Fonte: Turismo y Sociedad; Vol. 31 (2022): Julio-Diciembre; 227-280
Palavras-chave:
Resumo: Colombia being a mega-diverse country in terms of flora and fauna, ranked as number one in the world in terms of birds, offers great potential for birdwatching as a specialized segment of nature tourism. Together with the increase in numbers of interested visitors, this could serve as an economic opportunity for several of the countries municipalities; for example, Santa María in Boyacá, recognized for its wealth of birdlife. In this article, we assess this potential, through interviews with the stakeholders involved and the evaluation of five existing trails, followed by a Multi-criteria Evaluation to determine which trails should be prioritized for their birdwatching attributes, being three, Hyka Quye, Almenara y La Cristalina. We also calculate their Tourist Carrying Capacity resulting in 29, 55 and 14 visitors/day respectively, in the current conditions of the trails. Based on this study, it is evident that there is a potential for birdwatching in the region, however, some aspects of the trails must make better and be established guidelines to prevent and mitigate negative effects on the natural environment in order to improve the quality of the activity.
