Ascertaining Landscape Perceptions and Preferences with Pair-wise Photographs: Planning rural tourism in Extremadura, Spain

Making use of available resources in the most efficient way is a fundamental principle of all development strategies. Landscapes are an abundant natural resource and form an important basis for the tourism industry. The case of rural Extremadura is considered for its potentially important landscape and growing rural tourist sector. A method of landscape analysis based on pair-wise comparison of photographs is used to ascertain the landscape preferences for rambling of tourists in rural areas. Their preferences are analysed according to personal characteristics and holiday activities. It is concluded that the identification of preferences can be of considerable value in the planning of ramblers' routes for specific social groups.