Abstract:
This paper presents a proposal based on indicators to measure the pressure brought by tourism on the
economy and the environment in beach resorts in Ecuador in order to support decision making to minimize
the negative impacts of the activity.
The first chapter sets the framework for research and presents the general context of Salinas as a study
area characterized by seasonal tourism and overcrowding. It defines the basic concepts that direct research
to analyze their interaction as a whole. The second chapter presents examples of destinations where tourism
is controlled by information derived from technical indicators. The three destinations: Kangaroo Island in
Australia, Andalusia in Spain and Goa in India have developed different methodologies for determining their
tourism indicators, which, after a comparative analysis, serve as reference for developing the system used in
this study.
Chapter three examines the pressure of tourism in Salinas. It is first diagnosed as a beach resorts, and
then the economic and environmental impacts generated by tourism in Salinas are identified as well as the
causes of theses impacts to determine areas and the focus of study. From this classification the indicators for
the study area and other beach resorts in Ecuador are proposed.
The final chapter presents the manual and its implementation in Salinas. Based on case studies from the
second chapter a system to minimize the negative impacts of tourism on beach resorts is designed. The system
consists of six steps, the first four (A, B, C and D) are related to the process of establishing indicators of
pressure (manual), while the others (steps E and F), correspond to the application of indicators and use of
their results in the minimization of impacts. Finally, indicators are applied to the resort. The information is
then synthesized for a comparative analysis with Andalucía, which highlights the similarities and differences
between the two destinations. The final results are an accurate approximation to the reality of tourism in
Salinas. This information can guide those responsible for the resort to adapt measures that mitigate the
negative impacts caused by tourism.
