Social media-based analysis of cultural ecosystem services and heritage tourism in a coastal region of Mexico

Social media-based analysis of cultural ecosystem services and heritage tourism in a coastal region of Mexico

By: Ghermandi A., Camacho-Valdez V., Trejo-Espinosa H.
Published in: Tourism Management
SDGs : SDG 15  |  Units: Social Sciences  | Time: 2020 |  Link
Description: Understanding spatial patterns of visitation and benefits accrued to different types of natural and cultural heritage to urists may have important implications for the sustainable management of their destinations. We investigate cultural services accrued to local, domestic and international visitors to the Usumacinta floodplain, a coastal region with one of the highest biological and cultural diversities in Mexico. We combine analysis of social media photographs and high-resolution land cover mapping to identify different cultural services and their association with specific ecosystem and land cover types. Hotspots for international tourists are spatially restricted to well-known and accessible sites. Locals are 2.2–2.5 times more likely than international visitors to be associated with aesthetic appreciation and birdwatching. Locals upload more photographs of coastal lagoons, mangroves, beach and sea. Results are analyzed in light of land cover changes in the region and provide valuable information to decision makers for improved tourism management and conservation strategies. © 2019 Elsevier Ltd