Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Tourism Management Perspectives journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/tmp Quality and sustainability of tourism development in Copper Canyon, Mexico: Perceptions of community stakeholders and visitors Manuel Ramón González Herrera a,1 , Vinod Sasidharan b, ⁎ ,2 , Julian Alberto Álvarez Hernández a,1 , Luis Daniel Azpeitia Herrera a,1 a School of Tourism and Research Group of Sustainable Tourism Management, Autonomous University of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico b School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, San Diego State University, USA ARTICLE INFO Keywords: Tourism development Local communities Visitors Quality Sustainability Engagement Copper Canyon Adventure Park ABSTRACT The assessment of tourism development, based on the perspectives and opinions obtained from hosts and visitors could be considered as a basic requirement for the participatory management of destination sustainability. The general objective of this research is to study the contrasted perceptions of tourism development in Copper Canyon Park, according to the opinions of hosts and visitors, with the purpose of evaluating the perceived quality and sustainability of the destination within the context of an implanted territorial tourism development model. In this study, a characterization of the tourism development of Copper Canyon Park was conducted, local public opinion relating to the implanted tourism development model was studied, and perceptions of visitors regarding the destination were analyzed. Utilizing this methodology allowed the identification of compatibilities and incompatibilities, relating to the convergence between the community's perceptions, the visitors' experi- ences, and the characteristics of the receiving environment. 1. Introduction The assessment of tourism development, based on the perspectives and opinions obtained from hosts and visitors could be considered as a basic requirement for the participatory management of destination sustainability (Clausen & Gyimóthy, 2016; Grybovych, 2012). Such assessment is needed to determine sustainable development outcomes when the interests of different parties are juxtaposed within a given space-time dimension of a tourist destination, particularly when the expectations of tourists and local community and characteristics of the destination's natural and/or cultural environment do not coincide (Crosby, 2015; Wang, Zhou, Lee, & King, 2014). Under this con- ceptualization, the synergies and divergences between social actors could greatly influence the sustainability of the destination. Hence, it is of utmost importance for destination planners to manage the con- vergence of interests and expectations of stakeholders (Silva, Agapito, & Pinto, 2017) in a manner that yields positive memorable experiences for both visitors and hosts, and creates advantageous destination pro- ductivity, sustainability, competitiveness, and profitability outcomes (Crosby, 2015). In order to achieve cooperation between the main stakeholders of the destination, it is essential to address their respective interests and expectations (Bhat & Gaur, 2012; Byrd, 2007; Peric & Djurkin, 2014), based on which models of sustainable tourism devel- opment that provide more opportunities for synergies versus in- compatibilities (Crosby, 2015) can be created and promoted. With relevance to the social dimension of sustainability, it is im- portant to examine the multiple and diverse interactions taking place between hosts and visitors for the purpose of minimizing adverse im- pacts and managing incompatibilities (González & Palafox, 2014; Yu, Cole, & Chancellor, 2016) at the destination. Accordingly, it is neces- sary to understand the perceptions of both participants, i.e., hosts and visitors, regarding tourism development within the destination, as well as the vision of local business owners in order to know their points of view as well (Montaño, Núñez, & Pérez, 2016). Past studies have sys- tematically examined the relationship between hosts and guests at tourism destinations, deducing that residents' attitudes towards tourists and tourists' behaviors at a destination are directly influenced by the types of contacts and interactions taking place between the two groups as well as the emotional solidarity and social distance between the groups (Joo et al., 2018; Tasci, 2009; Woosnam, 2012; Yilmaz & Tasci, 2013). Destination models which systematically address and consider the opinions and preferences of local communities and visitors https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2018.05.003 Received 29 November 2017; Received in revised form 28 May 2018; Accepted 28 May 2018 ⁎ Corresponding author. 1 Av. Plutarco Elías Calles No. 1210, Fovissste Chamizal, Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, CP 32310, México. 2 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA 92182–4514, USA. E-mail addresses: manuel.gonzalez@uacj.mx (M.R.G. Herrera), vsasidha@sdsu.edu (V. Sasidharan), jualvare@uacj.mx (J.A.Á. Hernández), daniel.azpeitia@uacj.mx (L.D.A. Herrera). Tourism Management Perspectives 27 (2018) 91–103 2211-9736/ Published by Elsevier Ltd. T