Fonte: Cuadernos de Turismo; No. 24 (2009): Julio - Diciembre; 135-167
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Resumo: It is argued in this paper that tourism in protected areas of Galicia has received limited attention. In order to address this shortcoming, this paper focuses on a specific Galician area: O Invernadeiro, protected since 1989 and designated a natural park in 1997. One of the park's main features is that its nearly 60 km2 are entirely public property. This paper presents a critical discussion of the existing literature in the field. A number of theoretical clarifications are made, particularly as regards the concept of tourism in protected (natural) areas. This theoretical background is followed by an analysis of the planning and management model for tourism and public use developed for this space. Several weaknesses are found. It is argued that these weaknesses are mainly caused by having persevered with the same management model since 1990, the practices of which were reinforced in 1997 when the area became a natural park. By way of a conclusion, new tourism strategies are suggested based primarily on environment-friendly principles, with the intention that the park can come to constitute a complementary offer for rural tourism in surrounding areas. These strategies are discussed in the light of official plans to implement a new larger natural park — reportedly to include O Invernadeiro.
