Analysis of the impact on tourism of the megaproject-based urban development strategy. The case of the city of Valencia

Since the late 1980s, European cities have been developing urban management policies along the lines of what has come to be called city-marketing, urban-branding, or neoliberal urbanism. The aim of these policies is to position the city in the international context, enhancing its uniqueness, for which the main strategy has been the construction of mega-buildings and the organization of events with an impact on the global media. The increase in tourist attractiveness in cities is used as an indicator of the success of these policies. The city of Valencia has not been foreign to this type of strategies. The present paper analyzes the consequences of neoliberal urban policy on tourism in the city of Valencia, especially as regards its brand image and its link with the city's cultural offer.