Tourist Activity and Low Cost Airlines in the Mediterranean Spanish Arch

Abstract

The emergence of the low cost airlines (LCA) in Spain has meant a revolution in air transportation since it has allowed fare reductions, and a growing evolution in the number of passengers and companies in many airports of the country. Nevertheless, this revolution isn´t limited exclusively to air transport; there´s a new urban order, more decentralized and articulated, as a consequence of the renaissance of obsolete airports tied to these airlines located in intermediate cities.

One of the best regions in which this incip ient situation is most clearly seen is the Mediterranean Spanish arch, where several cities have scaled to new positions in the new urban Spanish hierarchy from the birth of these airlines. This paper will attempt to quantify the tourist growth of this region from the emergence of these LCAs until the onset of the current economic and political crisis through comparative study of different socioeconomic variables.