Innovation on Research Methods: Geotagged Photos as a Proxy Tool to Map Heritage and Cultural Ecosystem Services Hotspots

This chapter aims to assess the most relevant coastal cultural ecosystem services (CES) hotspots, in the site selected as case study, La Guardia (Spain). This proposes an innovative research method using geotagged photos from the social media platform Flickr as a proxy tool for mapping CESs of a territory. The authors were able to extract 1294 photos taken between 2004 and 2019 within a radius of 10 km from the center of La Guardia. The content analysis of the titles’ words allowed the identification and classification of natural, man-made, and biotic landscape attributes and their esthetical and recreational CES. Valuating some examples of material and immaterial heritage the chapter suggested some (multi)thematic coastal tourism storyways: (1) Hiking/Landscape photography; (2) Nautical/maritime activities; (3) Cultural heritage route; (4) Industrial tourism route; (5) Gastronomy and wine; (6) Nature observation; (7) Spiritual/Dark tourism; and (8) Intangible cultural heritage route. Public decision-makers, destination marketing organizations, tourism operators, and business entrepreneurs may use this mapping methodology, linked to tourists’ journeys, to support their operational locations and their activities portfolio.