Abstract

TROYO-VEGA, Benjamín; ARNAUD, Gustavo; SWARTZ, Steven  and  ORTEGA-RUBIO, Alfredo. Socioeconomic impact of the gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) tourism activities, in two locations at the El Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve, Baja California Sur, Mexico. El periplo sustentable [online]. 2019, n.36, pp.157-183. ISSN 1870-9036.

Tourism is an activity that in recent years has shown a growth in localities that have natural attractions. Concerning tourist activities in rural communities, such as the sighting of gray whales in Mexico, especially in Baja California Sur (BCS), there is the tendency to name such tourism as “Sustainable”. The objective of this research is to analyze the quality of the service offered in the gray whale observation tourism in two ejidos of the El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve (REBIVI), as well as the local population that benefits from direct employment of tourism and the quality of the public services in the ejidos. In order to carry out the study, indicators of the satisfaction of the tourist service, obtained through surveys applied to tourists, were analyzed. Likewise, socioeconomic indicators were analyzed, which were obtained from surveys applied to the local inhabitants and from other sources such as INEGI. The results show that in both localities the visitor showed satisfaction with the service received, although they present deficiencies in some public services and in greater opportunities of employment in the tourist sector for the local inhabitants, which contradicts the discourse of social and economic development of sustainable tourism in Mexico. At the end of the analysis, the pertinent recommendations are offered to increase the benefits and the sustainability of this ecotourism activity.

Keywords : Gray whale observation tourism; Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve; service satisfaction; socioeconomic impact.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )