Regenerative tourism as a model for environmental influence in a firefly-viewing project at Presa de la Soledad, Puebla, Mexico

Abstract

Nature tourism currently faces environmental impact issues despite the sustainability approaches associated with it; therefore, regenerative tourism offers a greater socio-environmental impact. This study applies the principles of regenerative tourism to a nature tourism experience in Mexico as a viable option to meet the need for tourism offerings that contribute to local development and conservation. The objective is to analyze the design and implementation of a regenerative tourism model based on a firefly-viewing experience at Presa de la Soledad in Tlatlauquitepec, Puebla, Mexico, using a methodology centered on participatory-action research (PAR). The results are presented through a regenerative tourism model for the enjoyment and conservation of nature, based on local community initiatives and associative forms of the social economy. This model is structured in four phases: recognition or identification of needs; assessment of the regenerative tourism project’s potential; participatory environmental design within the regenerative tourism model; and practical guidance and implementation of the model. The study concludes that community integration between society and nature can be achieved through participatory action and the exchange of knowledge among the agents of change involved.