Dinámicas demográficas de los municipios rurales del sur de España con balnearios y percepciones de sus alcaldes

Resum

The objective of this study is to know the recent demographic dynamics of the rural municipalities of the South of Spain with spas and the opinions that their mayors have on this subject, as representatives of the local population. The hypothesis is - there are important differences between them. A descriptive and quantitative methodology is combined with another primary, unstructured and qualitative exploratory. In addition to official quantitative sources, we prepared a survey that we send to the mayors of the municipalities studied. It is proven that an exceptional resource, such as mineral-medicinal water with health properties, is not – still enough to stimulate, as theoretically, the population and economic growth of the majority. Knowing the mayors’ perception of the municipal reality is necessary; in consequence, it is recommended that it is considered an essential source for geographer´s local studies. Relations between geographers and muni- cipal government must be increased, to fight against depopulation.