Identifying Perceived Endogenous Barriers to Tourism Development: A Comparative Case in the Chilean Central Coast

The success of tourism is usually measured from flows of visitors. Nevertheless, evidence suggests that the rates of those flows may become for sun and sea tourism, both a blessing as well as a curse in terms of sustainability. For this particular reason, an explanation about the current growth conditions and future dynamics of tourist activity is necessary and crucial in relation to the sustainability of tourists flow. This article is based on the story of two nearby counties located in the Chilean coast of Maule Region: Constitucion and Licanten. This is a case of frustrated tourist development, one for the lack of and another one for the excess of tourists. The methodology of the study is based on a bibliographical and two stages market research: a qualitative exploratory study and a descriptive study, where main endogenous barriers for sustainable tourist development are identified. Here a comparative case study is reported, under similar initial conditions, but with contradicting results, and where the sustainability is compromised. Then the flow of visitors as a sole indicator can be ineffective for assessing a sustainable outcome of tourism.