Recent changes in established tourist destinations. The examples of Palma de Mallorca and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain

Between 1950 and 1970, the capital cities of the islands of Mallorca and Gran Canaria concentrated an important tourist supply on some neighbourhoods which turned into outstanding destinations. The competition between the residential use and the geographical diversification of the accommodation supply has explained the decrease of tourist activities in these two cities since 1974, coinciding with the beginning of the new post-industrial age. Since then, the areas with more tourist supply have experienced important urban and social changes. In Palma de Mallorca, the tourist uses have lost ground respect to the residential uses, in an extremely deteriorated space. In Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, a more diverse situation emerges characterized by the coexistence of the substitution of lodgings for houses, the deterioration of some areas and the revaluation of the tourist activities.

In this context, the principal aim of this contribution is to study the urban and socio-demographic changes happened in the tourist neighbourhoods of Palma de Mallorca and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. The comparative analysis helps to reveal the different adjustment to the new tourist and residential specialization.