SUSTAINABLE TOURISM: The TRC as a proposal for good practices

and sustainable development

Machaca Gómez Hidalgo Bladimir

bladimirgmachaca@gmail.com

Universidad Nacional del Altiplano

Summary

Tourism is one of the activities that is gaining strength both nationally and
internationally, thus being one of the main economic sectors generating foreign
exchange. This activity also generates repercussions on the environment, which is why
work is being done on new forms of tourism development , such as rural community
tourism, which aims to improve the socioeconomic development of local communities
through its potential cultural, patrimonial and natural, as well as improving the
conservation of natural, cultural and heritage resources. In this sense, the objective of this
research is to analyze the characteristics of community tourism for the application of it
in potential potential for the development of this activity. The methodology used
consisted in a review of the literature on community tourism and sustainable
development, and participant observation in destinations with tourism potential for the
development of community tourism.

Keywords: sustainable tourism; local population; community

tourism; Benefits; sustainable development.

Introduction

In recent decades, tourism has become one of the economic activities that has generated
higher expectations, both at the level of governments and the population. This activity
has gained strength and little by little it becomes an important pillar of the economy of
the countries, as well as of their own human development and of society.

It is known that tourism is developed mainly in natural settings and in the case of urban
areas it includes cultural resources, whose vulnerability to the massive influx of visitors
is very high, and one of the tourism practices that most affects the environment is
traditional tourism specifically mass tourism, against this worldwide a growing preo cern
for the conservation of natural and cultural resources is given.

Pronouncing in this respect different scientific, social and cultural organizations , among
others, develop do activity is in favor of the conservation of the environment. Among
them we have Agenda 21 of the United Nations (UN), the Rio Declaration on
Environment and Development, among others.

It is so that for years it has been working in the destinations in the development of new
forms of tourism alternatives to mass tourism. These are forms that aim, on the one hand,
to respect and conserve nature, and, on the other hand, to improve the socioeconomic
development of local communities. That is, they are configured as sustainable tourism in
the destination where it is developed. Thus, among these new forms of alternative tourism
we find community tourism .

This work is focused on community tourism, tourism through which the local population
seeks to improve their socioeconomic situation and conserve the natural resources of
their territory, through the established contact between local population - tourist and has
as its purpose in particular the analysis and Investigation of the characteristics of the
TRC and responsible tourism practices to identify potential places for the optimal
development of this activity.

Impact of tourism

The tourist activity takes place in a specific space and inevitably generates a series of
conflicts in said space. In recent times the space in which this activity occurs is mainly
the natural space.

In the same way in which the tourist activity generates benefits to the receiving
population in general, it also brings with it some damages. Tourism
can adversely affect biodiversity and other natural resources, and have adverse social and
cultural impacts. "The impacts of tourism on the local society can be diverse, depending
on the type of tourism in question " (Gascón & Cañada, 2018). The deterioration of
natural resources, both renewable and non-renewable, is one of the most significant direct
consequences of the impact of tourism.
In studies conducted by Ramírez (2009) determines the following aspects regarding
pollution: air pollution, increased noise, the emission of bad odors, water pollution and
decreased flow, as well as pollution, erosion and soil compaction , in relation to the
various recreational activities carried out in the area.

The generally preferred sites for this activity (coasts, rivers, lakes and mountains) are
fragile ecosystems with a great variety of species, whose intensive and unsustainable use
can produce irreversible losses.This is because they are subject to a high flow of visitors .

For Blanco (1998), the level of impacts produced by visitors is directly related to different
variables:

 Duration of the visit

 Time of year considered
 Typology and user behavior
 Distribution of users by the protected area
 Ecological fragility of the environment considered
 Management and restoration measures that the managers decide to apply.

Sustainable tourism

The World Tourism Organization (WTO) conceives sustainable tourism as "A path
towards the management of all resources in a way that can satisfy economic, social and
aesthetic needs, while respecting cultural integrity, essential ecological processes,
biological diversity and the systems that sustain life".

This concept is generated based on the concept of "sustainable development" in 1987

World Conservation Union (IUCN) says that is a process that allows development to
occur without damaging or depleting the resources that make possible this objective
manages, usually, the resources so that they can be renewed at the same pace in which
they are used.

In general, there have been many institutions and researchers who have established the
theoretical principles of sustainable tourism, although for all of them the application of
sustainability principles to tourism can lead us to speak about the following points:
 - Sustainable tourism refers to a form of tourism that seeks to satisfy the current
needs of tourists, the tourism industry and local communities, without
compromising the ability to meet the needs of future generations.
- There is no sustainability if it is not given in an integral way, taking into
account very different aspects and agents involved; that is to say, sustainability
does not only focus on the protection of the environment, but also on economic
efficiency and social equity, and on the long-term viability of all of them.
- Sustainability is applicable to all elements present in the tourist area.
- Sustainable tourism only exists as a product / result of a triple positive balance
within the framework of what has been called the triangle or dimensions of
sustainability.

Rural tourism

Rural tourism is a product of low environmental and sociocultural impact, which aims to
carry out activities of coexistence and interaction with a rural community, in such a way
that its social, cultural and productive expressions can be known . This kind of tourism
is an approach to the traditions of a community, its folklore, fairs, festivals , gastronomy
and crafts. " Is any tourist activity that takes place in the rural environment, in a planned
and sustainable manner, based on the participation of local populations organized for the
benefit of the community, with rural culture being a key component of the
product"(MINCETUR, 2019)

The basis of this type of tourism is the rural environment in a broad sense that implies
having an interesting natural, historical-cultural and architectural heritage that awakens
the interest of people who habitually live in the urban environment and who are willing to
invest part of their income. their free time and resources to meet in many cases with their
origins or simply explore ways or places to vacation that are more in line with their usual
way of life, this implies the optimal use of resources, integration of the local population,
prese rvation and improving the environment. "They are the tourist activities that are
carried out in the rural space and that have as an aim to interact with the rural life, to
know the traditions and the way of living of the people and the attractions of the
zone" (OMT, 2019).
Typology of rural tourism

 Cultural tourism: It is one of the most attractive livelihoods of rural tourism and
is seen in the historical wealth of agricultural establishments to whose preservation
and enjoyment is contributed.
 Agrotourism: It is characterized because the visitor participates actively in the
productive activities and, at the same time, is looked after by the family of the
agrarian producer (González, 2011).
 Ecotourism: Its main objective is the insertion of the visitor in the natural
environment, in which the particularities of each environment are educated.
 Adventure tourism: Use the environment or natural environment as a resource to
produce sensations of discovery; The activities that can be carried out here depend
on each natural environment where they are carried out.
 Business tourism: Derived from professional travel and in which, according to
the motive of the displacement, the following differentiation can be made: business
tourism, incentive tourism or tourism congresses and conventions. This type of
tourism has been carried out in rural homes, spas, ski resorts, etc.
 Ethnic tourism: It is a very important modality to be able to preserve and spread
cultures related to indigenous communities. This modality shows how rural tourism
can be developed by both large producers and small indigenous communities.
 Gastronomic tourism: It is carried out around establishments that offer
gastronomic options and where, for the most part, the dishes are made with local
products. The gastronomic resources complement other tourist attractions, and can
play an important role in attracting visitors through good products and a quality
restoration. Also, the promotion of quality food products makes it possible to
achieve a higher level of satisfaction of tourists.

Host community

This subsystem, integrated by the inhabitants of the tourist destinations without direct
relation to the activity, has had little relevance in the traditional systemic model, used in
the nineties. Despite the importance of the participation of the host community in tourism
planning and management, its study in the academic field can be considered relatively
recent (Monterrubio, 2009). However, as regards rural tourism, the active role of the host
community is considered a necessary condition for this modality to generate a real
contribution to local development.

Methodology

The methodology used has been based on the analysis of the scientific literature that
allows to argue the concepts and analysis of sustainable tourism and on the other, a
review of web pages of tourist entities . Subsequently, for the review of articles,
they were classified into three large groups: those who spoke basically about the impacts
of tourism, those who spoke about sustainable tourism and those who basically dealt with
community tourism . Observing in this way that the tourist activity can generate a series
of damages in the environment and the society, but if a sustainable tourism is considered
as it is the rural tourism community the impacts can to get to be minimum and in some
cases insignificant.

Conclusions

Community rural tourism is all that type of tourism that takes place in a specific
destination, and where local stakeholders are responsible for planning the tourism
activity, with the local community being the main axis of activity, and therefore, the main
beneficiary. In addition, this form of tourism helps to conserve and value
different types of resources such as heritage, cultural and natural.

Thus, community tourism is considered as a form of sustainable tourism, which seeks on

the one hand to improve the socio-economic development of the population located in
the local communities of the destination, and on the other, it aims to preserve and promote
respect for natural, heritage resources and cultural, through its value and the
implementation of new sustainable forms of management. This form of tourism acquires
more importance in underdeveloped destinations, where issues related to the generation
of wealth and conservation of resources are vital for the survival of local communities,
both now and in the future.

Thus, the development of rural community tourism in disadvantaged areas can help
generate economic resources in local populations, thus contributing to the social and
economic development of the population and destination. In addition, this form of
tourism can generate greater awareness of the local community, promoting aspects such
as conservation and respect for nature and other existing resourcesin the destination, thus
developing a more responsible tourism.

In this sense, it is necessary that community tourism be carried out by carrying out a
series of actions, which will promote sustainable development in the destination. Thus,
and in the first place, the local population must be involved in the planning and
management process of the tourist activity. Secondly, it is necessary to elaborate a tourist
development plan of the destination, which helps to plan the tourism activity
adequately. Third, aspects such as culture, historical heritage and natural
resources should be valued. At all times, they must be managed by local
communities and Finally, and fourthly, an awareness and education plan for the local
population prior to the beginning of the tourist activity is necessary, which will help to
form better human resources for the performance of the tourist activity in the destination.
 Bibliografía

Abril S, M., & Azpelicueta, M. (2015). Lugareños frente a turistas. El caso de la

ciudad de Barcelona.Obtenido de Turismo sostenible:
http://www.redalyc.org/pdf/4815/481547178028.pdf
Bertoni, M. (2008). Turismo sostenible: su interpretación y alcance
operativo. Obtenido de Cuadernos de Geografía - Revista Colombiana de Geografía:
https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/rcg/article/view/10925/11523
Cayo V. N., & Apaza Tarqui, A. (2017). Evaluación de la ciudad de Puno como destino
turístico - Perú. Recuperado de:
http://www.scielo.org.pe/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S22197168201700020000
5&lng=es&tlng=es
Gascón, J., & Cañada, E. (06 de junio de 2018). Turismo residencial y gentrificación
rural. Obtenido de Turismo residencial y gentrificación rural:
https://www.raco.cat/index.php/Athenea/article/viewFile/338168/429036
MINCETUR. (16 de 05 de 2019). TURISMO. Obtenido de ¿que es turismo rural
comunitario?: https://www.mincetur.gob.pe/producto-turistico/turismo-rural-
comunitario/
Monterrubio, J. C. (11 de junio de 2009). Dialnet. Obtenido de comunidad receptora:
https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=3284403
OMT. (16 de mayo de 2019). turismo rural. Obtenido de turismo rural:
http://www2.unwto.org/es/search/node/turismo%20rural
Universidad Antonio de Nebrija. (2006). ebook. Obtenido de turismo sstenible:
https://books.google.com.pe/books?hl=es&lr=&id=sDW9yzGZZ5sC&oi=fnd&
pg=PA15&dq=turismo+sostenible+libros&ots=ZFn9hwxaUp&sig=wOpQPp2
W4bAdvh16QiOdORD7fqE#v=onepage&q=turismo%20sostenible%20libros&
f=false