Rural maritime areas and the blue economy: the case of non-touristic small villages

Abstract

[Abstract]: The blue economy has been studied from various aspects of economics and business. In this work, we propose exploring new lines of research related to the effects of generating of new blue economy spaces in rural maritime areas, which are non-touristic. The sustainable, sustained and inclusive development approach proposed by the 2030 Agenda is analysed from the point of view of the socio-economic changes produced by the transition to the blue economy in rural maritime areas, where the sea is the primary resource of local populations, whether as a source of work, food or tourist attraction. Adapting to a blue economy is a considerable challenge for maintaining and promoting the well-being of the population, resulting in an improvement in the quality of life and helping to fix the population in these areas, many of which are becoming depopulated due to emigration to the cities. This chapter analyses the case of small fishing villages on the northwest coast of Spain, taking into account their tourist vocation. It has been shown that both tourist and fishing activities are fundamental variables for socio-economic development and the difficulty of analysing the effects of one activity on the environment and the way of life of the resident populations as distinct from the other has been noted.