Mass tourism in the Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina is depleting natural ecosystems, which are precisely the basis that supports the local economy. Since the establishment of the free port in the territory, the region’s development has been promoted without considering the loss of its environmental resources. However, after the islands were declared the Seaflower Biosphere Reserve in 2000, actions have been taken to counteract the situation, envisioning a more environmentally friendly productive performance that provides the income necessary to guarantee the well-being and quality of life of islanders. Despite this, intensive economic activities prevail in the department, showing that the path towards sustainability under these conditions is difficult to achieve. Climate change has highlighted the importance of finding sustainable alternatives for islands. In this case, it is necessary to discourage conventional means that threaten the biodiversity of the territory and to promote business schemes that are more environmentally respectful. This will be possible through the strengthening of governance in the Biosphere Reserve and its coordination with different interest groups. In this article we estimate the relevance of the topic for the most important industry in the territory—tourism—to provide key elements for this discussion.
1 Introduction
Climate change can be explained by natural or external causes. Three decades ago, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (1992) defined the phenomenon as “a change in climate attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere and adds to the natural climate variability observed over comparable periods of time” (p. 3). More recently, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2023) stated that “human activities, mainly through greenhouse gas emissions, have indisputably caused global warming” (p. 4).
In 2021, the earth’s temperature was 0.85 °C above the average for the period 1951–1980 and 1.1 °C warmer than the average at the end of the nineteenth century. Collectively, the past eight years have been the warmest since records began in 1880 (NASA 2022). In the particular case of Latin America and the Caribbean, the World Meteorological Organization (2022) revealed that “the average rate of increase in temperatures in the region was approximately 0.2 °C per decade between 1991 and 2021, compared to the 0.1 °C per decade recorded between 1961 and 1990” (p. 7). Some territories in this area face the Atlantic hurricane season each year, with 2021 being the third most active season recorded, made up of 21 storms including seven hurricanes (NOAA 2022).
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The occurrence of anomalies and extreme climate events that are affecting ecosystems also have an impact on economic development. Depending on their magnitude, they constitute a threat that will exacerbate inequality gaps: increasing poverty, food insecurity, deprivation in the provision of basic services and, in general, the habitability of the affected countries.
The effects of climate change are recorded and projected in a particular way for each region. In small islands, to which a specific chapter has been dedicated in the IPCC reports, in consideration of the high level of vulnerability to which they are exposed because of their geophysical characteristics, the main risk has been identified as the loss of livelihoods, settlements, infrastructure, ecosystem services, economic stability, and low-lying coastal areas (IPCC 2014). Furthermore, the IPCC noted that:
the dependence of many small islands on a limited number of economic sectors such as tourism, fisheries, and agricultural crops, all of which are climate sensitive, means that on the one hand climate change adaptation is integral to social stability and economic vitality but that government adaptation efforts are constrained because of the high cost on the other (p. 1626).
The Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina (hereafter, the archipelago), a Colombian department (administrative region) declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2000 and the object of study in this article, is not far from the global stage. According to the national results of the multidimensional analysis of vulnerability and risk due to climate change recorded in the Third National Communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the island territory occupies first place in the risk index (very high), the second place in sensitivity (high) and the last place in adaptive capacity (very low) (IDEAM et al. 2017).
Climate exposure adds to the challenges of the islands in terms of sustainable management and socioeconomic conditions: scarcity of water resources; low coverage of water and sewage services; insufficient capacity for the management and disposal of solid waste; dependence on external trade for the provision of consumer and capital goods; a small domestic market; energy production from fossil resources; high cost of living; high population density; massive influx of visitors.
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All these factors affect regional development and its different interest groups. This chapter focuses on local productive dynamics, particularly those mobilized by the tourism industry and the businesses that comprise it, from whom the situation demands skills of analysis and interpretation of the environment to anticipate situations, project future scenarios, and make convenient decisions that allow the adoption of a strategic position in the market and which articulate with the governance purposes of the Biosphere Reserve in particular.
We will carry out a contextualization of the territory; its economic trajectory, a characterization of the tourism sector, and the presentation of other indicators of interest for this purpose. We will evaluate the knowledge, perception of vulnerability, and capacity of the sector regarding climate change. The objective of the research is to determine the relevance of climate change for tourism service providers in the archipelago. The study provides the business perspective as a key element for territorial reflection on the issue of climate change, and the implementation of mitigation and adaptation actions.
2 Literature Review
Scientific literature has made it clear that small island developing states (SIDS) will be particularly affected by climate change, that the dangers will intensify due to the increase in global warming and their socio-economic characteristics will contribute to exacerbating their levels of vulnerability (Thomas et al. 2020). Specifically, it has been pointed out that the Caribbean islands are on the front line of the severe impacts of climate change, more than other parts of the world, due to their geographical location, and because they are home to people who live nearby and depend on them of the sea to guarantee its survival (Mycoo 2018).
The region’s beaches will be affected by the rise in sea level and the intensity and direction of the waves. On average, it is estimated that, annually, the beaches will experience a retreat of around 0.16 m, generating a loss of biodiversity and “a negative impact on economic activities and the well-being of the population: less tourism, destruction of coastal infrastructure, population movements and indebtedness” (Bárcena et al. 2020, p. 130).
“The business model currently adopted by many SIDS is mass tourism” (Hampton and Jeyacheya 2020, p. 9). Referring to most small islands in the Caribbean, Cannonier and Burke (2019) found that, “in no other region of the world is the industry as vital to economic sustainability.” However, the competitiveness of the tourism sector in the Caribbean is threatened by climate change due to its high dependence on natural resources (Mackay and Spencer 2017). The concentration of the tourism industry on the use of natural resources, and the expansion and profitability of the activity, have not favored economic diversification in tourist destinations, nor the incorporation of regenerative practices that the future of the sector demands (Cave and Dredge 2020).
Uncontrolled tourism growth generates adverse economic, social, and environmental impacts that must be addressed with priority in the small island economies of the Caribbean (Peterson and DiPietro 2021). Peterson (2020) warned that “one of the biggest risks to Caribbean SITEs [small island tourism economies] is underestimating the adverse effects of over-tourism and downplaying the risks of climate change” (p. 31), and that it is currently unsustainable to maintain this position of inertia; it is urgent to transcend the illusion of the extraordinary growth of the tourism industry, especially due to the overflow of activity and the exploitation of environments. In her work, Sheller (2021) pointed out that it is time to think about tourism beyond a profitable business opportunity, and to consider it an expensive social and natural option. Indeed, “determining the carrying capacity of ecosystems is a prerequisite for the success of tourism, social stability, economic prosperity and human well-being (Segrado Pavón et al. 2017, p. 8).
Although tourism has been projected as an opportunity to promote the economic growth of regions, research findings challenge this idea, and instead highlight the importance of the quality of political institutions and the tourism offer in this relationship. Countries with low government efficiency also have low tourism specialization and competitiveness, and must even face the additional costs generated by mass tourism due to pressure on local resources and infrastructure, such as water scarcity and the management of waste (Antonakakis et al. 2019).
Peterson (2020) highlighted that in the sustainable transformation process it is essential to strengthen institutions, overcome the prevailing political and market failures, and involve the private sector and communities to strengthen their resilience capacities. For their part, Santos-Lacueva et al. (2017) found that there is a “close relationship between public policies and vulnerability of destinations” (p. 14). They added that the weakness of regulatory frameworks, the disconnection between tourism policies and climate change, and the disarticulation of the public and private sectors, constitute obstacles to confronting climate change.
At the regional level, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean pointed out that resilience and adaptive capacity must be reinforced and aligned with development objectives and practices, also considering that, when viewed as an investment, they have a multiplying influence on the economy, reducing the negative consequences of climate change and contributing to closing gaps in their countries (Bárcena et al. 2020).
Nunn and Kumar (2017) warned that “adaptation failure is a key factor in sustaining, even amplifying, perceptions of island vulnerability” (p. 16). However, “there are numerous barriers to adaptation that affect SIDS, including the need for institutional good governance, climate information, finance, and effective monitoring and evaluation of adaptation efforts” (Thomas et al. 2020, p. 20). “Adaptation action should be guided by each country’s unique characteristics and informed by citizen science or run the risk of maladaptation” (Mycoo 2018, p. 2351). Therefore, “fostering 21st century resilience of Caribbean SITEs requires building innovation and institutional capabilities to anticipate shocks, to adapt and learn, and bounce forward toward new paths of development” (Peterson and DiPietro 2021, p. 18).
In this scenario, valuing the knowledge and perception of individuals in a society about climate change is decisive (Corona 2018). For decision-makers, this type of study supports the orientation of strategies and political actions, with there currently being a need for work on adaptation and mitigation processes, in order to favor the involvement of actors (Miranda Vera et al. 2019). It is especially important to recognize that, among the inhabitants of the SIDS, there are those who have knowledge about climate change but not with great precision, while there are others for whom the issue is distant and out of their control, waiting for governments to assume responsibility for addressing the issue (Thomas et al. 2020). Likewise, in the implementation of adaptation measures, it is necessary to understand the risks that climate change represents for companies and destinations from their own perspective (Pandy and Rogerson 2018).
Among the results of the research by González et al. (2019), it draws attention that there are planning instruments that continue to project tourism as an activity with the capacity for growth, and even more so than companies in the sector, far from considering this situation, and the high consumption of natural resources associated with it, as one of the most important issues on which adaptation measures must be established, with strategies to reduce energy consumption among the most important solutions.
As part of sustainable tourism policy and local governance schemes, Caribbean authorities must collect and analyze socioeconomic and environmental data of their territories, in order to monitor the risks and negative externalities of uncontrolled tourism growth and to adopt measures balanced on such impacts (Peterson and DiPietro 2021).
3 Contextual Framework
This study is carried out in the archipelago, declared the Seaflower Biosphere Reserve (BR) by UNESCO in 2000. The archipelago is located at the jurisdictional end of Colombia in the Central—Western Caribbean Sea. It has an area of approximately 180,000 km2, of which only 57 km2 correspond to the emerged surface. 99.97% of the territory is eminently oceanic. It has 78% of the country’s corals and is the second reef system in the Western Hemisphere. The Seaflower BR has important ecosystems of tropical dry forest, mangroves, seagrasses, and coral sand beaches, in addition to a great diversity of fauna and flora species, offering extensive ecosystem services (CORALINA-INVEMAR 2012). According to the political-administrative division of the country, the archipelago is made up of two municipalities; the municipality of San Andrés and the municipality of Providencia and Santa Catalina.
3.1 Economic Trajectory of the Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina
In 1953, the national government of General Rojas Pinilla declared the archipelago a free port, while the rest of the Colombian territory moved towards the implementation of an import substitution industrialization model. This exclusive concession for the islands, which allowed the receipt of foreign goods without paying tariffs, set up a new dynamic for the local economy.
Quickly, in addition to the insular agricultural activity that for centuries had in its first lines with export products derived mainly from the cultivation of cotton and coconut, commerce made its way, revolutionizing not only the business context, but also, in its entirety, regional development in a geographic space inhabited and managed by natives.
According to the census population records of the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE) shown in Fig. 1, in 1951, only on the island of San Andrés, capital of the archipelago, there were 3,705 people. By 1964, this number increased by 289% with 14,414 citizens.
A multiline graph of the population census versus years. Values are approximate. 2 lines for San Andres and total archipelago increase from (1912, 3000) and (1912, 4000) to (2018, 55000) and (2018, 62000), respectively. A line for Providencia increases from (1912, 2000) to (2018, 5000).
Fig. 1
Census population. Archipelago Department of San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina 1912–2018.
Source National Administrative Department of Statistics, DANE. Note * Coverage-adjusted population
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The demographic explosion of San Andrés was influenced by the opportunity represented by the nascent economic project. Colombians and foreigners from different regions settled on the island to open warehouses, engage in the trade of goods or find a promising job in the territory. The deployment of this commitment required the acquisition of real estate, land, and infrastructure, such as the airport and a ring road.
Private investment efforts were stimulated by Law 127 of 1959, which in its Article 12 decreed “to exempt hotels, restaurants, buildings from the payment of income and complementary taxes, for a period of ten years of apartments and industries that are established or will be established in the territory of San Andrés and Providencia”.
In the adaptation of the island region for this purpose, construction works and urbanization processes were carried out for housing and productive purposes without sustainable planning, care was not taken in at risk or conservation areas, causing alterations in the natural heritage and consequences that still constitute a challenge for the development of the archipelago today.
At the beginning of the 1990s, Colombia rethought its protectionist scheme and made the transition towards economic openness. The preferential commercial conditions that the islands boasted were no longer attractive in the captive markets and the sector began to lose share in the departmental Gross Domestic Product (GDP). However, thanks to the fact that trade encouraged the mobilization of visitors to the islands and tourism capacities were established, the productive transformation of the archipelago was projected on this other industry, declared by Law 300 of 1996 as “essential for the development of the country and especially for the different territorial entities”. Since 1999, the line of hotels, restaurants, bars, and the like has managed to position itself as the main economic activity of the island territory, as shown in Fig. 2.
A multiline graph of the percentage share versus years. Values are approximate. A line for commercial activities fluctuates from (1990, 30), through (1992, 46), (1997, 24), to (2016, 15). The line for hotels, restaurants, bars, and similar increases with fluctuation from (1990, 5) to (2016, 25).
Fig. 2
Percentage share of commercial activities and hotels, restaurants, bars, and the like within the departmental GDP 1990–2016.
Source National Administrative Department of Statistics, DANE. National accounts
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Otherwise, as presented in Table 1, the local economy is not very diverse and has low profitability in other sectors. Historically, the production of goods and services in the department has been determined by one or certain activities that are used until they are exhausted, taking into account that, from a business perspective, there is no commitment, in a more ambitious way, to the addition of value, nor the development of competitive advantages.
Table 1
Gross domestic product—base 2015, according to economic activity. Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina. Stake (%)
Economic activities
2021pr
Agriculture, livestock, hunting, forestry, and fishing
1.4
Exploitation of mines and quarries
0.1
Manufacturing industries
1.2
Supply of electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning; water distribution; evacuation and treatment of wastewater, waste management and environmental sanitation activities
2.1
Building
2.2
Wholesale and retail; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles; transportation and storage; accommodation and food services
57.9
Information and communications
1.1
Financial and insurance activities
2.9
Real estate activities
4.3
Professional, scientific and technical activities; administrative and support service activities
3.4
Public administration and defense; compulsory social security plans; education; activities of human health care and social services
15.5
Artistic, entertainment, and recreation activities and other service activities; activities of individual households as employers; undifferentiated activities of individual households as producers of goods and services for their own use
0.7
Gross value added
92.8
Taxes
7.2
Departmental GDP
100.0
Source National Administrative Department of Statistics, DANE. National accounts
Notepr Preliminary
3.2 Characterization of the Tourism Sector in the Archipelago Department of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina
The tourist potential of the islands has been developed due to their comparative advantages. The natural resources and landscapes of the island territory have been capitalized to boost the productive sector. The image of the destination in the national and international markets was forged around the sun and beach product, and has been complemented with emerging offers in adventure tourism, ecotourism, and cultural tourism. Since 2006, with a couple of exceptions—among them, the COVID-19 pandemic—, the number of tourists who visit San Andrés has registered exponential growth, breaking the barrier of one million travelers three times in recent years, according to statistical information from James Cruz (2013) and the department’s Secretary of Tourism, as shown in Fig. 3.
A line graph of the total number of tourists versus years. Values are approximate. A line increases with fluctuations from (1960, 5000), through (2018, 1100000), drops to (2020, 320000), and ends at (2021, 1090000).
Fig. 3
Total number of tourists arriving annually on the island of San Andrés 1960–2021.
Source James Cruz (2013) (Data 1960–2011)—Departmental Tourism Secretariat (Data 2012–2021)
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This dynamic has been influenced by the purposes of sectoral planning and policy defined at the national level that, combined with territorial action, focused especially on tourism promotion, management for the increase in air routes to the archipelago and the expansion of local accommodation capacity.
Likewise, towards the last decade, the business models of low-cost airlines and tourist inns contributed to the increase in passenger mobilization, providing greater accessibility to market segments than in other fare conditions or travel expense preferences, for people who would possibly not visit the territory otherwise.
Tourism ceased to be the exclusive domain of the businessmen who until then belonged to the sector. Entrepreneurs, self-employed workers, and citizens in general from the department began to get involved in the activity, attracted by the economic benefit of the booming industry. As presented in Table 2, the National Tourism Registry (RNT with its Spanish initials) includes 1,689 tourism service providers in the archipelago; 89% of them are located in San Andrés, and the remaining 11% in Providencia and Santa Catalina.
Table 2
Tourist service providers, aggregated by RNT category. Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina 2022
RNT categories aggregates
San Andrés
Providencia and Santa Catalina
Total Archipelago
Responsive operators
260
32
292
Car rental companies
64
6
70
Bars and gastronomy esta-blishments
79
28
107
Accommodation
1108
112
1220
Total
1.511
178
1.689
Source Own elaboration based on information from the Chamber of Commerce of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina (2022)
72% of the region’s total service offering is made up of accommodation of different denominations, currently led by the category of tourist housing (69%) where apartments, rural accommodation, and other types of housing are found. In order, the traditional segment of accommodation establishments follows (27%) with options of hostels, apart-hotels, camps, holiday centers, hostels, and hotels. With a smaller participation, there is another type of non-permanent accommodation (4%).
As shown in Fig. 4, the occupancy of the accommodations in the archipelago has been characterized by being in first place at the national level. In 2019, the national monthly average percentage was 48.8% while in the island territory, it was 73.2%. In 2021, the recovery figures due to the pandemic were 40.6% and 62.8%, respectively. Regarding the origin of the hosted visitors, in the national case, in 2019 domestic tourism accounted for 69.4% and foreign tourists accounted for 30.6%. For the archipelago, the distribution was 70.2% and 29.8% respectively. In 2021, the regional performance (85.5% and 14.2%) was similar to the national trend (84.5% and 15.5%).
A multiline graph of the percentage versus monthly accommodation occupancy. 2 lines fluctuate, drop, and then increase with fluctuations.
Fig. 4
Monthly accommodation occupancy. National total and total for the Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina, January 2019–May 2022 (%). Source National Administrative Department of Statistics, DANE. Monthly accommodation survey
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For the departmental government, tourism activity has also acquired relevance in budgetary matters. Through Decree 2762 of 1991 and Law 47 of 1993, the collection of a tax called a tourism card was authorized for national and foreign citizens who enter the islands as visitors. As shown in Fig. 5, starting in 2002, the money generated became the main source of income for the island territory. In 2021, the money raised by this tourist card reached a 41% share of current income.
A multiline graph of the income versus years. Values are approximate. 3 lines slightly increase with fluctuations between 0 and 20000 on the y axis. A line for tourist card increases with fluctuations from (1993, 3000) to (2021, 120000).
Fig. 5
Main income of the Government of the Archipelago Department of San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina 1993–2021.
Source Government of the Archipelago Department of San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina (2022) Note Millions of pesos
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3.3 Other Vulnerability and Risk Factors in the Archipelago Department of San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina
Economic development has favored the high population density in the archipelago, especially in San Andrés. For 2022, according to DANE population projection figures, 2,178.41 inhabitants/km2 were calculated, in contrast to Providencia and Santa Catalina where the index is located at 356.17 inhabitants/km2. Between its own citizens and the tourists received annually—which represent 19 times the population of the territory—considerable pressure is exerted on the region’s resources.
“Water scarcity is one of the main environmental challenges facing the Seaflower Biosphere Reserve” (Guerrero Jiménez 2020, p. 127). In the past, the community has solved this problem through the collection of rainwater that is stored in cisterns or the exploitation of aquifers through a domestic pumping system to extract the liquid. Both practices are dependent on climatic variability (Guerrero Jiménez 2020).
According to the Quality of Life Survey (ECV) 2021, carried out by the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE), 47% of island households live in rented accommodation, they have low coverage of aqueduct services (37.4%) and sewage (27.5%) and assume a higher average monthly expense than the rest of the country, especially in the groups of accommodation, water, electricity, gas and other fuels, and food and non-alcoholic beverages. Since 2018, unemployment on the islands has been increasing, registering the highest rate in 2021 with 13.95%. For its part, labor informality is part of the deprivations faced by 60.3% of families.
4 Methodology
This research is approached from a quantitative approach, considering the intention of this type of study, which seeks to explain, verify, or confirm and predict phenomena, as well as accurately establish behavioral patterns of a population or situation.
The scope of the work is descriptive, adopted to specify the properties, characteristics, and profiles of people, groups, communities, processes, objects, or any other phenomenon that is subjected to analysis, through measurement or data collection that report information on various concepts, variables, aspects, dimensions or components of the phenomenon or problem to be investigated (Hernández and Mendoza 2018).
To develop the objectives of this work, a survey was designed and applied, facilitating access to the required information. The instrument was organized into five components; identification of the business, knowledge about climate change, perception of vulnerability to climate change, capacities of tourism service providers to face climate change, and a free space to write down comments, observations, and reflections.
The population under analysis is made up of tourism service providers, defined as natural or legal persons that usually provide, mediate, or contract directly or indirectly with the tourist, the provision of the services referred to in Article 2.2. 4.1.1.13 of Decree 1836 of 2021. These have the obligation to be registered in the National Tourism Registry to carry out operations in Colombia and must update it annually (Law 300 of 1996). The platform operated by the country’s Chambers of Commerce is a mechanism to identify and regulate tourism service providers, as well as to maintain an updated information system for the industry. In the case of the archipelago, according to the information provided by the Chamber of Commerce of San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina, a total of 1,689 active tourist service providers were found as of June 8, 2022.
The sample size calculation was performed using the formula for finite populations. In the operation, a confidence level of 95% and a margin of error of 5.58% was determined. Subsequently, using a simple random technique in Excel, the 262 establishments that should be included in the sample were selected. An online form was used to collect data. The survey link was sent by email to the legal representatives of the businesses that made up the sample.
To analyze the information collected, the data was imported into an Excel file, where the review and preparation of results was carried out.
5 Results
According to the calculated sample size, 262 tourism service providers from the island territory responded to the survey. As a result of probabilistic sampling, 63% of the businesses consulted are located on the island of San Andrés and the remaining 37% in Providencia and Santa Catalina. The research findings will be presented in a general way for the archipelago in the event that the responses obtained are not far from the average, or in a particular way, if they differ between the islands.
When consulting the tourism service providers of the archipelago regarding their knowledge about climate change, it was found that, in the municipality of Providencia and Santa Catalina, they are better informed about the concept and the actions that can be implemented, as shown in Fig. 6. For its part, in San Andrés, a large number of subjects were identified who do not know the topic, who have heard it but are not sure what it is or know what it is, but are not clear about the means to deal with it.
A double bar graph of the percentage versus service providers' tourism knowledge. The highest data for locations San Andres and Providencia y Santa Catalina is 53.9% and 82.5%, respectively, for I know the concept and also the measures that I can implement in my company.
Fig. 6
Knowledge of the tourism service providers of Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina about climate change.
Source Self-made
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In relation to the quality of information provided by local authorities in the different media and/or social networks about the impacts of climate change on the tourism industry, the majority of respondents (51.5%) expressed that there is little or not at all suitable. 18.7% classified it as very adequate or adequate, while 29.8% rated it as moderately adequate.
Introduced to the topic, 90.5% of the tourism service providers recognized that climate change is impacting and will impact the archipelago, as shown in Fig. 7. Particularly, when asked if they believed that tourism activities would be affected by this issue, 95% of the responses were affirmative. When asked to indicate which of a set of related consequences they would consider to have the greatest impact on the development of tourist activities in the archipelago, in order, 61.1% indicated that hydro-meteorological phenomena (cold fronts, storms, intense rains, hurricanes, etc.), 24% beach erosion, 7.6% sea level rise, and 7.3% water shortages.
A horizontal bar graph of climate change perceptions versus percentages. The highest and lowest data are 46.2% and 0.8% for it is making impacts in the present and it will not cause impact, respectively.
Fig. 7
Perception of the current or future impacts of climate change in the Archipelago Department of San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina.
Source Self-made
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Addressing the issue from the development of their own business activity, the findings vary in contrast to the perception that tourism service providers have of the impacts of climate change on the archipelago and the tourism sector. As shown in Fig. 8, the overall proportion of those who responded that they are not currently being affected by climate change decreases, especially in Providencia and Santa Catalina, and those who considered that they will be affected in the future increases.
A double bar graph of the percentage versus perceptions of climate change impacts. The highest data in the format, perception, and percentage is as follows. San Andres. Currently, my business is being affected, 42.4%. Providencia y Santa Catalina. It is not affecting now, but it will affect my business in future, 42.3%.
Fig. 8
Perception of the current or future impacts of climate change on the activities of tourism service providers in the Archipelago Department of San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina.
Source Self-made
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61.1% of tourism service providers stated that they had estimated the risks that their businesses would face due to the effects of climate change in the island territory. Based on their response, this group was specifically asked about the main threat to which they consider their businesses are most exposed. The results were different for the two municipalities. In the case of San Andrés, the first three threats identified were a decrease in demand for the tourist destination (26.6%), floods (18.1%), and vulnerability of its physical infrastructure due to not being adapted to adverse weather events (12.8%). In Providencia and Santa Catalina, flooding (29.2%), coastal erosion (20%), and vulnerability of its physical infrastructure due to not being adapted to adverse weather events (15.4%).
90% of those surveyed expressed that they had considered that their business investment could be affected by the effects of climate change. In San Andrés, 44.2% of tourism service providers mentioned that their businesses are located or carry out activities in an area vulnerable to the risks of climate change, 33.9% said that they did not have this risk and the remaining 21.8% indicated that they did not know. In Providencia and Santa Catalina, on the other hand, 77.3% stated that they do not face this problem, while 20.6% said they do and 2.1% indicated that they did not know. Likewise, when asked if businesses have infrastructure adapted to face adverse weather events, in San Andrés 40% answered yes and 60% said no. In Providencia and Santa Catalina, the trend was reversed, 69.1% said yes and 30.9% said no.
Regarding the main challenge that tourism service providers have identified in their businesses to move towards mitigation and adaptation to climate change, among the most relevant issues was that 26.7% attributed the situation to a lack of knowledge of projects in which the company can participate, 25.6% due to the high costs to implement a measure and 18.7% due to lack of knowledge to implement a measure.
96.9% of the tourism companies studied reported that they have not measured their carbon footprint. Regarding whether they have implemented actions that directly or indirectly reduce the adverse effects of climate change, 52.1% of tourism service providers in San Andrés noted yes, while in Providencia and Santa Catalina those who made this statement represented 33%. In these groups, it is highlighted that, for the first municipality, 59.5% indicated that the main measures adopted were related to good operational practices in environmental and energy management, while 27.4% with actions to optimize water consumption. For the second municipality, in the case of these same measures, the proportions are 37.5% and 40.6% respectively. For their part, only 22.1% of the units analyzed in the archipelago claimed to have environmental quality certification (ISO 14001).
At the end of the survey, a list of five considerations was shared with the tourism service providers so that, according to the importance they deserved, they could select one, taking into account the vulnerability of the island territory due to the adverse effects of climate change. According to what is shown in Fig. 9, it is striking that while in San Andrés, 64.8% of tourism businesses stated that they would implement adaptation/mitigation actions, in Providencia and Santa Catalina 55.7% said that they would continue to develop their business activity as before.
A horizontal bar graph of the business actions versus percentage. The highest data for San Andres is mitigation actions with a value of 64.8%. The highest data for Providencia y Santa Catalina is business activity as you have done up to now with a value of 55.7%.
Fig. 9
Business actions against the vulnerability of the Archipelago Department of San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina due to climate change.
Source Self-made
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6 Discussion
The present study provides a vision of the knowledge, perception of vulnerability, and capabilities of tourism service providers in the Archipelago Department of San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina in relation to climate change. The results obtained reveal key challenges and opportunities.
One of the most notable findings of this document is the knowledge gap about climate change between tourism service providers in San Andrés and those in Providencia and Santa Catalina. While in the latter municipality, there is a higher level of knowledge on the subject, in San Andrés there is a significant segment that has a limited understanding of climate change. This lack of understanding can hinder the implementation of a culture of adaptation and mitigation to climate change in the sector.
It was also found that there is a high perception that climate change is already affecting and will continue to affect the archipelago, particularly due to hydrometeorological phenomena, identified as the main threat to the development of tourist activities. This suggests that the vulnerability of businesses to extreme climate events is recognized and highlights the importance of deploying specific strategies for tourism in this area.
In terms of infrastructure adaptation, the results show notable differences between the islands. In San Andrés, the majority of tourism service providers expressed that they lack such infrastructure. In Providencia and Santa Catalina, a significant group reported that they had it. This may be related to the lessons learned and the interventions that were carried out to rebuild the municipality after Hurricane Iota. However, it is essential that the measures established on this issue are supported by a solid regulatory framework and tourism planning that integrates sustainability and climate resilience.
The lack of concrete action on climate change mitigation and adaptation is another concern that requires attention. A gap was detected between the perception of risk and the effective action of tourism service providers. The lack of knowledge of projects where companies can participate and the costs associated with the implementation of some measures are obstacles that must be addressed to encourage greater mobilization of the industry.
The absence of environmental quality certification (ISO 14001) in the majority of the companies surveyed is an aspect of considerable improvement. Environmental certification can help companies manage their environmental impacts and implement more sustainable practices.
Considering the vulnerability of the island territory due to the adverse effects of climate change, it is important that tourism service providers in the archipelago are prepared to take measures to improve the resilience of their operations. The willingness of some businesses in Providencia and Santa Catalina to continue developing their activities as of now could be a sign of confidence in their ability to face climate challenges, which requires continuous monitoring and support to guarantee that these actions are sustainable in a changing environment.
7 Conclusions
This study highlights the importance of proactively addressing climate change in the tourism sector of the Archipelago Department of San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina. The results indicate that, although there is widespread awareness of the impacts of climate change, there are variations in knowledge and capabilities across islands.
Developing education programs and investments in climate resilience will be fundamental elements to guarantee that the island territory is consolidated as an attractive and sustainable tourist destination.
Collaboration between the public sector, the private sector, and civil society is essential to address these challenges effectively and guarantee a prosperous future for the tourism industry in the archipelago.
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