Visitors' perception of sustainable tourism management in nature destinations. Case study in the Galapagos National Park (Ecuador)

This work is based on the confluence of two lines of research that are well established in the scientific literature on protected natural areas: social participation in studies on tourism and the construction of systems of sustainability indicators in nature destinations. With the appli-cation of a survey of visitors to the Galapagos National Park (Ecuador) and the use of proven indicators, the strengths and weaknesses of its tourism management have been identified and valued to incorporate this knowledge into decision-making through participation processes. The gaze of visitors turns out to be relevant and complementary in the governance of this space, given that tourism causes transformations in its natural environment, given the circumstance that its quality attributes constitute one of the main comparative advantages of it. Galapagos National Park's mostly urban demand seeks a satisfactory global experience identified with the authenticity, uniqueness, and quality of its environmental and sociocultural environment, while there is a dilemma between the harmonization of a leisure space for visitors and the need to promote local development in which traditional activities are increasingly less viable.