Adventure sports events as a specialized tourism product: opportunities and prospects for tourism development in Baños de Agua Santa, Ecuador
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63688/stf5fd47Keywords:
sport tourism, adventure events, tourism product, sustainability, Baños de Agua SantaAbstract
Adventure sports events can diversify nature-based tourism destinations when integrated with tourism services, safety standards, and environmental management. This article aims to examine the opportunities and constraints associated with adventure sports events as a specialized tourism product in Baños de Agua Santa, Ecuador. A qualitative, descriptive and proposal-oriented documentary analysis was conducted using scholarly literature on sport event tourism, identifiable destination sources, and adventure tourism safety standards. Evidence was organized into dimensions concerning territorial resources, experience design, safe operations, local partnerships, sustainability and monitoring. The study presents a typology of potential event formats, a matrix of operational conditions and risks, and a framework of indicators for subsequent implementation. Sources support the existence of adventure-tourism activities and examples of mountain-running events in the destination, but do not provide sufficient evidence to quantify economic impacts or establish the feasibility of individual proposals. It is concluded that product development requires technical route assessments, institutional coordination, local business participation and monitoring of tourism, social and environmental outcomes. The resulting framework is intended to guide planning and evaluation without treating projected benefits as observed effects.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Freddy Leonardo Garaicoa Fuentes, Flor Estefania Peña Cayachi, Abel José Ramírez Ávila, Marian Leonela Gamarra Macias, Rosa María Pérez Meléndrez, Rosa Abigail Zambrano Campaña (Autor/a)
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