Oleotourism: Local Actors for Local Tourism Development

20 Pages·2017·0.89 MB·English

sustainability
Article
Oleotourism: Local Actors for Local
Tourism Development
MarcoTregua1 ID,AnnaD’Auria1,*andCarlaMarano-Marcolini2 ID
1 DepartmentofEconomics,Management,Institutions,UniversityofNaples,CampusMonteSant’Angelo,
80126Napoli,Italy;[email protected]
2 DepartmentofBusinessAdministration,Marketing,andSociology,UniversityofJaén,
CampusLasLagunillass/n,23071Jaén,Spain;[email protected]
* Correspondence:[email protected]
(cid:1)(cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:1)(cid:4)(cid:5)(cid:6)(cid:7)(cid:8)(cid:1)
(cid:1)(cid:2)(cid:3)(cid:4)(cid:5)(cid:6)(cid:7)
Received:31March2018;Accepted:3May2018;Published:9May2018
Abstract: Olive oil consumption has grown substantially in recent years, due in part to the fact
that olive oil is healthy. Much of the global olive oil production comes from the rural areas of
Jaén in southern Spain. Surrounding this industry, services such as oleotourism are increasing.
Thispaperaimstoidentifythekeyelementssupportingthedevelopmentofoleotourism. Aftera
preliminaryexploratoryanalysisoftheexistingdata,aqualitativeanalysiswasperformedwithactors
directlyinvolvedintheindustryinJaén. Theresultshelpedusdefinethelevelofthestakeholders’
involvementandthesustainability,theopportunities,andtheconstraintsaffectingoleotourismin
thisarea. Thepracticalimplicationsofthisinvestigationcanbeusefulforgoverningagencies,local
firms,andthetourismindustryinsupportofoleotourismdevelopment.
Keywords: oleotourism; olive oil tourism; rural development; Spain; sustainability;
Andalusia;agritourism
1. Introduction
Sustainabilityisaconceptthatdrivesactionsduetoadesiretocounteracttheimpactofhuman
activitiesandtoadoptaproactiveapproachtowardstheimprovementofenvironmentalandhuman
conditions. Allindustriesareinvolvedinthischallengetoachievetheseimprovements. Amongthese
industries, tourism has been regarded from sustainability-based perspectives, as it concerns both
traditionalandnewformsoftourism. Thestrictlinkbetweentourismandthephysicalenvironment
where tourism-oriented activities take place underlines the need for the sustainability of tourism.
Thisviewpointhasbeenexpressedworldwide,asitisintheuniversal2030AgendaforSustainable
Development. TheUnitedNations[1]hasidentifiedthechallengeinvolvedindeployingsustainability
intourism,and2017wasdesignatedastheYearofSustainableTourismforDevelopment. Tourism
isembeddedingoalnumber8ofthe2030Agenda,sinceitisthoughtofasoneofthekeyforcesin
achievingglobaleconomicgrowth;paralleltothis,thecallforactionfocusesonimplementingnew
policiesthatpromotesustainabletourismandfavorjobcreation. Theseinterventionsshouldalign
withtheobjectivesofcreatingnewjobsandpromotinglocalareas’culturesandproducts. Insummary,
tourismcanbedevelopedinasustainablewayifpeopleexperienceacontext“throughvisitingand
tourism”asstatedbytheProgrammeOfficeroftheInternationalUnionforConversationofNature
(IUCN)[2].
Sustainabilityandtourismareintertwinedinempiricalcontextsthankstotheinterventionof
otherglobalinstitutions: UNESCO[3]hadalreadystressedtheroleofcultureandnaturalelementsin
favoringtheachievementofahighersustainability;similarly,theWorldFarmers’Organization[4]took
thisopportunityintoaccountandconsideredsustainabilityasanoverallperspectiveandtobethepath
Sustainability2018,10,1492;doi:10.3390/su10051492 www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability
Sustainability2018,10,1492 2of20
towardssupportingthedevelopmentoffarmersstillfightingforeconomicsustainability. Duetothis,
tourism-orientedactivitiesinaruralcontextrelatetosuchissuesassustainableexperience,theimpact
onthenaturalcontext,andbarrierstodevelopment. Therefore,evenenvironmentalsustainabilityis
takenintoaccount,asproposedbytheWorldTourismOrganization[5],whenproposingcustomized
measuresforsustainabletourism. Additionally,socialsustainabilitywasconsidered[6]astourism
placeslocalpopulationsunderrisk,orinsomecasestourismcouldfavortheachievementofmore
viableconditionsforlocalinhabitants.
Asidefromtheinterestofinternationalinstitutionsinthelinksbetweentourismandsustainability,
scholarshavefocusedontheseissuesinrecentyearsbyhighlightingtheneedtofurtherdefinetherole
stakeholdersplayincontributingtothesustainabledevelopmentoftourism. CawleyandGillmor[7]
proposedamodeltoobtaininsightsfromkeystakeholders. Similarly,McCombetal.[8]stressedthe
needtodefinethedegreetowhichstakeholdersshouldbeinvolvedtomaketheirparticipationas
effectiveaspossible. Furthermore,inthemaindomainofagritourism,sustainabilitywasproposed
asoneofthenewchallenges,sincesocial,environmental,andeconomicspherescanbenefitfromthe
developmentofthedifferentformsofagritourism(e.g.,[9,10]);oneoftherecentcontributionsproposed
thesustainableelementsandtheimprovementsyettobeachievedinoneoftheformsofagritourism,
namelyoleotourism[11,12];moreover,theexpecteddevelopmentofthisformoftourismishighlighted
sinceitsdefinitionisimbeddedinseveralissuesrelatedtosustainability. Indeed,oleotourismhasbeen
definedas“aformofdomestictourism(especiallyinruralareas)relatedtogastronomy,whichallows
fortheessenceofthecultureencompassingtheworldoftheolivetobecapturedwhiledeepening
knowledgeabouteverythingconnectedtooliveoil”([13],p. 180)andit“maybeacomplementary
meansofincomefortheruralpopulation”([12],p. 116). However,paralleltothis,scholars[11,13]
havestressedtheproblemsinvolvedinachievingconcretedevelopment. Insummary,oleotourismhas
greatpotential—evenrelatedtosustainability,mainlysocialandeconomic—butappropriatemeasures
arelackinginordertomakeitgrow. Consequently, theeconomicfactorsshapingtheoleotourism
industryhavemanagedtoachieveonlyone-thirdoftheexpectedincrease. Thus, furtherresearch
isneededtoverifytheeconomic,social,andenvironmentalvariablesrelatedtotourismaswaysto
furtherdevelopoleotourism[11].
Additionally,theattentionthatthispaperpaystooleotourismisduetotherecentconsiderations
byIUCN[2]thatolivegrovesarepartofacomplexecosystemhostingseveralactivities,fromfarming
to olive collection and production. These activities have led to the establishment of services and
impacts,namelythoserelatedtomanufacturing,thesequestrationofcarbon,thecreationofbiomass,
andtheofferingofculturalservices.
Baseduponthepriorresearch,wechosetofocusourinvestigationuponthestakeholders’rolein
achievingthesustainabledevelopmentoftourism;theaimofthisresearchistodepicttheimpactsof
oleotourismonsustainabilityandthecontributionstakeholdershaveonpromotingthedevelopment
ofoleotourism. Therefore,thispaperisstructuredasfollows: areviewofthetiesalreadyhighlighted
byscholarsbetweensustainabilityandterritorywhendealingwiththetourismindustry;afocuswill
beproposedonagritourism,duetoitstightrelationswiththeresourcesofaterritory. Agritourismwill
beanalyzedtoframethemainareaofresearchofthispaper,namelyoleotourism;thereviewhighlights
the key elements and the gaps emerging from previous research, leading us to our research aim.
Therefore,theopenissuesinliteratureareatthecoreofouranalysisintheresearchcontextweselected,
namely the olive oil capital of the world: Jaén, Spain. We then present research conducted with
stakeholderstogetabetterunderstandingoftheirknowledgeinoleotourismandtheirinvolvementin
thelocalterritory. Theevidencefrominterviewsleadsustoadiscussionthatproposesthepoliciesand
interventionsaimedattheachievementoftwomaingoals: (a)theadvancestobeachievedinmaking
oleotourismmoresustainableinrelationtoallthreespheresofsustainability;and(b)theeffortsto
bedeployedbylocalstakeholdersinsupportingfurtherdevelopmentofthisnewformoftourism.
Thepapercloseswithaconclusionandsuggestionsforfurtherresearch,stressingthebasicelements
emergingfromtheempiricalcontextandtheadvancesweachieved.
Sustainability2018,10,1492 3of20
2. TheoreticalBackground
2.1. SustainabilityandTerritory
Sustainabledevelopment,localresourceevaluationandsustainablemanagementofaterritory
aresomeofthemostdiscussedtopicstodayinthefieldoflocaldevelopment[14]. Mostscholarsstate
thatsustainabledevelopmentisbasedontheevaluation—andespeciallyonthecorrectuse—oflocal
resources[15,16]consideredtoconstitutetheterritory’sheritage.
Itisimportanttodistinguishbetweenlandheritage(thatis,apotentialvalue)andresourcesfor
theterritory(competitiveadvantage)[17,18],astheresourcedoesnothavetobesomethingstaticbut,
instead,apotentialvaluethatisconstantlyevolving—namely,theresultofasocialprocessaimedat
sustainabledevelopment[19]. Variedemploymentoftheresourcesandtheirdifferentoriginshaveled
totheassignmentofdifferentlevelsofvaluebasedonthepurpose. Indeed,itisimportanttoattribute
thecorrectvaluetothosefactorsthatcanpotentiallybecomeaneffectivelocalresource[14,19].
Awarenessofenvironmentalemergenciesandthespreadoftheoriesaboutsustainabilityand
localdevelopmenthavefocusedattentionontheconceptofterritory. Suchaconceptishardtodefine
becauseitintegratestheconceptsofenvironment,space,andgeographicposition[15,20].
Thecontinuedundervaluationofterritoryledtotheinabilitytoidentifyandconfiguretheconcept
itself,distortingtherelationshipbetweenthehumanbeingandtheenvironmentand,consequently,
leading to the devaluation of the territorial capital; this issue is reinforced when considering the
linkages between a territory and value creation, which has been stressed in recent contributions
(e.g.,[21,22]): thedynamicsleadingtovaluecreationarebasedonknowledge-basedactionsinvolving
localstakeholders.
Afterthebirthofurbanstrategicplanning,aimingtoimprovethequalityoflifeofcitizenslivingin
thatterritory,theconceptacquirednewsemanticconnotationsthatcanassumedifferentmeanings[23].
Theword“territory”isdifficulttodefineandimplementintermsoflocaldevelopmentandurban
strategies;indeed,territorialmarketingstrategiesareoftenextraneoustotheterritoryonwhichthey
shouldact.Consequently,strategiesaimingatlocaldevelopmentappeardisconnectedfromthecontext
ofinterest; namely,singleinitiativesarenotreallyeffectiveandincisive. Furthermore,concerning
the implementation of tourism strategies, the massification of tourism has led to the uncontrolled
developmentofactivitiesthatdamagetheenvironment[24,25].
Inrecentyears,theentirecommunityhaspaidattentiontotheenvironmentalemergency;tourism
activitiesstartedtobeconsideredaspotentiallydamagingtotheenvironment.
The adoption of a new approach is needed, starting at the juncture between the concept of
sustainability and the tourism initiatives as a unique way to develop an eco-compatible form of
tourism[26].
2.2. Agritourism
Localresourcesareincreasinglyconsideredabasisuponwhichtodefineterritorialmarketing
strategiesbyusingavaluablespecificlocalproductasalevertoplanandimplementnewactions.
Somescholarsconsidertheproduct-orientedapproachasawaytocreateanimageofadestination,
orevenaterritory’s“brand”,thankstosomeparticularproducts[27–29].
ArmestoLópezandMartín[30]focusedontherelationshipbetweentourismandlocalagricultural
production,consideringagri-foodproductstobeusefultoolsinincreasinglocaleconomicdevelopment
throughmutualenhancementandterritorialpromotion.
Inaccordancewiththeaimofthepresentresearch,ascanoftheliterature’scontributionstoformsof
tourismrevealsthatattentionhasbeenpaidtocategoriesbasedontheevaluationandexploitationoflocal
productswithspecialreferencetoagriculture-basedtourism[31,32].Differentapproachesemerged,with
thisvarietyofperspectivesleadingtotheattributionofdifferentdenominations,namely,agritourism,
agro-tourismandagriculturaltourism[31,33].AccordingtoGilArroyo,BarbieriandRich[34],fourmain
elementsleadtotheidentificationoftourisminitiativesbasedonagriculturalactivities:thetypeofsetting
Sustainability2018,10,1492 4of20
linkedtoagriculturalproduction;theauthenticityoftheagriculturalfacilityorexperience(asagri-tourists
willconsideragriculturalactivitiestobenotajobbut,rather,awaytospendfreetimeandreceivebenefits
derivedfromtheauthenticsideofnatureandhealthyfood)[35,36];thetypesofactivitiesinwhichthe
touristisinvolvedasamemberofthefamilyfarm;andtheneedfor“travel”,morestrictlyrelatedtothe
essenceoftourismas“travelingtoandstayinginplacesoutsidetheirusualenvironmentfornotmore
thanoneconsecutiveyearforleisure,businessandotherpurposes”[37].
Hence,localresourcescanrepresentarelevanttoolforachievingorimprovingtourismflows,
with special reference to food and drink [38,39]. In this context, olive oil tourism can, of course,
be recognized as an example of tourism based on local resource evaluation through a systemic
approach[39],asdescribedinthenextparagraph.
2.3. Oleotourism
According to the research highlighted above, the literature on agritourism considers most
contributionswithrespecttotheconnectionbetweenoliveoilproductionandthetourismindustry[12,39].
Somerecentcontributionstothethemeprovideevidenceaboutthelinksbetweentheoliveoil
sectorandotherindustriessuchastourism[40,41]. Differentopportunitiesemergealongwiththe
increasingtrendintourism-basedinitiativesinrelationtooliveoil[42].
Indeed,whenafood-basedproductislinkedtospecificgeographicalareas,theareacanbecome
more recognizable in a wider context. Thus, the product can be regarded as a tool for marketing
tourism. Richards[43]empiricallyverifiedsucharelationshipwhenexaminingtourists’behaviorin
Crete. Inanyevent,notallrelationshipsshouldbeconsidered,asfarmingandproductionarenot
alwaysrelatedtogastronomy[44,45]andsomeothertiesshouldbeempiricallyverified.
Whendiscussingtheuseofnaturalresourcesasaleverforimprovingeconomicdevelopment,itis
impossibletoavoidsustainabilityissues[46].Manyscholarshavedebatedtheissueofthecompatibility
oftourismactivitiesandoliveoilproduction,focusingonriskswithrespecttotheintegrityofthetrees
andthesurroundingareas[32],insomecasesleadingtotheincompatibilityofthesetwoactivities.
Otherscholarsstressedtheopportunitiesthatcancomefromthemergingofthesetwoactivities,stating
thattourism-orientedactivitiescanbeperformedparalleltofarmingandcanevencreatenewbenefits
forthelocalarea[12,47,48]. Asconcernsthissecondperspective,MillánVázquezdelaTorreetal.[32]
proposedasetofactivitiestobedesignedandimplementedforoleotourismdevelopment. Specifically,
theyidentifiedsixactions: thecoordinationoflocalactors,theintegrationoftourismandgastronomy,
thedevelopmentoftiesbetweenthetourismindustryandeducationactors,theimprovementofthe
imageofoleotourismthroughthemedia,thesupportfromthelocalcommunity[29],andtheextension
ofaseasonaldemandforapositivetrendthroughouttheyear.
Onthebasisofthesesixdimensions,authorsalsoanalyzedconsumers’behaviorandchoices
during visits to mills and farms that produce olive oil [49], outlining the features of tourists’
decision-makingprocesses,aswellastheirmotivations,satisfaction,andreasonsforrecommendinga
destination,suchasthefirms’approach[32],toobservehowfirmsbelongingtotheoliveoilindustry
areinvolvedinpromotingactivitiesfortourisminitiativesbasedonoliveoil.
The evidence underlined how seasonality can negatively affect both farming and tourism by
recalling the above-mentioned issue of compatibility [47,50]. Hence, tourism and farming can
be mutually beneficial, as the hospitality industry can promote the development of the olive oil
industry[51–53]. However,localconditions,thelifecycleofthetouristdestination,thedevelopment
oftheoliveoilindustry,andothercontextualfeaturescanstronglyaffectsuchaconnection.
Withregardstothis,Karray[51]depictedtourismasthekeytoolinfurtherdevelopingtheoliveoil
industry,astheintegrationoftheactivitiescanpromoteahugeincreaseinexports,evenfromalong-term
perspective.Similarly,VlontzosandDuquenne[54]providedevidenceofthepositiveoutcometourism
created with respect to olive oil in Greece. In addition, Duarte Alonso and Northcote [52] said that
farmerswhoperformedactivitiesbeyondthoserelatedtothecorebusinessbenefittedfromoleotourism,
underliningtherelevanceofprivate–publicrelationshipstoattractnewbusiness.Finally,amorerecent
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contributionobservedhowfarmsareincreasinglyconsideredtobetypesofaccommodationwhichhave
developedparalleltotraditionaloptionssuchashotelsorbedandbreakfasts[55,56].
As concerns the opportunities derived from the relationship between tourism and olive oil
production,akeyissueistheroleofstakeholdersfromthetourismandagriculturalindustries. More
specifically,scholarsdescribeddifferentapproachesthatfarmerscanadopt. Someofthemstatethat
olive oil producers prefer to create new relationships only in fairs or that they already know how
to expand their activities [42,57]. Similarly, other operators are not interested in diversifying their
businesses,astheyprefertofocusonthecompetition.
Finally,somescholarsreportedaboutfarmersstressingthenegativeeffectsofmissinglinkswith
otheractors[58,59]thoroughly;thefarmerscomplainedabouttheneedforexternalsupporttomanage
theplethoraofactorsandchallengesinanincreasinglycompetitivecontext.
With reference to the role of consumers, during a scan of contributions, it emerged that the
positiveoutcomesofpartnershipsamongoperatorsfromvariousindustries[12,60]cangreatlyimprove
customers’satisfactionandthequalityofservicesfortourists,suchaswithrespecttotheoleotourist’s
experience[61,62]. Furthermore,Tudiscaetal.[63]debatedabouttheparticipationoftouristsand
otheractorsintheactivitiesthatfarmerscarriedout; consequently,therolescannotbeconsidered
staticastheychangealongwiththeproposalofnewactivities.
Inconclusion,touristsparticipatingintheharvest,publicentitiessupportingfarmers’marketing
andtheproposalofinnovativeactivitiesbyfarmers’associationsaresomeexamplesofwaysinwhich
rolesarechanging.
3. Methodology
3.1. ResearchContext: CurrentSituationinJaén
AccordingtotheInternationalOliveCouncil,worldoliveoilproductionbetween2017and2018
willincreaseapproximately12%,withatotalof2,854,000tons. Worldwideproductionisdrivenby
countriesbelongingtotheEuropeanUnion. Indeed, theInternationalOliveCouncilestimatedan
outputof1,896,000tonsforEuropeancountries,followedbycountriesintheMediterraneanarea,such
asTunisia,TurkeyandMorocco.
AsconcernstheproductionofEuropeancountries,since2000,Spainhasbeenthetopproducer,
followedbyItaly,GreeceandPortugal. Evenifitstotalproductionwereexpectedtobe10%lower
thaninpreviousyears,Spainwouldleadtherankings(seeTable1)withatotalproductionof1,150,000
tons(almostfulfilledwith1,050,000tonsattheendofJanuary2018). Italywouldfollowwith320,000
tons(anincreaseof75%),andthenGreecewith300,000tons(anincreaseof54%)andPortugalwith
110,000tons(anincreaseof58%). Thiswouldconsiderablyincreasetheirproductionofoliveoil,but
theywouldstillbefarfromproducingthesamequantityasSpain(DatafromJuntadeAndaluciaand
InternationalOliveCouncilIOC).Thewaytheproductiontrendvariesdependsmainlyonnatural
issuesand,whenlookingattheaverageamountofoliveoilproduction,theresultsarequitesimilarin
thelast10years,apartfromthepeakachievedin2013/14.
TheproductiongrowthinSpaininrecentyearsisduemainlytothegrowthoftheareadevotedto
olivecultivationandtheincorporationoftechnologicalimprovementsinthefield[64–66].
DatarelatedtocountriesnotbelongingtotheEuropeanCommunityareparticularlyinteresting
becausetheyrepresentapictureofthetransformationoftheglobaloliveoilmarket.
Tunisiaisexpectedtoincreaseitsproductionby120%,withatotalamountof220,000tonsofolive
oil,whileArgentinaisexpectedtoincreaseitsproductionby74%,withatotalamountof37,500tons.
Ingeneral,countriesintheMediterraneanarethemainproducers,withaspecialreferenceto
Tunisia,Turkey(withanexpectedamountof180,000andanincreaseof2%),Morocco(withanexpected
amountof120,000andanincreaseof9%),Algeria(withanexpectedamountof80,000andanincrease
of27%)andEgypt(withanexpectedamountof25,000andanincreaseof25%)(datafromInternational
OliveCouncilIOC).
Sustainability2018,10,1492 6of20
Inlinewiththeaimofthispaper,attentionhasbeenpaidtoSpanisholiveoilproduction,with
Sustainability 2018, 10, x FOR PEER REVIEW 6 of 20
aspecialreferencetotheAndalusiaregionandtotheprovinceofJaénasthelargestproducerinthe
world,asemergesfromthefollowingtables(seeTables1and2):
In line with the aim of this paper, attention has been paid to Spanish olive oil production, with
a special reference to the Andalusia region and to the province of Jaén as the largest producer in the
Table1.Totaloliveoilproduction—Source:JuntadeAndalucia(AndalusianGovernment),Consejería
world, as emerges from the following tables (see Tables 1 and 2):
deAgricultura,PescayDesarrolloandInternationalOliveCouncilIOC.
Table 1. Total olive oil production—Source: Junta de Andalucia (Andalusian Government),
Consejería de Agricultura, Pesca y Desarrollo and International Olive Council IOC.
EstimationofOliveOilProduction2017/2018 (tons)
Estimation of Olive Oil Production 2017/2018 (tons)
World 2,854,000
World 2,854,000
Spain 1,150,000
Spain 1,150,000
Andalusia 884,900
Andalusia 884,900
Table2.TotaloliveoilproductioninAndalusiain2017/18—Source:JuntadeAndalucia,Consejeríade
Table 2. Total olive oil production in Andalusia in 2017/18—Source: Junta de Andalucia, Consejería
Agricduel tAugrari,cPuletsucraa,y PDesecasa yr rDoelsloararonldloI anntder InnatetironnatailonOalli vOeliCveo CuonucnilciIlO IOCC. .
Olive Olive oil
OliveProduction OliveoilProductionOlive OOliivl,e COoiml,pCaormispoanr ison Olive OOliilv,e COoiml,pCaormispoanr ison
ProPvrinocveince Production Production
(.000tons) (.000tons) with twheit hLathste 5L Yaseta5rsY e(%ar)s (%)with PwreitvhioPuresv Yioeuasr Y(%ea)r (%)
(.000 tons) (.000 tons)
Almeria 62.8 12.5 15.8 12.2
Almeria 62.8 12.5 15.8 12.2
Cádiz 46.9 8.7 −3.3 −15.8
CordCobáadiz 14,62.494 .2 8.7 243.7 −3.3 1.4 −15.8 −8.9
GraCnoarddaoba 1,244040.2 243.79 1.4 1.4 −13.1 −8.9 −15.8
HuGelrvaanada 43070. 7 91.4 7.2 −13.1 23.2 −15.8 −1
JaHénuelva 317,6.75 1 7.2 360 23.2 −16.5 −1 −28.5
Malaga 295.6 57.7 −4.9 23.2
Jaén 1,651 360 −16.5 −28.5
Sevilla 564.3 103.7 8.6 7.7
Malaga 295.6 57.7 −4.9 23.2
Andalusia 4,302.5 884.9 −7.7 −15.8
Sevilla 564.3 103.7 8.6 7.7
Source:JuntadeAndalucia,ConsejeríadeAgricultura,PescayDesarrolloandInternationalOliveCouncilIOC.
Andalusia 4,302.5 884.9 −7.7 −15.8
Source: Junta de Andalucia, Consejería de Agricultura, Pesca y Desarrollo and International Olive
Council IOC.
Jaénisthedistrictwiththelargestareaofolivegrovesintheworld. Across1.2millionhectares,
itgathersJ7a0énm isil tlhioen doisltirvicet twreitehs tthhea tlaorgcceustp ayrehaa olff oitlsivteo tgarlovarees ain. Tthhei swroerpldre. sAecnrtosssth 1e.2l amriglleiostnc hoencctaernetsr, ation
oftreiets gianthEeursr o70p me(iJlluionnta oldiveeA trnedesa tlhuacti ao)c,cfuoprym hianlgf iats utontiaql uareelaa. nTdhsisc arepper.eFseonrtsth thise rleaargseosnt ,cionnc2e0n1t7r,attihoen olive
of trees in Europe (Junta de Andalucia), forming a unique landscape. For this reason, in 2017, the
grovelandscapeofAndalusiawasproposedforevaluationasaUNESCOWorldHeritagesite.
olive grove landscape of Andalusia was proposed for evaluation as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Apart from its uniquelandscape, theprovinceof Jaén isa main olive oilproducer. However,
Apart from its unique landscape, the province of Jaén is a main olive oil producer. However, as
asthefollowingfigureindicates(Figure1),inthelasttwoyears,productionintheprovinceofJaén,
the following figure indicates (Figure 1), in the last two years, production in the province of Jaén, as
aswiththeproductioninAndalusiaandSpain,isdecreasing.
with the production in Andalusia and Spain, is decreasing.

Figure 1. Olive oil production trends—Source: Junta de Andalucia, Consejería de Agricultura, Pesca
Figure 1. Olive oil production trends—Source: Junta de Andalucia, Consejería de Agricultura,
y Desarrollo.
PescayDesarrollo.
Sustainability2018,10,1492 7of20
Apartfromtheproductiontrends,thequalityoftheoliveoilisimproving,withspecialreferenceto
tableoliveoil. Insomecases,scholarsbelievethatoliveoilproducersaresolelyproduct-oriented,and
donoteffectivelyconsidertherelevanceofcommercialization[64,65]. Ontheotherhand,producersof
high-qualityoliveoilhavetroublereachingthefinalmarket,astheseindustriesareverydispersed
comparedtotheconcentrationoflarge-scaledistribution[66,67].
Thelackofmarketingprofessionalizationmakestheexportationprocessdifficult,especiallyin
regardtotherecognizabilityoftheproductoriginandthelossoftheopportunitytocreateawider
marketaroundaproductthatcouldrepresentanelementofdifferentiationfortheentireregion.
Therefore,itwouldbenecessarytodevelopintangibleassetslinkedtooliveoil(suchastourism
oroleotourism)thatwouldimprovethesector’sprofitandfavorlocalsustainabledevelopment.
Inthelastfewyears,moreresearchersandpublicadministratorshavebeenpayingattentionto
tourismdevelopmentasaleverforthedevelopmentoftheareasurroundingJaén.
DataprovidedbytheInstitutoNacionaldeEstadística(INE)andJuntadeAndaluciahighlight
thefactthatJaénistheAndalusianprovincethatattractsthelowestnumberoftourists,asindicatedin
thefollowingtable(Table3).
MosttouristsvisitingAndalusiaareconcentratedintheprovinceofMalaga,followedbySeville,
GranadaandCádiz.
Furthermore,touristsvisitAndalusiaprimarilyduringthesummer(JulyandAugust,aspointed
outbytheINE),spendinganaverageoffourorfivedaysinMalaga,morethanthreedaysinCádiz
andmorethanfourdaysinHuelvaandAlmeria,whileeveninthemostvisitedcities,suchasSeville
orGranada,touristsspentanaverageoftwoorthreenights.
Table 3. Tourist arrival and presence in Andalusia in 2017—Source: INE—Instituto Nacional de
Estadística(SpanishStatisticalOffice).
Province Arrivals %var % NightsSpent %var %
Almeria 1,715,058 4.1 7.8 7,039,661 2.5 10.3
Cadiz 3,045,976 5.5 13.8 9,369,993 5.4 13.7
Cordoba 1,364,170 47 6.2 2,304,153 4.1 3.4
Granada 3,140,759 −1.9 14.2 6,859,161 0.2 10.05
Huelva 1,292,807 0.8 5.9 5,113,960 3.8 7.5
Jaén 683,172 4.1 3.1 1,342,091 5.8 2.0
Malaga 6,978,447 5.3 31.6 28,631,295 2.9 42.0
Sevilla 3,837,536 7.2 17.4 7,541,063 7.0 11.05
Andalucia 22,057,925 4.1 100.0 68,201,377 3.5 100.0
Ingeneral,dataprovidedbytheINEconfirmsthatAndalusiahasaseasonaltourismvocation
(seeFigure2)andthattheprovincesareconsideredlessbytourists,whoaremoreattractedtothe
coast. Thisisespeciallytruefortouristsfromothercountries.
ItisinterestingtonotethatJaénisvisitedprimarilyduringtheautumn(October)andthespring
(April),asitisevidentlybeyondtheregion’smaintouristiccircuits(seeFigure3).
To observe the province’s potential from a tourist perspective and to analyze the reason why
thetourismindustrycannoteasilybedeveloped,previousresearch[68,69]comparedCordoba(the
provincewiththemostsimilartourismofferings)andSeville,theregion’scapitalcity.
ForSeville,thehighernumberofvisitorscanbejustifiedconsideringthecity’scentralposition
anditsstatusasthecapitalofAndalusia.ForCordoba,itisdifficulttounderstandwhythecityreceives
morevisitorsthanJaén.
Basedontheliterature,onecandeducethattheeconomicconjuncture,distancefromthecoast
andseasonalityofthetourism,aswellasthelowprofessionalizationoftheindustryandthelackof
cooperationamongtourismoperatorsandlocalentrepreneurs,representaweaknessfortheterritory
andpresentabarrierfortourismdevelopment[68,70].
Sustainability2018,10,1492 8of20
Sustainability 2018, 10, x FOR PEER REVIEW 8 of 20
Sustainability 2018, 10, x FOR PEER REVIEW 8 of 20

FigurFeig2u.reT o2.u rTiosutraisrtr iavrarlivtarle ntrdensdisn inA nAdnadlaulsuisaia( 2(2001155––22001177))——SSoouurcrec:e :INIEN—EI—nsItnitsuttiot uNtoacNioancail odnea l de
Figure 2. Tourist arrival trends in Andalusia (2015–2017)—Source: INE—Instituto Nacional de
EstadEíssttiacdaís(tSipcaa n(SipshanSistha tSistatitcisatlicOalf fiOcfefi)c.e).
Estadística (Spanish Statistical Office).

Figure 3. Tourist arrival trends in Jaén (2015–2017)—Source: INE—Instituto Nacional de Estadística
FigurF(eSi3pg.uanTreios u3h. r STitsoattuiarsritsricti avalar Orlitvffraiecln et)rd.e sndins Jina éJnaé(n2 0(21051–52–0210177)—)—SSoouurrccee:: IINNEE——InIsntsittuittuo tNoaNciaocniaoln dael EdsetaEdsístatidcaí stica
(Spanish Statistical Office).
(SpanishStatisticalOffice).
To achieve real, long-lasting tourism development, local stakeholders, both private and public,
To achieve real, long-lasting tourism development, local stakeholders, both private and public,
must improve their offerings by enhancing local resources (i.e., those connected to the olive oil
Tmouascth iimevperorveea lt,hleoirn go-flfaersitningsg btoy uernishmancdinevg elloocpaml reensot,ulrocecsa l(is.tea.,k tehhooseld ceornsn,ebcotethd ptor ivthaet eoalinved opiul blic,
industry) to contain the problem of seasonality and create a concrete alternative to coastal attractions.
mustiinmdpursotrvye) ttho eciornotaffienr tihneg psrboybleenmh aonf sceinasgolnoaclaitlyr aensodu crrceeaste( ia. ec.o,nthcroestee aclotnernneacttivede ttoo ctohaestoalli vatetroaicltiionndsu. stry)
Currently, among the region’s and province’s economic resources deriving from the agricultural
tocontainCtuhrerepnrtolyb, laemmoonfg stehaes roengaiolnit’ys aanndd pcrroevaitnecea’sc oecnocnroemteica lrteesronuarctievs edteorivcoinags tfarolmat ttrhaec taigornicsu.ltural
sector (Junta de Andalucia), it is quite difficult to consider the tourism industry as a viable alternative for
Csloeuccratrol ere nc(Jotulnyno,tmaa mdice od Anevngedltaohlpuemcriaeen)g, tii,ot e invs’ eqsnua cintoedn dspiidffreiocruvinlitgn t ctohe ca’ost nJeascéidonen irso t tmhheei tc loeruaerssits ovmuis riincteeddsu osdtfre tyrh iaev sAi ann gvdiaafrlbuolsemi aanltth eprernoaavtgiivnrecic efuso.l rt ural
local economic development, even considering that Jaén is the least visited of the Andalusian provinces.
sector (Junta de Andalucia), it is quite difficult to consider the tourism industry as a viable
altern3a.2ti. vAeimfo arndlo Rceasleaerccho nPoromceiscs development, even considering that Jaén is the least visited of the
3.2. Aim and Research Process
AndalusiaAnsp hriogvhilingchetse.d above, we focused on oleotourism for two main reasons: (a) this form of tourism
As highlighted above, we focused on oleotourism for two main reasons: (a) this form of tourism
is strictly related to the environment, and its deployment has been thought of as contrasting with
3.2. Aiism starnicdtlRy erseelaartechd Ptor otchees senvironment, and its deployment has been thought of as contrasting with
farming [71]; and (b) recent investigation has called for additional examination to better depict the
farming [71]; and (b) recent investigation has called for additional examination to better depict the
reasons why this form of tourism has not yet developed as expected [12]. To get a better grasp on
Ashighlightedabove,wefocusedonoleotourismfortwomainreasons: (a)thisformoftourism
reasons why this form of tourism has not yet developed as expected [12]. To get a better grasp on
additional meanings related to the two focuses proposed above, we decided to investigate the world
is striacdtldyitrioenlaatle mdetaonitnhges erenlvatierdo ntom theen tt,waon fdociutsseds epprolopyosmede nabtohvaes, wbeee dnectihdoeud gtoh tinovfesatsigcaoten tthrae swtionrgldw ith
capital of olive oil—namely, the Spanish city of Jaén, in Andalusia. The reasons behind naming this
farmicnagpi[t7a1l ]o;fa onlidve( bo)ilr—ecneanmteilny,v tehset iSgpaatnioisnh hciatys coaf lJlaeédn,f ionr Aandddailtuiosinaa. lTehxe armeaisnoantsi obnehtiondb netatmerindge tphiics tthe
reasonswhythisformoftourismhasnotyetdevelopedasexpected[12]. Togetabettergraspon
additionalmeaningsrelatedtothetwofocusesproposedabove,wedecidedtoinvestigatetheworld
capitalofoliveoil—namely,theSpanishcityofJaén,inAndalusia. Thereasonsbehindnamingthis
Sustainability2018,10,1492 9of20
citythemostimportantintermsoftheproductionofoliveoilstemfromitslevelofproduction,as
indicatedpreviously.
We opted for a qualitative study because it is the most suitable way to deal with inductive
exploratoryanalysesandtoinvestigatethephenomenonindepthandunderstandcertainissues[72].
Weconsideredface-to-faceandin-depthinterviewsasthemostusefulwaystoapplythisqualitative
perspective, as this has been the case in previous research (e.g., [73]). The authors selected the
interviewees based on prior knowledge of oleotourism and the local area. Direct contact with
experiencedstakeholdersisthebestwaytotrackthemainfactorsfeaturingoleotourismanddepicting
thepotentialpathforfurtherdeployingit. Inthisway,theinsightsthateveryactorprovidedwillbe
complementedbytheothers,favoringtheachievementofacompleteandfairoverview.
From this overview, we aim to describe the main elements shaping a model that describes
oleotourismasamulti-stakeholderphenomenoninsteadofattainingtheperspectiveofasingleactor.
Mergingandcomparinginterviewees’ideasarethemaintaskstobeaccomplishedtoachieveabetter
understandingofthisphenomenon.
Thesetofstakeholdersweselectedconsistedofactorswitharelevantroleinfirmsandinstitutions
dealingwithtourisminJaénanditsprovince. Tomaketheselection,wedidpreviousexploratory
researchwherewecompiledseveraldocumentsaboutoleotourismintheprovinceofJaén. Oneof
themostimportantwastheOleoturProgramheldbythelocalGovernmentoftheprovinceofJaén
(DiputacióndeJaén). Thatprogramcontainsalistofstakeholderscarryingoutoleotourismactivities;
thus, we considered the methodological suggestion by Haven-Tang et al. [74] about selecting key
stakeholders. Wealsousedthe‘snowballeffect’technique[75]duringtheinterviews,asitgivesthe
advantageofbenefitingfromtheauthenticinterpretationoflocalactorsandavoidingbiases. Fromthe
exploratoryresearch,weselected15actorsfromrestaurants,hotels,non-profitorganizationsandlocal
government. Finally,aftermuchcontact,wereceivedresponsesfromnineinterviewees. Nevertheless,
at a certain point, the results started to repeat (saturation) and we decided to stop collecting data.
Datacollectioncontinueduntilnonewsubstantiveinformationwasobtained,asisusuallydonein
qualitativeresearchthroughkeystakeholders[76]. Thedetailsoftheseinterviewsareproposedin
Table4.
Table4.Profilesofinterviewees.
Interviewee Industry/MainActivity PROFILE/ROLE
1 Localgovernmentalagency Chiefofthetourismservicesarea
2 Oliveoilmuseum Director
3 Tourismandtravelagency Manager
4 Restaurant Owner
5 Education Academic/researcher
6 Hotel Guestrelationmanager
7 Mill Responsibleforoleotourism
8 Mill Responsibleforoleotourism
9 Non-profitorganizationtopromoteoliveoil Manager
Alltheinterviewswereperformedintheofficeswheretheseprofessionalsusuallycarriedout
theiractivities.Thelengthoftheinterviewswasfromonetotwohours.Inperformingtheseinterviews,
we previously created a semi-structured path; we opted for a flexible and adjustable tool to favor
theemergenceofotherrelevanttopicsbasedontheinterviewees’perspectives. Themainelements
shapingeachinterviewdependedontheresultsofourliteraturereview,namelycompatibility,ties
amongactors,reciprocalsupport,theneedtoinvestininfrastructure,activeparticipationoftourists
andconditionsemerging[77]fromthemarket. Somemoreevidenceaboutthemainissuesshapingour
semi-structuredinterviewpathandthereferencestoliteratureinspiringthesequestionsisproposedin
thefollowingtable(Table5).
Sustainability2018,10,1492 10of20
Table5.Summaryofthemainissuesconsideredintheinterviewsandtiestotheliterature—Source:
owncompilation.
MainIssues TiedLiterature
-LoumouandGiourga(2003):theactivitiestake
Compatibility:
placeindifferentpartsoftheyear
Canoleotourismandfarmingco-existandtake
-MillánVázquezdelaTorreetal.(2014):treesand
placeatthesametimeinthesameplace?Arethere
surroundingareascanbedamaged
environmentalsustainabilityissues?
-DuarteAlonso(2010):relationshipsareexpected
Relationshipsamongactors: onlyinfairsandoperatorsknowhowtoexpandtheir
corebusiness
Howdorelationshipsbetweenfarmersand
operatorsfromotherindustriesaffectoleotourism? -KizosandVakoufaris(2011):farmersarewillingto
Shouldtheextantrelationshipsbefurther furtherdeveloplinkageswithotheractors
empowered?
-Karray(2008):hospitalitycanfavortheoliveoil
Mutualsupport:
industry
Canthelinkagesbetweenoliveoilindustryand -DuarteAlonsoandNorthcote(2010):tourismcan
tourismcompaniesbemutuallysupportive? benefitfromtheoliveoilindustry
-MillánVázquezdelaTorreetal.(2014):safety
Furtherinvestmentstobedoneininfrastructures: standards,newstructurestohostvisitorsand
personneltobehired
Arefarmersworriedabouttheneedtofurther -Tronoetal.(2017):investmentsareneededtocreate
investmoneytoachievesuitableconditionstooffer agoodreputationandacquireamultidisciplinary
touristicactivities? approach
-Lecoetal.(2013):rurallifeissomethingattracting
Tourists’involvementandparticipation: tourists’attentionandleadingthemtoliveitasa
personalexperience
Arethereactivitiestouristsarealreadydoingor -Tudiscaetal.(2015):touristsarewillingto
willingtodoinolivegroveslandscape? participateinharvesting
-Mili(2006):trendsarepositiveandcanbefurther
Conditionsemergingfromthemarket:
developed
-CañeroMoralesetal.(2015)highlightedtheneedto
Isthereanincreasingtrendinoleotourism?Howis
furtherinvestigateanddevelopanewandappealing
thisdevelopmenttakingplace?
typologyoftourism,asoleotourismis
During the interviews and their analysis, we avoided technical issues related to every single
activityandtriedtofocusonlyonthekeyelementsofoleotourismfromanoverallperspective,though
wewereawareofthedifferencesrelatedtoeveryindustrytiedtooleotourism. Thisapproach—like
theflexibilityofsemi-structuredinterviews—favoredtheintegrationofideasandtheemergenceofthe
mainissuesrelatedtooleotourismanditsdevelopment.
Theinterviewswereregisteredandtranscribed,andtheanalysisofinformationwasbasedonthe
identificationofthemostcommonfactorsandpathsshapingtheinterviewsandtheideasofevery
intervieweeinacause-and-effectapproach. Theissuesspontaneouslyproposedbytheinterviewees
hadgreatrelevancetotheunderstandingofthecurrentconditionsaffectingoleotourisminJaénand
of its potential development. Similarly, relationships among the factors were highlighted by the
intervieweesanddeducedbytheauthorswhentheywereobvious.
Apart from the interviews, additional documents were used to foster a more complete
understanding of oleotourism and the factors affecting it. The authors collected some of these
documentswhilepreparingthecontentofthesemi-structuredinterview,whileothersweresuggested
ordirectlygiventotheauthorsbytheinterviewees.
4. Results
Theresultsoftheinterviewsareproposedinfourcategories. Theinformationshapingthesefour
blocksisrelatedtothekeypointsemergingfromtheliteratureandleadingtothesemi-structured
interviews. Thesecategoriesleadtonewinformationthatsupportstheunderstandingofapotential
pathtowardsproposingactionsaimedatdevelopingoleotourism. Insummary, thecategoriesare