Tourism Sustainability Indicators: a methodological application for Galápagos destination – Ecuador

Authors

  • Angelica Maria Saeteros Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, CE
  • Edson Vicente da Silva Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, CE
  • Diego Paul Viteri Nuñez Universidad Estatal de Bolivar, Guaranda, Bolivar, Ecuador

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.34024/rbecotur.2020.v13.10362

Keywords:

Sustainability Index, tourism, monitoring, Galápagos

Abstract

Tourism is an economic activity considered an excellent alternative for the development of destinations. However, economic activities are those that cause the most negative impact on the environment, so it is necessary to take actions to promote the sustainable development of destinations. The sustainability indicators constitute a development tool capable of providing information for the destinations' planning. The goal of this research is to develop a proposal allowing us to know the sustainability degree of tourist activity in Galapagos. For this, 71 indicators grouped into dimensions were selected: 19 environmental, 30 economic, 9 social, 9 political, and 4 technological. Through the use of the multi-criteria analysis technique of programming by goals, the Galapagos sustainability index was identified, which is below the desired values. The least distance is registered for the political dimension, while environmental issues register a greater distance. This situation occurs due to the accelerated growth of tourism that has caused greater migratory flows, pressure on natural resources, and the permanent danger of the exotic species' introduction putting the conservation of the Galapagos ecosystems at risk. Therefore, the authorities must establish policies and actions that minimize impacts and guarantee sustainability for the future.

Author Biographies

  • Angelica Maria Saeteros, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, CE

    Formación Académica en Ingeniera en Ecoturismo con una maestría en Gerencia de Proyectos de Ecoturismo, con especialidad en Restauración Ambiental en Estados Unidos y actualmente estudiante del doctorado en Desarrollo y Ambiente de la Universidad Federal de Ceará – Brasil en la etapa de desarrollo de tesis final con el tema (TURISMO Y SUSTENTABILIDAD: Una propuesta para monitorear la sustentabilidad de la actividad turística en las Islas Galápagos), así como diversos cursos nacionales e internacionales de conservación y manejo sostenible, participación en programas de voluntariado internacional relacionados con temas ambientales y de turismo comunitario así como desarrollo de investigación y proyectos. Con suficiencia en el idioma ingles y nivel medio de portugués. Experiencia de trabajo con ONGs de conservación y desarrollo así como con el Gobierno y la Universidad en temas de investigación y docencia.

  • Edson Vicente da Silva, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, CE

    Possui graduação em Geografia - Bacharelado e Licenciatura. pela Universidade Estadual do Ceará (1981), mestrado em Planejamento Rural em Função do Meio Ambiente pelo Instituto Agronômico Mediterrâneo de Zaragoza (1987), doutorado em Geografia pela Universidade Estadual Paulista Rio Claro São Paulo (1993), pós-doutor em Educação Ambiental pela Faculdade de Educação da Universidade Federal da Bahia (2006) e pós-doutor em Planejamento e Geoecologia da Paisagem pela Faculdade de Geografia, Universidade de Havana-Cuba (2007). Atualmente é professor titular da Universidade Federal do Ceará (1997), tirocínio docente da Universidade Federal da Bahia e professor dos Doutorados e Mestrados em Geografia e de Desenvolvimento e Meio Ambiente (PRODEMA), da Universidade Federal do Ceará. Tem experiência na área de Geoecologia da Paisagem, atuando principalmente nos seguintes temas: análise ambiental, educação ambiental, litoral, análise geoambiental, recursos hídricos e desenvolvimento sustentável.

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Published

2020-10-27

Issue

Vol. 13 No. 4 (2020): novembro/2020-janeiro/2021

Section

Artigos

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How to Cite

SAETEROS, Angelica Maria; SILVA, Edson Vicente da; NUÑEZ, Diego Paul Viteri. Tourism Sustainability Indicators: a methodological application for Galápagos destination – Ecuador. Brazilian Journal of Ecotourism, [S. l.], v. 13, n. 4, 2020. DOI: 10.34024/rbecotur.2020.v13.10362. Disponível em: https://periodicos.unifesp.br/index.php/ecoturismo/article/view/10362. Acesso em: 5 dec. 2025.
Received 2020-02-28
Accepted 2020-06-12
Published 2020-10-27