| Journal: | Canto rodado |
| Database: | CLASE |
| System number: | 000412849 |
| ISSN: | 1818-2917 |
| Authors: | Rudolf, Gloria1 |
| Institutions: | 1University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Estados Unidos de América |
| Year: | 2014 |
| Number: | 9 |
| Pages: | 85-110 |
| Country: | Panamá |
| Language: | Español |
| Document type: | Ensayo |
| Approach: | Socioeconómico |
| Spanish abstract | Desde el año 2000, la mayoría de los gobiernos centroamericanos, incluyendo Panamá, han promocionado el turismo residencial como una importante estrategia de “desarrollo”. Pocos estudios, sin embargo, han examinado sistemáticamente sus efectos en las poblaciones locales y la vida comunitaria. En este artículo analizo el impacto a nivel local que esta forma de turismo tiene en tres zonas rurales de Panamá: Loma Bonita (una comunidad de tierras altas en Panamá centro), Boquete y Bocas del Toro (ambas en Panamá oeste). La principal pregunta de la investigación es: ¿Acaso el turismo residencial conlleva al “desarrollo”, definido éste como una mejoría en el bienestar de la mayoría de la población local?. Concluyo que este tipo de turismo ha generado una gran riqueza y empleos, pero la mayor parte de los beneficios han sido obtenidos por la élite extranjera y nacional y por un pequeño sector de la población local que tuvieron acceso a ciertos recursos o habilidades. La mayoría de los residentes, por el contrario, ha experimentado nuevos problemas los cuales también tienen repercusiones a nivel nacional y global. Al final, abordo algunos modos de mitigar los impactos negativos |
| English abstract | Since 2000, most Central American governments, including Panama, have promoted residential tourism as a major ‘development’ strategy. Few studies, however, have systematically examined its effects on local populations and community life. In this article, I examine local impacts of this form of tourism in three areas of rural Panama: Loma Bonita, a highland community in central Panama where residential tourism is in an early stage, and Boquete and Bocas del Toro in western Panama where it is highly developed and government-promoted. The major question of the research is this: Does residential tourism lead to ‘development,’ defined as an improvement in the welfare of the majority of local people? I conclude that residential tourism has generated great wealth and jobs, but most benefits have gone to affluent foreign and domestic elites, and a small sector of local people who had access to certain resources or skills, such as English language and computers. For the majority of residents, in contrast, residential tourism has brought, at best, temporary cash relief or short-term, low-paying jobs. Even these shortterm benefits, however have come with a long list of new problems. Among the most serious of these issues are growing conflicts over land and water among community members and with outsiders, and increased economic and sometimes gender inequalities. This dissension and division undermines the ability of rural communities to organize politically on their own behalf, and weakens cooperation among community members, including with their migrant relatives in urban areas. In Boquete and Bocas del Toro, where residential tourism is highly developed, it has fueled additional serious problems, including skyrocketing land prices, inadequate public utilities and infrastructure, and a polluted, distressed environment. I discuss how such local transformations reverberate nationally and globally, and reflect on ways to mitigate some negative impacts of this for |
| Disciplines: | Geografía, Demografía, Economía |
| Keyword: | Economía de servicios, Geografía económica y regional, Asentamientos humanos, Desarrollo económico, Turismo, Panamá |
| Full text: | Texto completo (Ver PDF) |
