Delphi Technique to Generate a Sustainable Development Index in Alternative Tourism: An Applied Case in Colombia

Iván Andrés Ordóñez-Castaño, Lina Marcela Padilla-Delgado () and Ximena Fernanda Velasco-Tafur
Additional contact information
Iván Andrés Ordóñez-Castaño: Facultad de Ciencias Económicas, Universidad de San Buenaventura, Cali 76003, Valle del Cauca, Colombia
Lina Marcela Padilla-Delgado: Facultad de Ciencias Económicas, Universidad de San Buenaventura, Cali 76003, Valle del Cauca, Colombia
Ximena Fernanda Velasco-Tafur: Facultad de Ciencias Económicas, Universidad de San Buenaventura, Cali 76003, Valle del Cauca, Colombia

Tourism and Hospitality, 2025, vol. 6, issue 5, 1-23

Abstract: Alternative tourism contributes to the sustainable development of tourism and to the participation of communities in managing tourism within their territories. For this reason, it is pertinent to study the concept, characteristics, and benefits of alternative tourism, as well as its relationship with tourism competitiveness, leading to a methodology for evaluating the potential of a territory as an alternative tourism destination. The main objective of this research is to design a Sustainable Development Index in Alternative Tourism (SDIAT) based on Colombia’s tourism competitiveness indicators, which are focused on the dimensions of sustainable development, as a tool to identify the capacities of a territory associated with the development of this type of tourism. The methodology includes the application of the Delphi technique through a multidisciplinary panel of 15 experts. Two rounds have been conducted for discussion and dissemination based on the experts’ opinions, allowing consensus validation of three dimensions with their weightings and relationships, along with 21 indicators proposed for the index, which are articulated with the measurement of tourism competitiveness. The contribution lies in generating a measurement proposal applicable to different contexts that supports tourism planning and informed decision-making by destination managers, contributing to the creation of inputs for public policy.

Keywords: alternative tourism; sustainable development; tourism competitiveness; emerging destination (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Z3 Z30 Z31 Z32 Z33 Z38 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5768/6/5/248/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5768/6/5/248/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jtourh:v:6:y:2025:i:5:p:248-:d:1797682

Access Statistics for this article

Tourism and Hospitality is currently edited by Mr. Philip Li

More articles in Tourism and Hospitality from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().