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Eco-Tourism Management Case Study of Piedritas
Question 1: Context
The case study is considered in a fused socio-economic, environmental, and public health management context. Foremost, eco-tourism project is conceived to ensure engagement of Piedritas community in the management of its local resources for their own benefit. To achieve this, the success of the project is anchored on the ability of the community to conserve the ecology through conservation, afforestation, and greening of the community. Given the current COVID-19 pandemic facing the globe, the tourism-dependent project faces numerous challenges as travel restrictions limit the direct and indirect economic benefits of eco-tourism. As such, the context is both varied and fused due to the economic consequences and a rapidly changing environment with its ecological consequences.
Question 2: Applicable Challenge Areas
Ecological management, infrastructure challenges, public health management and management by inclusion are the key challenge areas for the eco-tourism project in each case study. Accordingly, immigration into Piedritas has eroded main economic activities, forests, and green spaces which tourism is dependent upon. Besides, infrastructure to support eco-tourism falls short of the standards to allow tourists to explore the pristine and unique sites that the area has to offer. While there is increased access to electricity and water, a significant population lacks access thereof which negates infrastructural equity as reflected in the two case studies. Moreover, the community hall is located within a school; hence it hinders independent access without opening the entire school. All these challenges underscore the challenges to the full exploitation of Piedritas’ ecological tourism potential.
Question 3: Responsibility for Case Study
Responsibility for the two case studies lay with different interviewers. Foremost, Andrés Bustamante conducted the case study on Periditas Community Council, where he interviewed its sitting president. On the other hand, Alejandro Pizarro conducted the case study on Periditas Tourism Committee with Marlyne Guerrero as the respondent.
Question 4: Synergies and Conflicts in the Case Studies
As expected in any normal settings with divergent collective interests, this case study revealed underlying synergies and conflicts. Foremost, both of them involve participatory management through the inclusion of community members in decision making, whether on matters of council management or eco-tourism. Similarly, COVID-19 has had an impact on socio-economic aspects of Periditas as people either work from home or comply with protective measures. On the other hand, their priorities conflict because the Council sees construction as the alternative to beautify the town as a tourist attraction while the Committee prioritizes enhancement of ecological sites. In this regard, conflicts exist between construction and ecological conservation as a means to enhance tourism.
Question 5: Findings from the Assumptions
The findings and assumptions are critical because they highlight opportunities and bottlenecks for a collective approach to enhancing tourism and tourist experiences. For instance, COVID-19 and related social distancing requirements offer an opportunity to examine the viability of the proposed projects. As such, the Council and Tourism Committee can agree on offering digital tourism of the community while also delaying the hall construction project as a matter of priority. Similarly, the two case studies reveal a divergent opinion on the value of ecological tourism that promotes conservation instead of leveraging on the built environment. As such, constructing a beautiful hall for the community leans towards modernity, but ignores Piedritas, the unique ecological value of the community. Therefore, the assumptions inform areas that project design will have to focus upon.