Sustainable Tourism Law

518 SUSTAINABLE TOURISM LAW Administrative Law. As Ceballos (2017) argues, little importance has been attached to the AO as an instrument for promoting the territory and their non- -commercial elements have been relegated or even forgotten. Meanwhile, the mercantile doctrine has hegemonized the studies on this institution and has focused on the role of the AO as an instrument that provides market order for these products. On the one hand, by protecting consumers and providing them with information on quality and origin; on the other, by ensuring that producers obtain benefits commensurate with the specificity of their products and are protected against unfair practices. These theoretical and practical gaps have meant that the cultural values of the territory lack an optimal way to enhance their value. For this reason, the literature that advocates a broader vision of the AO proposes its comprehensive analysis with the aim of structuring them in the context of the economic development of rural areas. Among the potential effects of this positioning would be the promotion of other economic activities, linked, for example, to tourism. Another area in which comprehensive intervention would also be necessary is the regulatory framework. At the Spanish level, as previously mentioned, there is a fragmented treatment focused on the mercantile elements of the institution. However, taking into account the considerations raised regarding the public functions that this distinctive sign is able to perform, it would be advisable to carry out a systematic approach to the institution. An approach based on public law would require a greater commitment by the administrations and the consideration of all the regulations that refer to the public functions of the agricultural sector, both at European and national level. This way, the AO policy framework could have an impact not only on the economic dimension of sustainable development but also on the social and environmental dimensions. V.2. The appellation of origin and agricultural multifunctionality The need to promote a theoretical and legal change in which the public functions of the AO are balanced is consistent with the revaluation that rural areas have experienced in relation to the functions they have traditionally performed. Beyond considering them as a space for the supply of raw materials and food for cities, they are scenarios for the conservation of natural resources and knowledge. Authors such as Ceballos (2017) defend an integral consideration of this space as a guarantor of agricultural production, as well as its capacity to respond to social, environmental and leisure demands.