The spread of low-cost carriers: tourist and regional policy effects in Spain

Abstract

LCCs form the most dynamic segment in the international tourist traffic toward Spain. Their recent evolution shows high growth rates which contrast with the stagnation of traditional companies, a phenomenon which is part of the transformations experienced by the tourism market and the air transport in Europe and has caused both quantitative and qualitative changes in Spain’s tourist activity. However, the effects of LCCs go beyond the context of the tourism sector and affect land-use and infrastructure planning policies, gradually shaping a new scenario where the specialisation of tourism in real estate along the Spanish Mediterranean coast becomes reinforced.