Over time, the role of information and communication technologies (ICT) has become increasingly important in most areas of our lives, including education. So much so, that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of these tools has been essential to continue the teaching process. One of the great challenges facing teachers today is their need to adapt to this new educational scenario by acquiring the necessary digital skills. The aim of this study is to determine the level of competence of teaching in pre-university education key stages. To this end, a questionnaire was distributed among education centres and teachers in the Autonomous Community of Extremadura, obtaining 109 valid responses. The analysis methodology was the formation of clusters using the K-means model. The results confirmed that the teachers perceived a medium-high level of knowledge and use of ICT. Moreover, that this digital competence is conditioned by factors such as age, experience, gender, and level of education. In conclusion, public administrations are encouraged to facilitate teachers’ knowledge and application of ICT according to the profiles identified.

In the last decade, tourism activity associated with natural areas has stood out as a driver for economic development. Thus, it is a key factor for the economic and social sustainability of the community near a protected area. This paper analyses, considering the tourist exploitation and the public use of the National Park in the last decade, the perception about the sustainability of its geographical area closest. A questionnaire was used and sent to the authorities of the villages closest to each of the 15 National Parks. The structural equation model was used for the design and analysis of the model. The results confirmed significant relationships between the perception of economic development and quality of life, but not with social development. A positive relationship between quality of life and social development is also demonstrated. The three dimensions analysed, economic, social and quality of life, are influencing the perception of sustainability of the geographical area closest to the protected natural area. The legal limitations to the public use of these natural protected areas have been considered in the assessments made by the respondents. In conclusion, National Park managers, local entrepreneurs and institutional authorities (local, regional and national) are encouraged to better coordinate the resources of the protected natural area. The dynamization of tourist activities should be encouraged while respecting the biological value of the park, as has been done so far.

In recent years, nature tourism has increased its prominence in the tourism market due to sociocultural change and greater concern for the environment in our society. In this sense, Spanish national parks have become important tourist destinations, increasing the number of visitors significantly in the last decade, exceeding 14.81 million in 2019. In addition to their incalculable ecological value, these protected natural spaces are a key factor in achieving the socioeconomic development of their rural area of influence. The main objective of the study is to contrast the development experienced by tourist businesses in the areas of socioeconomic influence of the Spanish national parks. This has been done from a multidimensional perspective: infrastructures, socioeconomic development, and the perception of the residents belonging to the area of influence of the parks. The indicators associated with each dimension have been compiled and a logit model was used to contrast the relationships between the different variables. The results confirmed that perceived economic development and infrastructure have a significant impact on tourism businesses. In conclusion, local socioeconomic development requires greater effective public–private partnerships to achieve business prosperity and a better quality of life as factors for the sustainability of nature tourism in national parks.

The efficiency of the transportation options available to tourists, in terms of convenience and time, directly impacts the competitiveness of a destination in the tourism sector. The aim of this study is to compare how the indicators of accessibility and connectivity of transportation have evolved across Spain's Autonomous Regions. To achieve this, we used indicators related to the sufficiency and connectivity of air and high-speed train services, as well as land accessibility and connectivity, as provided by Exceltur's Monitur reports. For a dynamic analysis, which is essential in assessing this type of infrastructure, we considered the values of these indicators from the first Monitur report (2010) and the most recent one (2018). Based on these values for the 17 Autonomous Regions of Spain, we identified the regions that have gained relative competitiveness and those that have experienced a relative decline. The dynamic analysis conducted in this study has allowed us to classify the regions according to the evolution of their relative competitiveness. It highlights the key areas that destination managers should focus on to design strategies that enhance their competitive position.

Protected natural areas have become important tourist destinations around the world, and in Spain, national parks are the most representative figure of this type of enclave, having as one of its objectives to make conservation compatible with public use. One of its objectives is to make conservation compatible with public use. However, its restrictive legal regime prevents sustainability from being achieved. In this sense, UNESCO Global Geoparks emerges as an alternative figure with a vision more focused on socio-economic development. This paper compares the perception of sustainability in these two types of protected areas. For this purpose, a questionnaire was sent to the highest representatives of the municipalities closest to all the national parks and geoparks in Spain. The data analysis was carried out using structural equation modeling. The results of this study show a higher perception of sustainable development in geoparks than in national parks. In conclusion, very strict regulation of protected areas can be detrimental to tourism development and the population’s quality of life.

The tourism management of geoparks is an excellent way of achieving sustainable development in rural areas and improving the quality of life of the resident population while respecting their natural and cultural heritage. Spain is the country with the second highest number of geoparks in the world and the first in Europe. This study aims to find out how rural development is perceived by the highest political representatives of the municipalities affected by the declaration of geoparks in Spain, considering the dimensions of economic and social development and the infrastructures of the environment. Data were collected through a questionnaire and analysed with the structural equation modelling technique. The results reveal that the local perception of the geopark declaration is conditioned, firstly, by the perceived economic and tourism development, followed by the development of the surrounding infrastructure and social development. In conclusion, good tourism planning in these areas, increased recreational use, and the services offered by local businesses are necessary to improve the way of life for these rural populations.