Understanding Sustainable Tourism Development: A Multi-Stakeholder, Multi-Method Study Case of the Southern Mexico

This thesis examines the integration of Quality of Life (QoL), a key indicator of community needs and life satisfaction, within the context of tourism development in Southern Mexico. Tourism plays a critical role in this emerging market's economic growth and development, and the thesis aims to bridge the gap in sustainable tourism and collaboration literature, which has previously focused narrowly on visitors' motivations and residents' attitudes. The thesis provides a holistic integration of diverse stakeholder interactions-residents, visitors, businesses, government, and NGOs, exploring how tourism practices can enhance local QoL and promote comprehensive sustainability as well as economic development.
The study adopts a multi-method qualitative approach to evaluate sustainable tourism's impact on QoL. Data was gathered from netnography, analysing 5,440 online mentions from residents, visitors, businesses, and government accounts between March 2019 and November 2023, along with field notes in six Indigenous communities and interviews with 12 local experts. This period includes the COVID-19 pandemic, which exacerbated existing challenges in income, education, and services. Data was analysed using NVivo to identify key themes related to environmental, economic, and cultural dimensions of tourism.
Four themes emerged: eco-conscious living, local capacity prosperity, authentic cultural connections and health crisis (Pandemic COVID-19). These themes integrate QoL values, stakeholder motivations, and collaboration barriers, emphasising the role of NGOs as network facilitators. Effective governance is highlighted across the themes, particularly in discussions of accountability, safety, and participation.
The thesis contributes to co-creation literature by demonstrating how knowledge transfer and trust-building align QoL values in regions with systemic postcolonialism issues, promoting regenerative tourism practices. The study offers a comprehensive model for sustainable tourism that prioritises environmental stewardship and equitable benefits distribution, aiming to conserve and regenerate tourism destinations.