ABSTRACT
Tourism has shown relevance worldwide due to its economic and social significance. However, the pandemic has given rise to new perspectives on sustainable development. Thus, it is vital to identify new tourist needs and impressions about tourist attractions. The Paracas National Reserve attracts thousands of people yearly and seeks to protect the marine-coastal ecosystems home to extraordinary biological diversity. The study aims to define the perception of sustainability and the emerging needs of tourists from Lima, the capital of Peru, when visiting the Paracas National Reserve during the pandemic. The paper is non-experimental, quantitative, explanatory, and transversal research. A survey was applied to 83 respondents from Lima who had visited the Paracas National Reserve before and during the pandemic. For data collection, the survey technique with Google Forms was used;quantitative data were analyzed using MS Excel. The findings show that 88% of tourists prefer to travel with family or friends, 88.24% consider it essential to reduce the number of groups, 69.41% value social distancing, 60.2% note that the Reserve is well attended, 75.9% are satisfied with the activities carried out, and 94% find it a professional and entertaining experience. It is concluded that tourists from Lima are aware of valuing the biodiversity of the Paracas National Reserve during the pandemic and care for its environment. In addition, they care about staying healthy, considering all the recommended protocols.
ABSTRACT
In recent years, tourism in Ecuador has increased exponentially. The city of Puerto Lopez has shown unusual growth. This study is based on a comparison of the situation of the Ecuadorian town before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. To achieve this primary objective, three specific goals were set out: 1) To analyze the perception that tourists have of the Canton of Puerto Lopez. 2) To examine the influence that tourism has on the local economy. 3) To study the impact of the pandemic on tourism development in the region. To achieve these objectives, quantitative research was carried out based on two surveys on perceptions of tourism activity. One was carried out before the arrival of Covid and the other after the pandemic. They are complemented by the collection of data from official statistics and stakeholder interviews. The main results also reveal opportunities for the tourism sector of Puerto López if we relate it to the SDGs_2030, as there is room for improvement in its current tourism model, and it can be made more sustainable from a social, economic and environmental point of view. © 2021 WITPress. All rights reserved.