Waterfalls: Characterization and Importance in Nature Tourism

Waterfalls are jumps of water that occur when there is a difference in level or geological fault and by the action of gravity the masses of water flowing smoothly rush directly to the ground nearby. Its importance in ecosystems lies in the balance it provides, being a source of oxygenation in water bodies and contributing as a natural barrier for sources of biodiversity and species refuge. In addition to their ecological function, it is important to highlight their value as a resource in the scenic beauty of a landscape and their contribution to nature tourism. Historically, the importance of waterfalls in tourism has been studied insipidly, and the few studies only describe their use and its increase over time. In this sense, the present study analyzes the main topics studied on the importance of waterfalls for tourism and describes the characteristics to be considered in evaluation and characterization processes. In order to respond to these objectives, two methodological techniques were used: a bibliographic review of the scientific literature in databases such as Scopus and Web of Science and exploratory fieldwork together with an expert judgment analysis that made it possible to determine the main characteristics of a waterfall. In the bibliographic review process, search parameters were used by applying a combination of words (tourism, nature and waterfalls), obtaining a total of 46 documents, then these documents were subjected to a reading of the title and abstract, to finally work with 17 articles. In addition, a team of experts visited waterfalls in the bi-national Amazonian zone of Ecuador and Colombia to analyze the geomorphological characteristics, followed by a work table where the expert judgment technique was applied to determine the main characteristics. The results indicate that waterfalls have historically played an important role in nature tourism. On the other hand, five characteristics (height, width, flow, falls and slope), together with their personalized attributes, serve to characterize a waterfall. Finally, the results obtained in the characterization of a waterfall will contribute to future studies focused on the evaluation of the integral landscape of a waterfall and the construction of sustainable tools for nature tourism.