Logo_Service & Tourism: Current Challenges_eng

Spatial Organization of Tourism and Hospitality

Vol. 20 No. 3 (2026)

ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTERS AND TOURISM DECLINE: LESSONS FOR LATIN AMERICA

DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22412/2414-9063-2026-20-3-137-144
Submitted
September 1, 2026
Published
August 31, 2026

Abstract

Latin America remains one of the world’s leading naturebased tourism destinations, generating billions of dollars annually for regional economies. However, the increasing frequency of environmental disasters – ​Amazon rainforest fires, oil spills off the Brazilian coast, plastic pollution on beaches, and the escalating water crisis – ​is undermining the attractiveness of resorts and ecotrails. This article analyses the main types of environmental disasters and their direct and indirect impacts on various tourism segments (beach, ecotourism, ski, urban). Special attention is paid to recent case studies: the 2019–2020 Amazon basin fires, the 2019 oil spill in Brazil, and the degradation of Caribbean coral reefs. It is shown that the deterioration of natural resources leads to beach closures, tourist cancellations, job losses in the tourism industry, and increased social tensions. Based on the analysis, adaptation measures are formulated: promoting sustainable tourism, ecocertification of hotels, water reuse technologies, and international cooperation under the Paris Agreement. The material may be useful for specialists in tourism, regional development, and environmental protection.

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