The Paradox of Paradise focuses on the trajectory of urban coastal tourism in Spain from the late Franco years to the present through the lens of Spanish cultural production. “Sun‑and‑fun” destinations like Torremolinos (located in the Costa del Sol) and Benidorm (located in the Costa Blanca) established a model for urban renewal that literally built the coasts to accommodate and expand foreign tourism as the driving force of the so‑called Spanish Economic Miracle. In addition to inserting the coasts into the scope of Iberian urban studies (typically dominated by studies of Madrid...

The Paradox of Paradise focuses on the trajectory of urban coastal tourism in Spain from the late Franco years to the present through the lens of Spanish cultural production. “Sun‑and‑fun” destinations like Torremolinos (located in the Costa del Sol) and Benidorm (located in the Costa Blanca) established a model for urban renewal that literally built the coasts to accommodate and expand foreign tourism as the driving force of the so‑called Spanish Economic Miracle. In addition to inserting the coasts into the scope of Iberian urban studies (typically dominated by studies of Madrid...