Sustainable fishing includes the socioeconomic status of fishers. We combined empirical quality of life (QOL) and subjective lived experiences methods to explore the social sustainability of artisanal fishers in five fishery collectives along the coast of Jalisco, Mexico, where the average daily income is slightly above the poverty level. The QOL scores were also related to annual catch and incomes within each collective. A QOL index is used in this study that combines importance and achievement ratings scores; the results are indicative of an acceptable QOL for fishermen. The concept of lived experiences, incorporating aspects of life relating to Mind, Body, Work and People was explored through interviews with 12 fishers. The QOL data revealed that family and friends are important indicators related to positive QOL reported by the sample, while economic indicators were not important. Although four of the five collectives perceived that the future looks worse than the present and past, there was limited correlation between catch or income and QOL. However, while the lived experiences exercise in part supported the QOL findings, in that People was the most important dimension for almost all of the fishers interviewed, negative economic gaps related to poor catches and incomes were prevalent in the Mind and Work dimensions. The findings suggest that to understand the socioeconomic component of sustainable fisheries, both of these approaches should be considered, as they can illuminate different aspects of fishers’ lives that need to be considered during the development of fisheries’ management policies.

Given the uncertain outlook caused by COVID-19, it is important to carry out a review of the conditions in which the collective enterprises are influenced by the four helix model, specifically those dedicated to the sector most affected by the pandemic, tourism, for which raises the question: What have been the results of the four helix model in the social tourism entrepreneurships (STE) of Jalisco and Nayarit? In addition to: the participation of the actors of the four helix model has contributed to face the repercussions of COVID-19? The objective is to identify stakeholder input from the core elements of the four helix model and sustainability to the STEs during COVID-19. The methodology used was qualitative and involved the comparison of information from 12 key stakeholders from the government, social, academic and private sectors through Atlas.ti-8. Some results indicate that from the perception of the participants interviewed, the COVID-19 crisis has promoted innovation, support, and incentives among the four helixes, in which the STEs have benefited. As conclusions, the four helix model is functional to face the adversities of COVID-19 as long as there is planning within the entrepreneurships and the link with said model helix participants.

This study aimed to carry out an approach for a conceptual and theoretical analysis of governmental strategies and policies to project whether a tourist destination is smart or intelligent. Governments, those responsible for planning the development of a country, have been looking for new mechanisms for the development of the tourism sector after the uncertainty caused by the global health crisis. From the theoretical perspective, the Smart Tourist Destination (STD) concept could be a mechanism or strategy that strengthens the development of tourism in its different typologies in each tourist region. The COVID-19 pandemic generated discouraging scenarios in destinations where tourism is the main activity; however, at the same time, it highlighted important aspects to consider in order to prevent this type of situation. Local governance, which acts as a catalytic instrument in promoting tourism, is a central factor in diversifying tourism from a sustainable perspective, in which local actors can be involved to satisfy the demand of tourists or visitors to the destination. The methodology used was qualitatively based on the technique of content analysis of thematic literature review using databases, scientific journals, books, book chapters, websites, Web of Science (WoS), Scopus databases, among others. The main results of the research show that there are different strategies and government policies that have served as the basis for the promotion of smart tourist destinations in other tourist regions of the world, and where interconnected collaboration in networks using technology is the basis of this intelligence in action to offer the tourism products of destinations.

Magical town designation is a distinction granted by the Mexican government to different areas that meet certain requirements that favor tourist activities. Some of these magical towns, as in the case of San Sebastian del Oeste, in Jalisco, have had different outcomes because of this distinction, and a very important one is the quality of life (QOL) of the local inhabitants, who have modified their traditional lifestyles oriented to rural activities by including tourism and all that it implies. For this reason, it is necessary to ask the following question: What has been the impact of tourism on the QOL of the local inhabitants of San Sebastian del Oeste? To answer this question, a qualitative–phenomenological methodology was used, based on interviews with local inhabitants to identify the impact of tourism on their QOL. This study found that tourism has answered some of the needs of the local population, such as economic and public services, but it is not the solution for all areas considered in QOL.

El desarrollo turístico en los municipios rurales de México ha sido impulsado recientemente por nuevas políticas gubernamentales que buscan encontrar acciones estratégicas para resolver problemas inherentes a la pobreza y marginación de sus poblaciones. Estas condiciones de precariedad impiden en ocasiones tener una visión y entendimiento enfocados a la conservación de los recursos naturales y culturales existentes en estos territorios. Ante esta perspectiva, algunas comunidades que reunieron las características requeridas para solicitar la denominación o insignia de “Pueblo Mágico· (PM) en México, se aventuraron a impulsar y promover el desarrollo del turismo bajo la arista de la conservación del patrimonio existente y así fortalecer la dinámica eco-socioeconómica, persiguiendo acortar, al mismo tiempo, las asimetrías existentes en el tejido social. El objetivo del presente trabajo es mostrar resultados de investigación cualitativa soportados en una entrevista estructurada aplicada a una población abierta, para conocer cómo ha impactado la denominación PM en el territorio. Los principales resultados encontrados muestran que sus habitantes perciben avances en la mejora de la calidad de vida de la población y consideran además que el pueblo con el turismo, su infraestructura y los servicios públicos muestran mejoras sensibles. Como conclusión general, se puede señalar que el refrendo de la denominación PM de San Sebastián del Oeste ha impactado en la calidad de vida de la población del lugar. Palabras clave: Desarrollo Turístico, Desarrollo Local, Pueblo Mágico, Calidad de Vida, Jalisco, México.

Ejidos are a unique form of land ownership in Mexico based on cooperative and mutual aid, characterized by management problems. Some ejidos have given rise to social tourism enterprises (STE), which seek to respond to local needs by carrying out traditional agricultural and livestock activities complemented by tourism. This sector requires integration to compete. The cases addressed are the STEs in the ejido called El Jorullo, a tourist destination in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico. Therefore, this research’s general aim was to analyze a proposal for a strategic management system for the STEs of ejido El Jorullo based on social capital to promote their competitiveness. The methodology is qualitative, based on social network analysis (SNA) to identify the social capital of the participants of El Jorullo and their enterprises from the perspective of the theory of organizational population ecology and subsequently, the emptying of this information to feed a technology-based management system. The results indicate the six stages of the proposed system for integrating the enterprises. This allows identifying an option for STEs to become more competitive through the integration and involvement of various stakeholders.