Nature tourism is experiencing sustained growth and has established itself as a trend in the sector, which means that more and more people are seeking experiences in natural areas.
Balandra, one of the most visited beaches in Baja California Sur, faces great challenges in tourism management, which leads us to ask the following question: Is it possible to innovate in the visitor management system so that visitors can enjoy an enriching experience, learn from it, respect carrying capacities, strengthen financial sustainability, guarantee access to local visitors and, ultimately, conserve this protected natural area that benefits the destination?
On June 15, 2023, an Exchange of Experiences on Visitor Management Systems for Sustainable Tourism in Nature Destinations was held in the city of La Paz, Baja California Sur, which sought to activate a financial mechanism for the sustainability of Balandra based on a governance structure; key players from civil society, governments and tourism service providers participated in the meeting, sharing success stories and best practices in Mexico and Latin America.
Bonito, Brazil - Islas Marietas - Whale Shark What can Balandra learn?
At the international level, we found the successful case of Bonito, Brazil, with its "single boucher" model that has been built over 30 years. At the national level, we were accompanied by the Isla Marietas National Park team, a proud case thanks to the admirable collaboration between CONANP and Bahía Unida (Association of Local Tour Operators) to implement the "double bracelet". At the local level, we also had the experience of the Whale Shark Committee, led by local tourism service providers from La Paz.
Each of these cases share common elements: cooperation, thriving businesses, limits to tourism growth, market-based financing, sound governance, public-private partnerships, learning from mistakes and, of course, years and years of perseverance, agreements and commitments.
During the exchange of experiences, each destination shared its history and results. Bruno Wendling took us back to the 90's when they made the decision to define a unique system for the destination, allowing both paper and digital reservations, to respect load capacities, keep local tourism service providers united and generate strategic information for decision making. After 30 years, they have become a worldwide reference and the first carbon neutral destination in Latin America.
Speaking about the case of Islas Marietas, Isaí Pelayo, Yurí Damián Herrera and Ramón Joya Rodríiguez of Bahía Unida A.C., together with Jorge Castrejon and Areli Cueto of CONANP, highlighted the importance of communication between tour operators and authorities, establishing "gentlemen's agreements" as an expression of the commitment and trust necessary to implement systemic change for the benefit of their main working resource: nature.
What can Balandra learn from these experiences and is it possible to innovate in its visitor management system? Thanks to the participation of relevant actors in the operation and management of Balandra, a relevant conversation has been triggered at a strategic moment for the destination.
We thank all the attendees who are contributing to building solutions for sustainable tourism in Balandra, and why not, to share in the future as inspiration for other natural protected areas in Mexico. We are especially grateful for the enormous support received by the team of Pronatura Noroeste, the Management and Park Rangers of APFF Balandra, Turismo La Paz, members of the Advisory Council of APFF Balandra and Niparajá A.C., without whose help this process would not have been possible to give rise to the upcoming inauguration of Reserva Natura in its first destination, Balandra.
