Estudios y Perspectivas en Turismo Volume 12 (2003) VOLUME 12 ABSTRACT. Numbers 1 & 2 - January / April 2003

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1 VOLUME 12 ABSTRACT Numbers 1 & 2 - January / April 2003 QUALITY FACTORS IN ECOTOURISM A perspective for its implementation in practice Gustavo Bassotti The aim of this study was to search for quality factors for ecotourism that can be implemented while working in practice. With the assistance of international experts, different levels of needs for each factor were looked upon in order to make them a point of reference in practice. KEY WORDS: ecotourism, quality management, sustainable tourism, quality factors, Delphi technique. ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS ENVIRNMENTAL PROTCTOPM IN SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZE ENTERPRISES IN THE MEXICAN CARIBBEAN Elisa Guillén Arguelles This paper examines environmental awareness and attitudes towards: environmental protection in a study of the Mexican Caribbean tourism businesses, particularly small and medium-sized hotels and parks, through a survey based on the environmental auditing method. Analysis is also made of the environmental current practices with regard to environmental performance in terms of resource efficiency (energy and water) and waste management of these tourism enterprises, and how their attitudes to environmental protection are motivated more by the likelihood of savings in operating costs and thus increasing in profits/revenues levels rather than by their concern for environmental conservation. Both federal and local governments actions to promote activities such as ecotourism that may lead to attainment of sustainable development, and the implications for growth and development of tourism are also critically examined. KEY WORDS: environmental awareness, environmental performance, environmental auditing, sustainable development, ecotourism, the Mexican Caribbean. 1

2 Numbers 1 & 2 January / April Abstract SUSTAINABLE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN PUERTO VARAS, CHILE, AND SAN CARLOS DE BARILOCHE, ARGENTINA Susana Marioni Adriana Otero The aim of this study is to integrate different theories and methods related to the problems of the tourist cities of Puerto Varas, Chile, and San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina. This approach conveys in an analysis that makes it possible to identify critical variables and potentials of urban heritage management from an environmental perspective. KEY WORDS: planning and environmental management, tourist destinations, community involvement, environment agenda. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF ALTERNATIVE TOURISM ON THE NATURAL LANDSCAPE A proposal of an identification methodology and for its qualitative assessment Rodrigo Gonzalez Adriana Otero This article suggests a quantitative method of environmental impacts evaluation related to alternative tourism activities in natural settings. Special attention was paid to the mountain landscape of North Patagonia. KEY WORDS: alternative tourism activities, environmental impact evaluation, dot-matrix techniques, qualitative impact evaluation. PRESENT STANDIGN AND PERSPECTIVES OF THE SPANISH HOTEL INDUSTRY Benjamín del Alcázar Martínez This paper analyses the changes related to marketing strategies of a key sector in the tourism field: the hotel industry. At first, the peculiarities of hotel marketing are specified and a review of the specialized literature is presented. Then, from a more practical perspective, the latest marketing tendencies of Spain main hotel groups are analyzed. KEY WORDS: hotel marketing, tourist marketing, marketing strategies, tourism. 2

3 DEFINING TRAINING NEEDS OF WEB USERS IN 5-STAR HOTELS AND "A" GROUP TRAVEL AGENCIES A research in the Antalya Region A. Akin Aksu Ebru Tarcan Information technologies have many benefits for tourist establishments. In order to be successful, tourist establishments must invest in technology and qualified personnel. The objective of this paper is investigating the training needs of web users in 5-star hotels and in "A" group travel agencies. Internet, connections and web applications of 5-star hotels and "A" group travel agencies operating in the Antalya Region were examined and possible training needs of web users employed in these establishments were defined. The information from the research can be a good source for follow-up researches. KEY WORDS: Internet, connections, information technologies, hotels, travel agencies. PURCHASING CENTRE FOR SCHOOL TOURIST The case of public and mix-maintained schools in Talca, Chile Jorge Zamora It is customary in Chilean schools to complete this stage in education with a sort of "study tour". These trips usually involve a significant organizing and fund-raising effort. Although this is a business opportunity for the tourism industry, little is known about how decisions are being made with regard to destinations, length of tour, and desired mix of activities. Yet, this is an organizational trip, which is a complex, involving immature students, parents, teachers, headmasters as well as travel/ tourism agencies. This paper explores rationality behind the supply of this kind of tourism through purchasing centre concept. Thus, it is expected to obtain useful information for designing sound marketing policies. Empirical data came from schools (public proxy for Upper class and mix-maintained proxy for Middle class) in Talca, Chile. In depth interviews were carried out with parents, head of form teachers, headmasters and travel and tourism agencies; focus groups and afterwards a statistical sample were applied to student of 3rd form from both public and maintained schools. Thus it was identified members of purchasing centres and their functional roles assumed during organizing and running of school tours, regarding to destination, desired activities to develop, length of tour, and target funds to be raised. KEY WORDS: school tours, purchasing centre, schools. 3

4 Numbers 1 & 2 January / April Abstract ECOTOURISM THROUGH THE COLOMBIAN AMAZON TRAPEZIUM María Rosa Fraguell Sansbelló Juan Carlos Muñoz Flores Changes in the actual society help the growing of tourist practices different from traditional tourism. Some of these practices are related to new habits, but other ones are a kind of modern and evolved version of previous practices. Ecotourism is just an example, a new tourism that continues the tradition of hikers and travelers. Next pages analyze this feature. It s not an easy transition: even in those territories that present all the components to become a great setting for ecotourism and although ecotourism initiatives are supported by all people implicated and participating -like in the Colombian Amazon Trapezium, showed in this paper-, some typical behaviors of conventional tourism last together with new trends in tourism market. KEY WORDS: ecotourism, traveler, Colombian Amazon Trapezium. TOUR GUIDE TRAINING IN LATIN AMERICA A model for sustainable capacity building Sam H. Ham Betty Weiler The authors on-going research on ecotour and heritage guide training is exploring tourism's potential role in stimulating professional growth and employment opportunities in developing countries through the training of local guides. Research into effective training of guides is needed, and in particular research into the development, delivery and outcomes of training programs for local tour guides in developing countries. This paper reports on a long-term research program that examines the interpretive guiding component of a six-week training program delivered in April and May, 1999 in Panama together with two shorter, more focused interpretive guiding courses, one in Patagonia, Argentina (March 2000) and one in Galapagos Islands, Ecuador (September 2000). The context and process for the development of these courses and the rationale for the selection and development of course content and methods are presented, followed by a description of a multi-level evaluation of the training including the addition of a training-of-trainers component. These provide the basis for a model approach with recommendations for the design, delivery and evaluation of future interpretive guide training in developing countries. The authors continue to monitor the long-term impacts of this training with the intent of publishing updated findings in two years. KEY WORDS: interpretation, ecotourism, tour guiding, guide training, sustainable development. 4

5 SUSTAINABLE TOURISM MANAGEMENT TTOO initiatives Alfredo Ascanio Ecotourism has become popular around the world and to achieve sustainability in all kind of developments is a legitimate aspiration. This article deals with recent actions undertaken by TTOO in order to make better use of tourist resources and contribute to the local community. Not withstanding, the governments, the private sector and the tourist industry still has a long way to go in order the slow down the impacts or tourist development. KEY WORDS: sustainable tourism, TTOO, management initiatives. 5