Potentialities of nature-based tourism in indigenous communities and in processes of social reconfiguration in Caquetá

Abstract

This article presents the results of a study aimed at identifying and characterizing sites with potential for nature-based tourism in Indigenous communities and territories undergoing social reconfiguration in the Amazonian foothills of Caquetá, Colombia. A mixed-methods approach was adopted, integrating interpretive qualitative analysis with the construction of a Tourist Quality Index (TQI) based on scenic, environmental, physical infrastructure, and sociocultural criteria. Data collection involved participant observation and social cartography with community actors, complemented by a quantitative prioritization process using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The findings indicate that tourism potential is strongly influenced by environmental and sociocultural conditions, highlighting community-based tourism as a strategy to strengthen cultural identity, collective memory, and territorial conservation in post-conflict contexts. The study concludes that nature-based tourism, when managed through community and intercultural approaches, represents a viable alternative for sustainable development and social reconstruction in Caquetá.