Impacts and opportunities of alternative tourism in the Sonora, Arizona and New Mexico region during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

The coronavirus pandemic has had an impact on the world economy, with the tourism sector being one of the most affected sectors, due to its fall in the number of foreign visitors, income, employment and entry of foreign currency to the country. The objective of this research is to study the global overview, with emphasis on the Sonora, Arizona and New Mexico region, as well as a possible tourist reactivation based on practices focused on ecological tourism. By reviewing the literature on the subject, it is concluded that it is necessary to support new complementary options to mass tourism such as ecotourism and alternative tourism that are based on mostly outdoor activities, which meet the specifications to be carried out with social distancing and prevention in the face of health contingency. In particular, it is proposed to promote avitourism or birdwatching tourism, a practice already established in the United States before the pandemic and that we consider has great potential as an alternative and complementary activity to traditional tourism.