Vol. 8 Nº4 págs. 653-660. 2010 https://doi.org/10.25145/j.pasos.2010.08.056 www.pasosonline.org Notas de investigación The difficulties in the development of mining tourism pro- jects: the case of La Unión Mining District (SE Spain) Héctor M.Conesai Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems (Switzerland) Abstract: Mine sites are atypical industrial sites because they encompass not only economic but also landscape and anthropologic components. The need of developing new economic opportunities in areas, where a “mining monoculture” was the economic backbone, has resulted in the re-inter- pretation of mining activity from a cultural viewpoint. Some traditional mining towns from both, recent and ancient times, have forgone mining activity and have become new tourist attractions sites. However, the process of developing tourism in these zones is not easy and necessarily incor- porates social, economic and environmental requirements. This paper describes the constraints, possibilities and efforts that meet in the former mining town of La Unión, Southeast Spain. It will be investigated in a critic point of view the current projects that, though in low number, try to pre- serve the identity and history of the town while generating relatively significant economic incomes. Keywords: Mining Heritage;Landscape;Cultural Tourism; Environmen; Souteast Spain. Resumen: Las zonas mineras constituyen lugares de interés especial desde el punto de vista cultural ya que reúnen matices económicos, de paisaje y antropológicos. La necesidad de desarrollar nuevas oportunidades económicas en áreas dedicadas en exclusiva a la actividad minera ha llevado a reinter- pretar dicha actividad desde el punto de vista antropológico y cultural constituyendo en la actualidad importantes focos de atracción turística. Sin embargo, este proceso no es fácil y presenta una serie de condicionamientos sociales, económicos y medioambientales. Este artículo describe los puntos fuer- tes y débiles para el desarrollo del turismo minero en el pueblo de La Unión (Sureste de la península ibérica). Se investigará desde un punto de vista crítico los proyectos actuales, que aunque en pequeño número, tratan de preservar la identidad e historia locales a la vez que generar ingresos económicos. Palabras clave : Patrimonio minero; Paisaje; Turismo cultural; Medio ambiente; Sureste de España. i Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, ETH-Zurich, Universitatstrasse 16, 8092-Zürich(Switzerland). Pho- ne:+41446336079. E-mail: [email protected] © PASOS. Revista de Turismo y Patrimonio Cultural. ISSN 1695-7121 654 The difficulties in the development of mining tourism project... Introduction mics and, at the same time, performing actions to conserve the heritage and the Traditional mining sites from ancient cultural identity are based on the ex- times are places where cultural, social, ploitation of the potential of the cultural economic and anthropologic aspects meet. tourism (Padró-Werner, 2000). The Eu- Mining zones may have had this considera- ropean Comission considers the cultural tion during thousand of years, generating tourism like a basic element in the Euro- the accumulation of “historic signals” of pean tourist strategy (CEC, 2002). the mining activities within local areas. Conversion of mining sites in “cultu- Since in these places the local history is joi- ral” targets for tourism has been done ned to mining, and mining is joined to the successfully in the last decades. In the- local identity, the recording of the history se sites there is a change in the percep- through the mining activity is a “walk” tion of the resource, from a productive through the ancient human generations of raw material to a consumptive viewing the specific site. In other words, in these of the past (Pretes, 2002). Moreover, this zones there is a “perfect” assimilation bet- heritage represents the own identity and ween mining activity and local idiosyn- idiosyncrasy of this local communities, it crasy. is the testimony, signs, emblems from one In the last twentieth century many of prosperous and glorious past that help to the traditional mining sites suffered econo- strengthen the image and self-esteem of mic crisis due to the evolution of the extrac- these populations (Carvajal et al., 2002). tive techniques (more efficient and with At the moment, initiatives in this con- less manpower requirements), the new glo- text are being carried out in the U.K., bal mineral market with the decreasing in Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, metal worths or the higher importance of Austria, France, Spain and Italy (Hos- environmental issues. These economic cri- pers, 2002). According to Armesto-Peña sis had lately social effects such as the pro- (2002) there are in Europe at least five gressive abandonment of mining towns by hundred sites in old mining exploitations working class people, the disturbances of which have been converted into mining the traditional mining style of life, the im- museums, natural protected areas, lei- possibility of getting new economic alterna- sure sites, etc. Some mining landscapes tives, high rates of unemployment, etc. and their related elements are considered Nowadays, tourism is an important as- a part of the human heritage because of pect of the human societies. Additionally, their historic values. Some old mining si- the modern society has developed a wide tes aorund the world have been included concept of tourism not only such as “leisure in the world heritage list of UNESCO time”, also like a cultural expression. This (UNESCO, 2005a). concept of culture includes all the possible The trend is reconstructing sites, buil- manifestations of the human activities, dings and instruments in situ, protecting from the art to economic activities. In this the natural and cultural environments case the culture integrates activities that and showing the elements in their con- have had strong influence in the human text. In some of these sites the tourism style of life and by its strong relations with constitutes an important roll for econo- certain communitites may be considered mic development and local restructuring specific and endowed of time. The conside- (Fernández and Guzmán-Ramos, 2004; ration of mining such as part of the historic Edward and Llurdes, 1996). culture can be affirmed because: 1) it is an Tourism in mining sites (like a type historic activity which in some cases flows of a cultural tourist experience) generates from ancient civilizations till nowadays; different feelings in relation to traditional 2) it has elements that affect the style of sun/beach culture. It is necessary then to life (i.e. economic crisis, social work resis- offer specialized services and offers diffe- tance periods, harsh working conditions) rent from the conventional parameters of forming community feelings with “epic” tourism. According to Stebbins (1997) in and morality shapes (Ruiz-Ballesteros and the cultural tourist attractions there is a Hernández-Ramirez, 2007); 3) there is an higher identity tourist-object than in the interaction man-earth that creates images, mass tourism sites. Mining tourists have infrastructures, processes, techniques and different parameters of satisfaction in re- goods that reflects scientific or engineering lation to the traditional ones. Then the aspects. services have to be improved in order to Tourism has a dynamic nature which satisfy these aspects. reinterprets continuously the heritage Nevertheless, this mining heritage (Nuryanti, 1996). Nowadays, the possibili- tourism has four problematic points ac- ties of generating new socioeconomic dyna- cording to Edwards and Llurdés i Coit PASOS. Revista de Turismo y Patrimonio Cultural, 8(4). 2010 ISSN 1695-7121 Héctor M.Conesa 655 (1996): 1) the low attractiveness for people regions worked in deplorable working con- due to a different standard of beauty, 2) the ditions. This facilitated the fast growth of huge size of the mining exploitations which a strong class conscience which generated makes them very expensive to restore, 3) a good organised proletariat (Egea-Bruno, the degradation of the environment asso- 2003). The mining activity acquired a new ciated to most mining sites and iv) in most dimension in the middle of the XX century cases a location far from traditional tou- due to the new extractive techniques which rist circuits. The same authors mentioned changed the traditional concept of under- two additional factors that affect cultural ground mining to open cast mines. The tourism in Spain: the traditional mass tou- economic crisis at the end of nineties last rism in Spain has been based mainly in century caused the definitive closing of the the traditional offer of sun/beach and the mining activities in this region. scarcity of political interest to support mi- In La Unión Council, which is located ning heritage projects. in the center of this mining District, the According to Cameron (1999) four is- mines constituted the only economic ac- sues have to be overcome in the develop- tivity during centuries. This reason has ment of industrial heritage projects: a se- conditioned the socio-economic situation of lection of the suitable heritage elements this council which was tied to the up and for presentation; to determinate to whom downs of the mining activity throughout belongs the “ownership” of the industrial the years. In spite of this “monoculture” heritage; if heritage can attract a sufficient character, economic alternatives to mining number of visitors; and finally, what is the were not proposed