Blue Spaces of the State Reserve Chetumal Bay Manatee Sanctuary as an Incentive for Proximity Tourism

The general objective of this study is to assess the blue spaces of the State Reserve Chetumal Bay Manatee Sanctuary as an incentive for proximity tourism in southern Mexico. The applied methodology involved evaluating blue spaces across four dimensions through a participatory workshop with key stakeholders, which included a co-creation process using mind maps and design thinking in the phases of empathy, definition, ideation, prototyping, and testing, as well as note-taking. Three areas encompassing representative blue spaces were identified: Chetumal-Calderitas, Calderas Barlovento-Isla Dos Hermanos, and Laguna Guerrero. Based on the assessment of these blue spaces, low-impact tourism products can be designed to maximize resources through proximity tourism.