Residents’ perception of sustainable tourism in protected mountain areas: the case of Asturias

Spain is the country with the most Biosphere Reserves in the world, 52, and Asturias, with 7, ranks first among the single-province Autonomous Communities. The tourist interest in these natural spaces is increasing, but little or nothing is known about how the residents of these natural spaces perceive the tourist impacts. The main objective of this research was to evaluate the residents’ perceived changes in protected mountain areas in Asturias concerning the environmental, sociocultural, and economic dimensions related to tourism activity with survey methods and various quantitative tools. The findings obtained were the following: firstly, there were significant differences between the residents’ sociodemographic characteristics and their perceptions of tourism impacts; secondly, there were positive relationships between the residents’ perceived tourism economic, environmental and sociocultural impacts and their general attitude towards tourism development; and thirdly, the more positive the residents’ attitude towards tourism development, the more likely residents actively support its further development. The findings indicate the willingness of residents to get involved and participate in the tourism activity, so policymakers should implicate residents in decision-making on local tourism development. In conclusion, long-term monitoring of residents’ evolution of their perceptions and attitudes is necessary to achieve sustainable tourism development.