Tourism has been identified for its potential to generate development and well-being but also for causing negative impacts in different areas. The environmental sphere is one of them and has been recognized as critical by various investigations because it can affect the well-being of present and future generations by destroying tourist attractions and the income generated from them and environmental diversity. One of the first steps to minimize negative impacts and achieve sustainability is to have site-specific measurements. The city of San Gil is recognized as one of the most important adventure tourism destinations in Colombia. However, tourism in the region presents environmental challenges such as the absence of measurement mechanisms that serve as a basis for decision-making.
Thus, the present study aimed to propose a set of relevant environmental indicators for stakeholders, for a sustainable tourism activity in the municipality of San Gil, through the use of the Delphi method as a social validation tool.
La sostenibilidad del turismo depende en gran medida de mediciones que respondan a las características específicas de las regiones y necesidades de las partes interesa- das. A través del método Delphi, 13 expertos locales de diferentes grupos de interés, llegaron a un consenso acerca de los indicadores ambientales más relevantes para San Gil – Colombia, una ciudad de alto crecimiento turístico. Después de dos rondas, se seleccionaron 43 indicadores pertenecientes a 9 categorías.