sustain in the future . Let us now look at some of the main problems in more 8 detail, without wishing to be exhaustive. 2.1. - Exponential growth The liberalization to which I have referred above is intended to facilitate access to the tourism market for developers and service providers. This, in itself, is not only not bad, but is in line with the main liberalization policies of both the European Union and the State. The problem arises when, due to the absence of adequate administrative control, the supply increases exponentially, so that the demand increases in the same terms, generating stressful situations in diferent ways: environmental, social, public services, etc. This perspective of tourism growth at all costs, based on short-term economic benefts, has much in common with the tourism policies that were MANTECÓN, A., (2020), “La crisis sistémica del turismo: una perspectiva global en tiempos 8 de pandemia”, en SIMANCAS CRUZ, M., HERNÁNDEZ MARTÍN, R. y PADRÓN FUMERO, N. (Coords.), Turismo pos-COVID-19. Refexiones, retos y oportunidades, Op. Cit., págs. 24 y 25, “Over the last six decades, the Spanish tourism sector has articulated a "model" guided by the basic objective of increasing the number of visitors. All other considerations were subordinated to this principle (both during the dictatorship and during democracy), which has ended up giving it certain structural features. Among others: • Specialization in a predominantly "sun and beach" tourism product, with low added value and demanded by price-sensitive low-middle income consumers. • A highly atomized business development, characterized by the formation of family businesses with little margin to resist disturbances and with low qualifed human capital (as also pointed out by the Davos Forum). • Permission of speculative practices, carried out by real estate entrepreneurs who have often used the promotion of tourism development as an excuse to beneft the interests of the construction industry. • The projection of a stereotyped international tourist image as a center of "mass tourism". • Excessive dependence on foreign tour operators. • The sufering of problems derived from the excessive seasonality centered on the summer months. • The environmental degradation of many tourist enclaves linked to the overexploitation of scarce natural resources, the destruction of landscapes and the occupation of large amounts of land by intense urban development activity. • The progressive transformation of traditions into cultural heritage and, through their subsequent media spectacularization, into products aimed at mass tourism consumption. The interaction of all these elements has favored the appearance of tensions that are not a mere anecdotal refection of economic prosperity. Rather, they propagate an atmosphere of doubt that calls into question its future viability. The crisis caused by the coronavirus poses challenges and also raises discussions about the type of responses that deserve to be taken into account. However, the vehement commitment to certain dynamics and the reluctance to undertake profound changes both in the confguration of tourism products and in consumer habits now leads to a scenario with very consolidated inertias and limited margins for maneuver (especially in some cases). 5
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