Quality perceived by the ecotourist in protected natural areas. A case study in Dominican Republic
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Abstract
Tourism is configured as an important economic sector worldwide, becoming more important in developing countries. Thus, in recent years it has gone from dominant mass tourism to enjoy alternative tourism, which contributes to sustainable development. An example is an ecotourism in developing areas. The main purpose of this research is to evaluate the quality perceived by ecotourists visiting protected areas of the Dominican Republic, in particular, in the Saltos de la Damajagua Natural Monument, which is configured as the primary complementary offer of sun and beach tourists coming to the tourist resort of Puerto Plata. The technique used was a questionnaire to the ecotourism demand. The main results of this research, we emphasize that visitors are generally (not Dominican) of foreign nationality, who receive a high quality of service offered in this protected area. Consequently, satisfaction is also high, generating this high loyalty, especially in the case of recommending the place to others. The main conclusion, this protected area is managed in the form of co-management is an example of sustainable tourism for the country, generating positive results for both visitors and local communities, and thus can be implemented in other Dominican destinations.
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