks, there is no consensus on the characteristics of tourism regenerative actors. This paper aims to shed light on the barriers and enablers shaping regenerative, place-based dynamics through tourism, as well as possible policy implications deriving from them. We adopt a cross-sectional case study based on 15 semi-structured interviews to pertinent stakeholders associated with Catalan protected areas. They were drawn from the database of companies and protected areas accredited under the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism in Catalonia. The interviews have been coded through the GIOIA methodology to identify barriers and enablers reported by the actors and determine how these shape their interactions. The research indicates that actors congregate around shared values, like stewarding the natural places in which they operate and community-based ownership of projects. Furthermore, barriers and enablers lie in the relational dynamics between actors due to time and organisational constraints, revealing a potential lack of an organisational network. The study is limited by the lack of a more comprehensive database on regenerative tourism, and further interviews with different types of actors could be conducted. Notwithstanding, this paper constitutes an attempt to study regenerative tourism in Catalan protected areas, highlighting what policies and organisational structures could better serve the ongoing regeneration process in Catalonia.