In fact, this could not take place in the case of the Canary Islands positive steps have been taken, such as in the case of law 19/2003 passed by the Government of the Islands.
Strengths
The paper on the Canary Islands and more precisely on Tenerife offers an original contribution to the theoretical literature regarding the steps towards sustainability in the case of island tourist destinations. By trying to explain the causes of present tourism stagnation on the island, the article manages to identify and clearly formulate the reasons behind this stagnation - tourist activity issues, excess of supply, imbalances in demand etc. The two theoretical standpoints are also clear and well-formulated from the beginning (Fig.1: 3) so that the logic of the arguments put forward is both solid and always present.
The conclusions put forward the idea that there have been theories that due to excessive construction, the resources of the island might soon be exhausted. As the authors show, for a long period of time in the history of tourism in Tenerife, development and growth were based on Butler's model which meant that they relied on improving infrastructure and facilities on the island. Although these plans for development on the island clearly stated the limits of the growth, successive stages of construction and consolidation generated fear of resource exhaustion and resulted in serious damage to the coast as well as different kinds of pollution due to excessive urban building...
Also, another interesting point the authors make is related to the disappearance of traditional architecture on the island which was replaced with economically beneficial buildings that did not focus on preserving traditions.
Weaknesses
The authors focus almost entirely on the political-legal dimension of regional development and fail to present an overview of cultural and human resources available in the area in question which could have enhanced the perspective on the tourist potential of the island. Moreover, the authors note that local traditions and even architecture have been affected by excessive urbanization but they do not explain this process of altering the local profile of Tenerife.
Conclusions
To conclude, the contribution of this article to the field of tourism destination management is valuable mostly thanks to the theoretical standpoints that the entire argument is based on. Even though the political-legal measures are definitely not the same in all island tourist destinations that are stagnating, the authors' overview of local authorities' efforts of regulating tourism activity on the island is still relevant because it can be applied to other island tourist regions which are faced with more or less the same issues.
Oreja Rodriguez, J.R., et al. "The sustainability of island destinations: Tourism area life cycle and teleological perspectives. The case of Tenerife." Tourism Management (2007): 1-13.
