Identification of emerging lines of intellectual creation in the agroecological tourism sector

Abstract

The rise of tourist destinations offers new experiences in the sector, generating the need to investigate their potentialities, products, services, and resources. The objective of this study was to identify emerging lines of intellectual creation in agroecological tourism from a transdisciplinary approach. The research focused on the Universidad Nacional Experimental de los Llanos Occidentales Ezequiel Zamora, which has three Intellectual Creation Groups located in the northern part of the municipality and state of the same name, Barinas, Venezuela, using the participant-action research method and a descriptive qualitative approach. Interviews were conducted with professors, researchers, and students belonging to the aforementioned research groups. The findings revealed gaps in agroecological tourism areas such as gastronomy, lodging infrastructure, tourist experience, integration of sustainability, tourist expectations, and local culture. These gaps represent opportunities for new lines of research. The study identified eight lines of intellectual creation (Public policies, cooperation and local development; service quality, innovation and technology; biocultural heritage; tourism products and services; sustainable tourism destination planning and development; destination marketing and promotion; community participation, gender and rural development inclusion; and education, training and technological innovation) under a sustainable approach, integrating diverse disciplines to promote research in agroecological tourism. In addition, they integrate transdisciplinary approaches to promote agroecological tourism as a sustainable, resilient model that generates local development.