IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i3p2207-d1046069.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Evolution of Ecotourism in Coastal Indigenous Communities: Comparison of the Case Studies of La Ventanilla and La Escobilla in Oaxaca, Mexico

Author

Listed:
  • Clara Cordon

    (Departamento de Ingeniería y Gestión Forestal y Ambiental, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros de Montes, Forestal y del Medio Natural, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain)

  • Beatriz Carmena

    (Asociación Tartarukus, 28804 Alcalá de Henares, Spain)

  • Martín C. Giménez

    (Departamento de Ingeniería y Gestión Forestal y Ambiental, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros de Montes, Forestal y del Medio Natural, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain)

  • José L. García

    (Departamento de Ingeniería y Gestión Forestal y Ambiental, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros de Montes, Forestal y del Medio Natural, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain)

  • Carlos Calderon-Guerrero

    (Departamento de Ingeniería y Gestión Forestal y Ambiental, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros de Montes, Forestal y del Medio Natural, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain)

Abstract

The state of Oaxaca is one of the most economically depressed in Mexico, and this has been recently aggravated by various geopolitical and ecological events that make the lives of its inhabitants even more precarious. There is a strong interest in accelerating the state’s development with sustainable alternatives. Within the neighbouring communities of La Ventanilla and La Escobilla in the Coast of Oaxaca, the promotion of the protection and productive use of sea turtles through ecotourism has been introduced. However, the two communities have observed different socio-economic development rates. This article aims to analyse these two case studies and why La Ventanilla has made ecotourism its livelihood, whereas, in La Escobilla, it has been a source of problems. The objective is, therefore, to analyse the evolution of their ecotourism initiatives and draw a comparison between both communities to understand the differences. This objective was evaluated through surveys, expert observation, and subsequent SWOT analyses (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats). In the next step, TOWS Optimum Strategic Alternative matrices were created to establish strategies for future proposals. The authors found a clear disparity between the two communities in terms of Strengths—La Ventanilla is 55% higher than La Escobilla— and Weaknesses—La Escobilla is 43% higher than La Ventanilla. The possible suggested causes could be “sanctuary status”, “urban planning”, “different origins of the problems”, “diversification of the ecotourism product”, and “external focus”. Consequently, community empowerment, sustainable urban planning, the creation of a diversification plan for ecotourism activities, or a dissemination strategy, in addition to project proposals with external research organisations and NGOs, are considered essential strategies for the success of the ecotourism plan and thus for the sustainable development and conservation of sea turtles.

Suggested Citation

  • Clara Cordon & Beatriz Carmena & Martín C. Giménez & José L. García & Carlos Calderon-Guerrero, 2023. "Evolution of Ecotourism in Coastal Indigenous Communities: Comparison of the Case Studies of La Ventanilla and La Escobilla in Oaxaca, Mexico," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-21, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:3:p:2207-:d:1046069
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/3/2207/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/3/2207/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jenny Escandón-Panchana & Rafael Elao Vallejo & Paulo Escandón-Panchana & Andrés Velastegui-Montoya & Gricelda Herrera-Franco, 2022. "Spatial Planning of the Coastal Marine Socioecological System—Case Study: Punta Carnero, Ecuador," Resources, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-17, August.
    2. Sangmin Lee & Donghan Kim & Sunwoo Park & Wonseok Lee, 2021. "A Study on the Strategic Decision Making Used in the Revitalization of Fishing Village Tourism: Using A’WOT Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-12, July.
    3. Wiratno Wiratno & Susanti Withaningsih & Budhi Gunawan & Johan Iskandar, 2022. "Ecotourism as a Resource Sharing Strategy: Case Study of Community-Based Ecotourism at the Tangkahan Buffer Zone of Leuser National Park, Langkat District, North Sumatra, Indonesia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-18, March.
    4. Paúl Carrión-Mero & César Borja-Bernal & Gricelda Herrera-Franco & Fernando Morante-Carballo & María Jaya-Montalvo & Alfonso Maldonado-Zamora & Nataly Paz-Salas & Edgar Berrezueta, 2021. "Geosites and Geotourism in the Local Development of Communities of the Andes Mountains. A Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-23, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Marwan Ghanem & África de la Hera-Portillo & Alsharifa Hind Mohammad & Nour-Eddine Laftouhi & Badiaa Chulli & Fagr Kh. Abdel-Gawad, 2022. "The Geodiversity of Springs in the Potential Jericho Geopark/Palestine," Resources, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-18, November.
    2. Edison Navarrete & Fernando Morante-Carballo & Jairo Dueñas-Tovar & Paúl Carrión-Mero & María Jaya-Montalvo & Edgar Berrezueta, 2022. "Assessment of Geosites within a Natural Protected Area: A Case Study of Cajas National Park," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-26, March.
    3. Federico Pasquaré Mariotto & Kyriaki Drymoni & Fabio L. Bonali & Alessandro Tibaldi & Noemi Corti & Paolo Oppizzi, 2023. "Geosite Assessment and Communication: A Review," Resources, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-15, February.
    4. Dhiaulhaq, Ahmad & Hepp, Catherine M. & Adjoffoin, Laetitia M. & Ehowe, Corine & Assembe-Mvondo, Samuel & Wong, Grace Y., 2024. "Environmental justice and human well-being bundles in protected areas: An assessment in Campo Ma'an landscape, Cameroon," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    5. Biconne, Valentina & Colombelli, Alessandra & Marullo, Cristina, 2024. "Exploring the Role of Openness to Collaborations with External Stakeholders in Sustainability Adoption: A Study Of Tourism Micro-Firms," Department of Economics and Statistics Cognetti de Martiis. Working Papers 202416, University of Turin.
    6. Hunggul Yudono Setio Hadi Nugroho & Fitri Nurfatriani & Yonky Indrajaya & Tri Wira Yuwati & Sulistya Ekawati & Mimi Salminah & Hendra Gunawan & Subarudi Subarudi & Markus Kudeng Sallata & Merryana Kid, 2022. "Mainstreaming Ecosystem Services from Indonesia’s Remaining Forests," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-39, September.
    7. Alex Vinicio Gavilanes Montoya & José Fernando Esparza Parra & Carlos Renato Chávez Velásquez & Paúl Eduardo Tito Guanuche & Grace Maribel Parra Vintimilla & Carlos Mestanza-Ramón & Danny Daniel Casti, 2021. "A Nature Tourism Route through GIS to Improve the Visibility of the Natural Resources of the Altar Volcano, Sangay National Park, Ecuador," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-20, August.
    8. Krzysztof Widawski & Alicja Krzemińska & Anna Zaręba & Anna Dzikowska, 2023. "A Sustainable Approach to Tourism Development in Rural Areas: The Example of Poland," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-24, October.
    9. Marko D. Petrović & Dobrila Lukić & Milan M. Radovanović & Ivana Blešić & Tamara Gajić & Dunja Demirović Bajrami & Julia A. Syromiatnikova & Đurđa Miljković & Sanja Kovačić & Marija Kostić, 2023. "How Can Tufa Deposits Contribute to the Geotourism Offer? The Outcomes from the First UNESCO Global Geopark in Serbia," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-18, January.
    10. Stefano Bruzzese & Simone Blanc & Silvia Novelli & Filippo Brun, 2023. "A Multicriteria Analysis to Support Natural Resource Governance: The Case of Chestnut Forests," Resources, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-13, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:3:p:2207-:d:1046069. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.