Can Successful Promotion of Tourism Prevent Rural Depopulation? A Case Study of Soportújar (Spain)

In this study of a remote mountain village in southern Spain, which is at risk of depopulation, we analyze the origin, development and current situation of a tourism project which has been a huge success with visitors. The project is based on a cultural resource associated with local identity: “Soportújar - the Witch Village”. We aim to answer the following questions: Who launched this scheme? What was it based on? How did they do it? What problems have they encountered along the way and continue to face today? What does the mayor think of the process and of the current situation? Has the project inverted the declining demographic trend that the village has been suffering since the middle of the twentieth century? To answer these questions, we used data from official quantitative sources which were contrasted with in-depth interviews with the mayor of the village and some of the local residents, and with news released by the Council and other bodies. We conclude that the official demographic data, which suggest that the population dynamic in Soportújar has not improved, do not reflect the real situation in the village. We set out the reasons why we believe that the official figures do not accurately portray the economic and above all demographic revitalization that the village is currently enjoying. We defend the importance of micro-spatial case studies to further our knowledge in the fight against rural depopulation.