EVALUACIÓN DE BUENAS PRÁCTICAS EN SERVICIOS DE ECOTURISMO COMUNITARIO EN LA ECORREGIÓN VALDIVIANA, CHILE

Abstract

This investigation was focused on the evaluation of the community ecotourism supply of 2 organizations along the Valdivia eco-region, southern Chile, seeking to promote the establishing of the supply of ecotourism based on good practices that guarantee its quality, sustainability and market access.
The first step was to identify and characterize the ecotourism supply of each organization where it was concluded that there existed scattered lodging and food services which were mainly related to forest and local culture activities. Having this last one a low level of effective incorporation among the services. Later, the good practices were outlined from interviews to national tour operators who gave priority to them and grouped them into ten sustainability action areas. To evaluate the accomplishing of these good practices, on each one of the identified services, in situ visits and interviews to key actors were carried out, deciding that the majority of them were poorly conducted. Aside from that, differences among the organizations were evident, mainly on the physical support and water quality investment areas.
Lastly, actions to incorporate the evaluated good practices to the tourist products supply were defined, classifying them into time extension, financial sources and execution responsibilities. Among these actions the development of new tourist products, planning and monitoring of ecotourism impact, support to the family investment for the physical lay out, the development of micro-entrepreneurial capabilities, market articulation and organizational development stand out.