Spatial distribution of tourism supply in Andalusia

This paper applies Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (ESDA) techniques to the Spanish Autonomous Community of Andalusia (Andalucia) to analyze tourismflows and their impacts with specific reference to the provision of accommodation and size of local population. Moran's I global index of spatial autocorrelation and LISA cluster maps are used and a persistent imbalance is found between the littoral and the inland areas. A positive spatial autocorrelation is found that is compatible with the high degree of concentration in the littoral area or, regarding the number of permanent residents, the pressure caused by tourism activity on some municipalities in mountain areas with high environmental and landscape quality. The dominance of traditional tourism zone in the Western Costa del Sol, West Almeria or Bahia de Cadiz is highlighted but a more equitable territorial distribution of tourism with less pressure and more quality is found in coastal mature destinations and a special dynamismin the rural inland area is also observed. The implications for destination planning are discussed. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.