Assessment of experiential rural tourism

Experiential tourism has been gaining relevance in recent years as a form of alternative tourism that allows for closer interaction between the visitor and local communities. In particular, rural community tourism is a form of experiential tourism that takes place in rural areas and is managed by the communities themselves. This book focuses on analyzing the economic-environmental value of experiential tourism on Taquile Island, located in Lake Titicaca in Peru.
The first chapter conceptualizes experiential tourism and its different modalities, such as agrotourism, ecotourism and volunteering. Likewise, the growth that this form of tourism has had in recent years at a global level and its economic effects on the receiving regions is analyzed. The issue of access to tourism is also discussed from the point of view of economic affordability.
The second chapter addresses the concept of economic valuation of natural and environmental resources, its importance for adequate environmental management and the different value categories that can be identified. Some of the main environmental economic valuation methodologies reported in the literature are mentioned.
The third chapter presents the specific context of the case study, Taquile Island, describing its geographical location in Lake Titicaca, its social organization and economic activity based on fishing and tourism. The situation of the island as a tourist attraction and its problems in environmental and sociocultural terms due to the growing tourist flow are presented. Likewise, the objective and research questions aimed at determining the economic-environmental value of experiential tourism on the island based on tourists' willingness to pay are explained. Regarding methodological aspects, the quantitative approach of the study, the population, sample, data collection techniques and the instrument applied are briefly explained.
The fourth chapter presents the main results of the research. Firstly, a characterization of the environmental resources of Taquile Island is made. Then, some sociodemographic data and characteristics of the tourist spending of the surveyed visitors are described. Finally, the results of the economic valuation are shown based on the tourists' willingness to pay to conserve the natural resources and environment of the island.
The fifth chapter presents a proposal for an environmental conservation and tourism development plan for Taquile Island based on the results obtained in the economic valuation. The intention is to propose strategies that promote the effective conservation of natural resources while managing sustainable tourism development to improve the quality of life of the local population.
Finally, in the final reflections the main findings and conclusions of the study carried out are highlighted and some recommendations are made. Furthermore, the relevance of incorporating economic-environmental valuation to support environmental conservation policies and strategies in tourist destinations is highlighted.

Title registered in the National Repository of Legal Deposit of the Ministry of Cultures, Decolonization and Depatriarchalization of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, under number 4-1-2634-2024, and with ISBN 978-9917-639-05-3 registered in the Chamber from the Book Peace.