Abstract

In the context of a tourism crisis in the north, a globalized economy and an increase of mobility, a change in the forms of tourism development seems to occur in peripheral areas. In some tourism areas and due to conflicts over the use of natural resources, alternative recreational practices arise that combine economic needs and socio-environmental concerns. Our article analyzes the appearance of scientific tourism in the "non-tourist" region of Aysén, in Chilean Patagonia. Actors of a territory unite according to specific cultural poles and thematic axes through experiential research and innovative scientific mediation pilot projects. On this pioneer front, an informal network of stakeholders coordinates its actions to address the social and environmental issues of their territory. Operators and service providers for scientific tourism create an innovative offer in a participatory process. An alternative tourism system, focused on protecting the environment, the culture and social dynamics of the host community, promotes the acquisition and sharing of knowledge between scientists, local actors and visitors. Is scientific tourism part of a global evolution of tourism practices? By proposing to go beyond established boundaries, of recreational activities and work, everyday places and leisure areas, it appears as the expression of an “After-Tourism”. The hybridization of practices, a scientific approach associated with the spirit of the discovery inherent of the travel experience, seems to respond to the challenges of the community confronted to the rise of a globalized tourism. While tourism has always been thought of in terms of transfer of skills, models and engineering from the North to the South, a periphery offers new frameworks of thought, action and participation that renew the meaning of travel.