OTWO Magazine April 2020 | Page 17

the territory, with a greater impact on the local eco- nomy than conventional tourism, especially in rural areas. Broadening the areas that could benefit from tourist activity will create new employment, help to maintain the local population and reduce the territo- rial imbalances generated by coastal or urban tourism. The potential of nature tourism for the sustaina- ble development of rural areas is especially relevant in the province of Cádiz, given the areas exceptional natural conditions for this type of tourism. Aware of this potential, the Sustainable Development Plans 30 of the Natural Parks of the province, acting as the principal instrument of socio-economic revitalisation for the natural parks and surrounding areas, propose among their objectives the creation of a tourist offe- ring based on natural spaces, cultural heritage and traditional practices, allowing for the diversification and reorientation of the provinces popular sun and beach tourism, while ensuring its sustainability and adapting supply and demand to the environment. To do this, two strategic lines are proposed. On one side, it is intended to promote nature tou- OTWO 09 / APRIL 2020 rism as an additional part of mass holiday tourism (mainly coastal and urban) by attracting it to activi- ties in natural areas of the province and proposing them as an enrichment and complementary part of the tourists stay. These will generally be short-term activities, adapted to a non-specialised public and appropriate to seasonal and weather conditions. On the other side, as we have previously seen, the natu- ral areas of the province of Cádiz have the capability of developing a distinctive and independent tourist offering, that is not contingent upon coastal tourism OTWO 09 / APRIL 2020 as the main proportion of the stay. This means en- visaging the province of Cádiz as an area that has the capability of becoming a nature tourism desti- nation with national and international significance, attracting visitors whose motivation is specifically to carry out activities in natural areas. Ornithological tourism, nature photography, bicycle touring, hiking great routes or various nature sports are clear areas of nature tourism that are clearly growing and that should be built upon as a discerning characteristic of the province of Cádiz as a tourist destination. 31