Featured projects  

A sustainable tourism model seeks to establish a framework for strategic planning that considers the present and future economic, social, and environmental impacts of tourism. It ensures that the needs of visitors and the tourism industry are balanced with the well-being of host communities.

As Project Manager, I coordinated a multidisciplinary team, working alongside local stakeholders and the local government to design the Strategic Tourism Plan for the Canton Playas. The project also included the development of an indicator system to measure the impacts of tourism. It was sponsored by the Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral and implemented under the auspices of the Secretariat of Higher Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation of Ecuador.

We were honored to be among the keynote speakers at the 12th International Conference on Rural and Sustainable Tourism, held at the University of Panama in Panama City from May 29 to June 1, 2023. The conference focused on the importance of sustainable practices in rural tourism, environmental impact, and the need to respect local cultures and traditions.

Researchers, professors, tourism stakeholders, Panamanian tourism authorities, and travel and tourism students engaged in panel discussions, workshops, small working groups, and seminars. They explored strategies to make rural tourism more sustainable and to boost local economies by creating jobs, supporting rural enterprises, and increasing revenue for farmers. The event concluded with a visit to the Emberá Drua Village, an indigenous community.

We engaged in the exchange of knowledge, experiences, and perspectives concerning the role of Tourism Observatories as sustainable tourism solutions, emphasizing the integration of stakeholders in policy discussions and practical cooperation. This approach aimed to ensure long-term sustainability by fostering a shared destination vision and working towards common goals.

This initiative was undertaken within the context of the Master of Arts Program in Global Sustainability, with a concentration in tourism. As part of this effort, we developed proposals and guidelines for the establishment of The Blue Community Observatory. Patel College of Global Sustainability, University of South Florida.

The Tourism Observatory operates as a comprehensive monitoring system, employing a diverse set of indicators to provide continuous evaluation and oversight of sustainable tourism development within tourism destinations. Recognizing the need for such a system, we led the creation of the Tourism Observatory for the province of Pichincha, Ecuador.

As Project Manager, I coordinated a multidisciplinary team to establish the observatory. This project was sponsored by the Faculty of Hospitality and Services at the Equinoctial Technological University and implemented under the auspices of the Prometeo Project, an initiative of the Ecuadorian Government. The resulting observatory not only offered a systematic framework for monitoring tourism impacts but also served as a model for similar initiatives in other regions.

Community-based tourism represents a rural approach to integrating agricultural practices with tourism, facilitating the development of products, services, and experiences that appeal to visitors. Fundamentally, it operates as a vehicle for participatory community development, emphasizing inclusive decision-making processes and ensuring that the integrity of local culture and traditions is preserved and respected.

This project aimed to create a tourism product centered around hot springs as the main attraction. The objective was to develop strategies that engaged visitors in activities that respected local culture and traditions. The project was part of an initiative by the Guayas Prefecture to support community development within the Shuar community.

We were part of the delegation of the Central America Trade Mission and Business Conference, Department of Commerce, United States of America. The mission was held in San Jose, Costa Rica, from August 21 to 26, 2022. The conference focused on region-specific sessions, market entry strategies, export compliance, legal issues, logistics, disaster resilience and recovery, and trade financing resources.

The Business Conference program provided U.S. companies with the opportunity to explore six markets in the Central America region: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama. The travel and tourism industry was one of the sectors that the mission focused on.

Stakeholder analysis is a systematic process of collecting and analyzing high-quality information to identify whose interests should be considered during the development or implementation of a policy, program, or project.

We participated in an exchange of knowledge, experiences, and perspectives regarding the importance of stakeholders in business and project management. This initiative took place as part of a panel discussion within the context of a lecture series organized by the Center for Applied Social Sciences at the University of Pernambuco, Brazil.