Sustainable Tourism Practices and Challenges in the Santurbán Moorland, a Natural Reserve in Colombia
The sustainable management of natural reserves is increasingly prioritized within the global tourism sector, especially in fragile ecosystems like the Santurbán Moorland in Colombia. As a high-altitude Andean ecosystem providing essential water resources, the Santurbán Moorland faces mounting pressu...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Urban Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2413-8851/9/6/188 |
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| author | Marco Flórez Elizabeth Torres Pacheco Eduardo Carrillo Manny Villa Francisco Milton Mendes María Rivera |
| author_facet | Marco Flórez Elizabeth Torres Pacheco Eduardo Carrillo Manny Villa Francisco Milton Mendes María Rivera |
| author_sort | Marco Flórez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The sustainable management of natural reserves is increasingly prioritized within the global tourism sector, especially in fragile ecosystems like the Santurbán Moorland in Colombia. As a high-altitude Andean ecosystem providing essential water resources, the Santurbán Moorland faces mounting pressures from tourism growth and mining activity. This study assesses the adoption of sustainable tourism practices among tourism service providers (TSPs) in the region and identifies key gaps to inform policy and academic interventions. A cross-sectional, mixed-methods approach was applied, integrating surveys based on the European Tourism Indicators System (ETIS) and the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) criteria, as well as structured interviews, field observations, and document analysis. Confirmatory factor analysis identified “sustainable management” as the most robust dimension (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.953); however, no TSPs reported using renewable energy, and less than 5% of employees had received formal training in tourism. The main challenges include the lack of environmental certification, insufficient infrastructure, and limited communication of sustainability practices. Based on these findings, the study proposes targeted public policies, financial incentives, and specialized academic training to strengthen sustainable practices. The results offer insights into the challenges faced by emerging ecotourism destinations and provide strategic guidelines to support a balance between environmental conservation and local socioeconomic development. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-65ec95f608944d2ab77ac24cf4ff63bf |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2413-8851 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Urban Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-65ec95f608944d2ab77ac24cf4ff63bf2025-08-20T03:29:44ZengMDPI AGUrban Science2413-88512025-05-019618810.3390/urbansci9060188Sustainable Tourism Practices and Challenges in the Santurbán Moorland, a Natural Reserve in ColombiaMarco Flórez0Elizabeth Torres Pacheco1Eduardo Carrillo2Manny Villa3Francisco Milton Mendes4María Rivera5Programa de Ingeniería Electrónica, Universidad de Investigación y Desarrollo (UDI), Santander 680001, ColombiaPrograma de Publicidad y Marketing Digital, Universidad de Investigación y Desarrollo (UDI), Santander 680001, ColombiaDepartamento de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad Autónoma de Bucaramanga (UNAB), Santander 680003, ColombiaPrograma de Ingeniería Electrónica, Universidad de Investigación y Desarrollo (UDI), Santander 680001, ColombiaPostgraduate Program in Computer Science, Federal Rural University of the Semi-Arid (UFERSA), Mossoro 59625-900, BrazilPrograma de Ingeniería Electrónica, Universidad de Investigación y Desarrollo (UDI), Santander 680001, ColombiaThe sustainable management of natural reserves is increasingly prioritized within the global tourism sector, especially in fragile ecosystems like the Santurbán Moorland in Colombia. As a high-altitude Andean ecosystem providing essential water resources, the Santurbán Moorland faces mounting pressures from tourism growth and mining activity. This study assesses the adoption of sustainable tourism practices among tourism service providers (TSPs) in the region and identifies key gaps to inform policy and academic interventions. A cross-sectional, mixed-methods approach was applied, integrating surveys based on the European Tourism Indicators System (ETIS) and the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) criteria, as well as structured interviews, field observations, and document analysis. Confirmatory factor analysis identified “sustainable management” as the most robust dimension (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.953); however, no TSPs reported using renewable energy, and less than 5% of employees had received formal training in tourism. The main challenges include the lack of environmental certification, insufficient infrastructure, and limited communication of sustainability practices. Based on these findings, the study proposes targeted public policies, financial incentives, and specialized academic training to strengthen sustainable practices. The results offer insights into the challenges faced by emerging ecotourism destinations and provide strategic guidelines to support a balance between environmental conservation and local socioeconomic development.https://www.mdpi.com/2413-8851/9/6/188sustainable tourism practicesGlobal Sustainable Tourism Council criteriaenvironmental commitmentSanturbán Moorland |
| spellingShingle | Marco Flórez Elizabeth Torres Pacheco Eduardo Carrillo Manny Villa Francisco Milton Mendes María Rivera Sustainable Tourism Practices and Challenges in the Santurbán Moorland, a Natural Reserve in Colombia Urban Science sustainable tourism practices Global Sustainable Tourism Council criteria environmental commitment Santurbán Moorland |
| title | Sustainable Tourism Practices and Challenges in the Santurbán Moorland, a Natural Reserve in Colombia |
| title_full | Sustainable Tourism Practices and Challenges in the Santurbán Moorland, a Natural Reserve in Colombia |
| title_fullStr | Sustainable Tourism Practices and Challenges in the Santurbán Moorland, a Natural Reserve in Colombia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sustainable Tourism Practices and Challenges in the Santurbán Moorland, a Natural Reserve in Colombia |
| title_short | Sustainable Tourism Practices and Challenges in the Santurbán Moorland, a Natural Reserve in Colombia |
| title_sort | sustainable tourism practices and challenges in the santurban moorland a natural reserve in colombia |
| topic | sustainable tourism practices Global Sustainable Tourism Council criteria environmental commitment Santurbán Moorland |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2413-8851/9/6/188 |
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