Temporary population estimates of mass tourism destinations: The case of Benidorm

Benidorm (Spain) is a large-scale tourism destination on the Mediterranean coast, and its temporary population can be divided into users of regulated tourist accommodation and unregistered visitors, as occurs in other destinations. The number of these different types of unregistered temporary inhabitants should be estimated separately to gauge more accurate population figures in tourist destinations which are subject to seasonality. Indicators such as drinking water consumption or solid waste generation are used to estimate the number of unregistered visitors. The results reveal that the average total population of Benidorm at least doubles the registered resident population. Additionally, a population density index has been calculated to assess urban sustainability. The methodology adopted can be applied to other case studies in order to estimate total populations, which is vital for the adequate provision of public services.     

Is a cluster a necessary condition for success? The case of Benidorm

This paper analyses the application of the cluster concept to tourist destinations using Benidorm as a case study. A questionnaire was administered to tourism firms based in Benidorm in order to determine whether this destination currently constitutes a tourism cluster or whether it possesses the ideal characteristics to become a cluster with the private agents' collaboration, that is, whether it is a potential cluster. The results obtained from this research indicate that Benidorm's success is not derived from the presence of a cluster due to a series of elements that prevent its existence. In this destination there is a need to strengthen cooperation between public and private agents (especially in those areas that determine the competitive advantage of the destination) and to design a strategy based on shared goals. Both of these elements are fundamental for the characterisation of a cluster.     

The British working class on holiday: a critical reading of ITV's Benidorm

Informed by the thesis that media representations are influential channels for the birth and reinforcement of discursive constructions, this article will focus on representation in ITV's successful sitcom Benidorm (2007–). The corpus analysed includes the show's first four seasons and 2009 special, which are all the Benidorm materials available on DVD at the time of writing. Given this TV production's subject matter, insights will be provided into Spain's sand-and-sun tourism industry, with particular reference to the resort of Benidorm. Benidorm will be placed within the wider British sitcom tradition and humour will be treated as intersecting with power and social structures and so inseparable from social and national discourses. The interface will be explored between televised humour and the discourses of tourism, with particular reference to current British identity issues such as how British classed identities perceive Other imagined communities, in particular, Spain and the Spanish; and how such identities are performed spatially whilst on holiday.