Abstract

This work addresses the issue of tourism development in remote territories by analyzing the contribution of Scientific Tourism as innovative model for sustainable tourism. Scientific Tourism appears as to be a favorable tool to support group dynamics in specific areas. In the new global context of tourism, Scientific Tourism emerges as a relevant way to rethink the implementation of tourism in Chilean Patagonia. We define scientific tourism in its four forms prior to reviewing how from a socio-cultural and historical perspective the creation of adventures, explorations and scientific studies can mobilize stakeholders and tourism entrepreneurs to formulate a coherent territorial project. The model implemented in Aysén is described, including the generation of a network of organizations, the formulation of action plans via pilot projects headed by local actors; the strengthening of coordinating entities for local economical development, and marketing platforms of Scientific products. We show that by linking academic and scientific with local entrepreneurs and the community as a whole, we can generate achieve successful local environmentally friendly tourism management. By uniting actors with environmental and social commitments, the Scientific Tourism in Aysén promotes tourism business dynamics that ensure the appraisal and preservation of local heritage for the creation of a relevant tourism destination.