Cross-Border Tourism: A Residents’ Perspective of the Iberian Meseta Reserve

Tourism destinations depend deeply on the contribution of residents, who play a crucial role as stakeholders. Obtaining insight into their perspectives is crucial for the success of the tourism industry. Hence, this study aimed to understand how residents in the cross-border region of the Iberian Meseta Reserve perceive tourism in their land. From April to May 2023, a questionnaire was administered to residents aged 18 and above, selected from various locations such as shops, parks, restaurants, streets, and residences. A total of 470 valid questionnaires were collected and analysed descriptively, focusing on the means and standard deviations of the effects. An inferential analysis was conducted to determine the differences between the dependence on tourism, gender, and the tourism effects. The findings revealed that residents generally hold a positive perspective on tourism in cross-border areas. The economic effects ranked highest in mean perception, followed by the sociocultural effects, and lastly, the environmental effects. However, it’s important to acknowledge a limitation of this study, namely the uneven sample size between residents from Portugal and Spain.