Current R&D projects
EPTUR. «Procesos adaptativos e impactos de la economía de plataforma turística en España en un contexto de cambio continuo. Un análisis desde la comparativa territorial». Programa estatal de Investigación, Desarrollo e innovación orientada a los Retos de la Sociedad. Agencia Estatal de Investigación. Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación. 2021-2024.
The EPTUR project starts from the conceptual and methodological reflections and the results obtained in the previous ECCOLTUR project, developed by the Noutur from the Open University of Catalonia (UOC), to which it has the will to give continuity and depth, as well as different investigations led within it. It also draws on the experience and results obtained by researchers from the Urban and Tourism Studies group (URByTUR) of the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM) who participate in this proposal, as well as those related to new researchers who join the team from other national and international universities and institutions, forming a solid, inter and multidisciplinary research team with complementary backgrounds and knowledge.
Based on the background and previous results of the research team, the EPTUR project sets the general scientific objective of analysing the evolution and processes of integration, adaptation, and resilience of the tourist platform economy (TPE) in Spain in the current context of acceleration of digitization processes, accentuated by the SARS-CoV-2 or Covid-19 crisis, and from a territorial comparison. We start from the hypothesis that the acceleration of digitalization processes, accentuated in the current context of the mobility crisis generated by the pandemic, is generating and will generate an adaptive transformation of the manifestations of TPE in our country, with consequences of various kinds for the sustainability of the tourist destinations where it is present, as well as for the viability of the associated sectors. Considering the magnitude that tourism has historically had in production and employment in our country and the growing relevance of TPE in it, understanding these processes and the resulting transformations and impacts is a particularly relevant challenge at a social and economic level.
In this sense, we also consider that digitization processes can be a backbone of the reinitiation and recovery of tourism and that the performativities acquired by the TPE can decisively influence the socioeconomic effects of said recovery, even more so being one of the identified strategic lines by the Government and the European Union for the future development of the country. Furthermore, given the territorial diversity of our country, we understand that these processes will entail unequal and diverse adaptations and resilience, requiring a comparative study as well as the identification of new sources of information and variables for their understanding and subsequent management. Finally, we consider that the gender perspective must be included in a transversal way in all our objectives given the unequal impact of TPE on women, as well as the existing potential for female entrepreneurship in the interweaving of this phenomenon with the social economy.
First results of the EPTUR Project
Tourism, stress and well-being. A perspective from local communities in tourist cities. Research Accelerator, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya. 2023
This project examines the impacts of tourism on local communities in tourist cities from a psychosocial perspective. The recent growth of tourism in Spanish cities has often been linked to phenomena that affect the quality of life and well-being of local residents, such as perceptions of overcrowding, gentrification, and the touristification of neighborhoods. While these impacts have typically been assessed from an economic standpoint, little is known about their potential psychosocial and health-related effects on residents. Thereafter, the main objective of this project is to evaluate the relationship between perceived tourism impacts, stress, and the perception of well-being and quality of life among residents of tourist cities. Specifically, we aim to explore the mutual and bidirectional relationship between stress and well-being: whether stress caused by tourism-related factors acts as a mediator in how residents perceive their overall well-being. The project also seeks to analyse the coping strategies and responses developed by local communities to mitigate stress caused by tourism, in order to better understand how they adapt to the transformation of their environment. Additionally, we aim to identify differences in well-being perceptions among residents and examine how these vary based on factors such as age, gender, and social vulnerability.
As a complementary objective, the project focuses on a specific subgroup within the local community, individuals working in the tourism sector. We analyse their working conditions in terms of occupational hazards and assess whether workplace accidents influence their perceived quality of life, compared to workers in other economic sectors.