Purpose: This paper aims to assess the value of impact perceptions as an indicator of social carrying capacity in the heritage town of Besalú, Spain. Additionally, it assesses the impact tourism dependence and other socio-demographic variables have on this indicator. Design/methodology/approach: A literature review on social exchange theory (SET) and carrying capacity related to impact perceptions is presented. The method was a survey, with a questionnaire based on the literature review and in-depth interviews. The results have been analyzed statistically to determine the links between perceptions and socio-demographic variables. Using statistical tools, perceptions are compared to three indicators that have been used to determine capacity in literature: willingness to accept more tourism, tourism pressure and the tourist function index. Findings: The willingness of residents to enter into, and remain, in an exchange relationship is affected primarily by tourism dependence, and to a lesser extent by gender and education. Additionally, impact perceptions do not correspond to a willingness to accept more tourists. The impacts of tourism on conservation show greater consensus, while impacts on the availability of space for residents show links to other capacity indicators. Originality/value: This study enhances the body of knowledge on social carrying capacity in heritage towns, by focusing on a regionally prominent day-tripper heritage town facing high tourism pressure which is Besalú. From a theoretical perspective, this study attempts to merge carrying capacity and SET, thus linking sustainability to social exchange. It also highlights the importance of a gender-based perspective in sustainability.

During decades researchers have been interested in investigating the most salient elements of tourists' pictures, without considering whether there might be different patterns of photographer behaviour. Considering this background, this paper aims to examine the common features of the tourist-photographer's gaze. By analysing a sample of pictures of a Pyrenees destination (Boí Valley) uploaded in Flickr, the authors first identify the attributes of photos; and second, by means of a cluster analysis, determine the existence of four groups of tourist photographers. The analysis reveals that although all photographers share common features in their pictures, there are other elements which define different photographer's behaviou

COVID-19 has led to the biggest tourism crisis in modern Spanish history. Although its borders were opened in June 2020, incoming international tourism to Spain was very low. Tourist behavior, however, has been very diverse between types of tourism. Data from credit card transactions showing tourist behavior in 33 destinations representative of various types of tourism were analyzed. Results show that differences in tourist behavior between destinations can be explained by risk perception and the proximity of the destination to home, which favors natural areas and charming coastal cities. This study contributes to the academic literature by studying the effective behavior of international tourists in the time of COVID-19.

This study examines photographs taken by tourists of Barcelona in order to identify the perceived image of the city. Specifically, the study analyses 3100 photographs uploaded by tourist photographers on the social network Flickr. The method of analysis used was content analysis. The findings demonstrate that Barcelona's perceived image is dominated by a few very popular sights, but also contains a large number of new sights and spaces. These new elements are not of much individual value, but collectively account for a large volume and therefore have the capacity to expand the city's image. This is the long tail of Barcelona's tourist image, providing the city with a new image created by tourists themselves.

Despite the fact that cultural tourism is an area of tourism with a great potential, there is not, at the moment, enough official information to be able to really identify this sector and its particular needs, to understand how the tourist relates to the heritage, or which main areas should be considered in the cultural tourism management. Faced with this situation, this paper proposes the setting up of a methodology which would help us to obtain more precise information about the number of cultural tourists visiting cultural attractions and their cultural behaviour – a methodology which would put tourists into categories depending on whether their interest in culture is high, medium or low. This information is basic to suggest ways of improving the management of cultural tourism.