Marco-Gardoqui, MartaGarcía-Feijoo, MaríaEizaguirre, AlmudenaLaka Mugarza, Jon Paul2026-01-092026-01-092025-11-18Marco-Gardoqui, M., García-Feijoo, M., Eizaguirre, A., & Laka Mugarza, J. P. (2025). Understanding residents’ perceptions of tourism in major Spanish cities. Sustainability (Switzerland), 17(22). https://doi.org/10.3390/SU17221031410.3390/SU172210314https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14454/4656This study validates the Sustainable Tourism Attitude Scale (SUS-TAS) in four major Spanish cities—Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, and Seville—assessing residents’ perceptions of tourism sustainability. A quantitative approach was used, with data collected from 660 residents via an online survey. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) with Varimax rotation confirmed a seven-factor structure, and ANOVA tests revealed significant perceptual differences across cities. Results show that residents in Barcelona report the highest perceived social costs, while Bilbao shows greater support for long-term planning, reflecting varying levels of tourism maturity. The study confirms that sociodemographic variables—especially sex and education—shape sustainability attitudes, while age has no significant effect. Findings support the need for context-sensitive policies that integrate resident voices into sustainable tourism planning. This research fills a gap by validating SUS-TAS in mature European destinations, offering a reliable tool for urban tourism governance.eng© 2025 by the authorsCommunity engagementResidents’ attitudesSociocultural contextSUS-TAS validationSustainable tourismTourism planningjournal article2026-01-092071-1050