The linear economic model consumes large amounts of energy and resources, but the limits on its physical capacity are being reached. The circular economy (CE), conversely, is reparative and regenerative; it aims to ensure that products, components, and resources maintain their usefulness and value. Tourism is a generator of wealth and employment worldwide (9.8% of world GDP and 9.1% of world employment), but it also contributes to a variety of environmental problems all over the world. Reducing the negative impacts of the practices of the tourism sector is essential. Therefore, implementing CE practices in this sector is crucial for producing changes that benefit the environment to reach the goal of sustainable development. The objective of this research was to explore the tourism sector knowledge of a CE and the actual implementation of its practices in Puerto Vallarta, and to determine companies´ willingness to design a transition to the CE. Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, is a national tourist destination that ranks among the top three places in the country in terms of the number of tourist visitors, and therefore tourism is the basis of the local economy. A questionnaire was designed to collect information about attitudes and motives, which was answered by key informants from 64 tourism companies. The results show an incipient knowledge about the CE concept. However, companies conducting environmental activities, such as reducing consumption of fossil fuels and improving treatment of waste, indirectly generate a positive impact on the environment. In conclusion, Puerto Vallarta is prepared to implement the CE.

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.

Protected natural areas have faced common challenges to achieve their conservation objectives. The resulting conflicts from their implementation and management over time call for greater community participation. In order to identify these problems related to social participation in Latin America and to the proposals to incentivize it in favor of conservation, a systematic review of 30 scientific documents was carried out on the multidisciplinary databases from Web of Science. The priority problems identified were limited participation in decision-making, few opportunities regarding other economic alternatives and political factors. The analyzed papers expose the exclusion that local communities have suffered in decision-making and in management processes, as well as the few initiatives for natural protected areas that allow their participation. No relevant measures were found to encourage community participation, except for ecotourism projects and proposals for changes in management plans to consider the biocultural aspects.

Despite the protection status of the marine area in Los Arcos, it has experienced reef deterioration associated with tourism activities. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze SCUBA divers’ impacts by quantifying and typifying their contact with the seabed, and to determine if the diving leader’s performance is related to the behavior of the divers being guided. The number and type of impacts on the seabed were counted and categorized as intentional and non-intentional. A total of 9811 contacts were made by 101 divers. The highest frequency type of non-intentional contact identified was “lifting sediment”, following by non-intentional—fins. The “hands” intentional contact type was found to occur most often. The highest frequency of total contacts per diver was “very high” (31.7%). By analyzing the profile of the divers related to their certification level, number of dives, SCUBA center attended, and leader, it was possible to establish a relationship between the number of contacts made by the leader and the number of contacts made by the divers guided by each leader. Our findings suggest the need for a joint approach of key players toward good practices to highlight the important role of diving leaders on their clients’ behavior, and thus preserve the ecological and aesthetic qualities of the dive site.

El sector del turismo ha jugado un papel importante en el desarrollo económico de México. El gobierno federal ha convertido al turismo en una prioridad debido al poder que tiene para mejorar las condiciones locales y generar empleos. A diferencia del turismo de sol y playa, se han señalado las posibilidades del turismo alternativo para mejorar las condiciones locales a través del empoderamiento local donde el turismo de naturaleza no ha logrado ser una estrategia totalmente exitosa para abordar los problemas de la pobreza y la marginación del medio rural, especialmente en términos de creación de empleos y generación de ingresos para las comunidades. El objetivo de esta investigación fue analizar los elementos que conforman e intervienen en el desarrollo de este sector e identificar las áreas de oportunidad. Se utilizaron métodos prospectivos para la creación de futuros posibles con las herramientas de Mic-Mac® y Smic Prob-Expert®. El análisis de escenarios permitió identificar las ilustraciones en el futuro con diferentes probabilidades de ocurrencia, entre las cuales se destacó un escenario pesimista, tendencial y optimista. Se seleccionó el escenario optimista y se estableció como línea base para la ejecución del futuro del turismo de naturaleza en la costa de Jalisco.

El deterioro del patrimonio natural en destinos turísticos se ha asociado entre otros a las prácticas empresariales. Las acciones enfocadas a la reducción de los impactos ambientales derivados de las actividades de un hotel, constituyen el eje de su gestión ambiental. La certificación ambiental indica la existencia de procesos de gestión, sin embargo, al 2016 menos de la tercera parte de los hoteles de dos a cinco estrellas, tenían una certificación ambiental, por lo que el objetivo de este trabajo fue analizar las motivaciones y limitaciones para desarrollar la gestión ambiental. Mediante entrevistas a profundidad realizadas a actores clave (hoteleros, consultores y gobierno) y procesadas en Atlas ti v7, se encontró que los costos elevados son la limitante más frecuente y la exigencia del cliente es la motivación más nombrada. Estos resultados son consistentes con hallazgos en países como Cuba, España y otras ciudades mexicanas. Abstract The deterioration of the natural heritage in touristic destinations has been associated to business practices. Actions focused on reducing environmental impact caused by hotels, constitute the axis of environmental management. Environmental certification reveals the existence of management processes in this matter, however, in 2016 less than a third of the two-five stars hotels, had an environmental certification. The objective of this work was to analyze the drivers and barriers to implement environmental management in hotels. Key actors were interviewed and included hotel staff, consultants and government agencies. Collected data was processed using Atlas ti v7. Results showed that high costs are the most frequent barrier and the customer’s requirements are the most commented driver. The results coincide with findings in Cuba, Spain and other Mexican cities. Keywords: Environmental Management, Hospitality, Obstacles, Motivations.