Collaborative capacity building as a resilience strategy for tourism development in indigenous Mexico

This chapter explores the possibilities of adaptive capacity building as an alternative strategic tool for building resilience in Indigenous tourism. Following an orthodox approach to development, public tourism initiatives in Mexico have promoted the homogenization of destinations and capabilities. Through a collaborative research process with four Lacandon companies in the rainforest of Mexico, this chapter presents a tourism collaborative capacity building (TCCB) approach as an instrument for training Indigenous entrepreneurs and local staff in remote rural areas. TCCB is based on knowledge dialogue and integration, built on pre-existing capabilities, and fosters innovation through co-creation and the use of creative tools.