The coastal territory segregated due to the tourism boom and banana plantations around Tayrona Park, Santa Marta, Colombia

Abstract

Water resources such as rivers, lakes, springs, and aquifers have played a crucial role from the earliest human settlements to modern tourism activities, including the beaches of Cancún and the lakes of Atitlán and Chapada Diamantina, which have boosted local economies. However, mass tourism has caused coastal erosion, sediment compaction, waste accumulation, and ecological disruptions, exacerbated by a lack of infrastructure and adequate regulation. This research compared records from Colombia and Mexico to analyze the effects of tourism and intensive agriculture on surface water bodies, considering variables such as water seasonality, topography, and soil characteristics. It also recovered cultural memory through toponymy and soil analysis, revealing connections to ancestral traditions and historical processes of dispossession, particularly along the coast of Santa Marta. In the Colombian Caribbean, the expansion of tourism has led to biodiversity loss, poor waste management, overexploitation of water resources, pressure on protected areas, and social impacts such as inflation, informal employment, beach privatization, and the displacement of traditional practices. These findings highlight the need to establish inclusive, responsible, and sustainable tourism policies that engage local communities. The applied survey revealed negative impacts such as biodiversity loss, erosion, water scarcity, and social conflicts, emphasizing the urgency for environmental regulation and participatory governance. In contrast, the positive impacts included job creation, infrastructure improvement, strengthening of the local economy, cultural and environmental appreciation, social development, and greater territorial projection.