The coastal area as a tourist scenario: the case of Villa Gesell (Argentina)

In the late nineteenth century, on the coast of the province of Buenos Aires (Argentina) the city of Mar del Plata is positioned as the leading destination for sun and beach tourism. The success of the spa encourages and promotes the development of new coastal tourist developments. On the edges of the great maritime stays small seaside resorts originate; south: Necochea (1881), Miramar (1888), Mar del Sud (1889) and north: Ostende (1908), Villa Gesell (1931), Mar de Ajó (1934), San Clemente (1935), San Bernardo (1943), Pinamar (1943), among the most prominent. A new model of territorial organization, understood as a way to occupy and transform the space, incorporating different uses for existing and begins a process of human impact that leaves its mark on the environment arises. The doctoral thesis "The coastal area as a tourist scenario. The case of Villa Gesell (Argentina)" based on the importance, the coastal area as a resource and stage in the evolution of tourism developments, applying geographic and historical method, analyzes the process of urbanization and the impact of tourism on the environment, posing potential mitigation measures based on responsible use of natural resources.