SUSTAINABLE TOURISM AND HYDROELECTRIC PROJECTS: CONTRADICTIONS IN ... 397 Cuadernos de Turismo, 34, (2014), 397-400 Cuadernos de Turismo, nº 34, (2014); pp. 397-400 Universidad de Murcia ISSN: 1139-7861 SUSTAINABLE TOURISM AND HYDROELECTRIC PROJECTS: CONTRADICTIONS IN PATAGONIA, CHILE Gabriel Inostroza Gemma Cànoves Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona gabrielinostroza.villanueva@gmail.com, gemma.canoves@uab.es Chile and Argentina share the vast territory of Patagonia, at the southern tip of the American continents. Among many other attributes, Patagonia has high environmental quality due to its large quantity of freshwater resources in ice fields (numerous glaciers), lakes, rivers, fjords and canals, all of which result from past glacial activity. Patagonia is positioned in the social imaginary as an emerging tourist destination associated with a majestic expanse of unexplored landscapes. These qualities give Patagonia enormous potential for developing nature and adventure tourism, ecotourism, rural tourism and scientific tourism. Nonetheless, these modalities may undergo profound changes with the implementation of major hydroelectric projects in the Aysén region (Chile), which if they proceed would damage the image of this territory as a area pristine, remote and unexplored natural area. What will happen to emerging tourist destinations such as Patagonia, which have placed their bets on various types of nature-based tourism, such as ecotourism, if projects are carried out that involve major human intervention in the natural environment? This article takes into account the risks associated with the development of Chilean Patagonia as a natural tourist space if other economic activities are implemented that use the same natural resources as the tourism initiative (e.g., the rivers) and impact other tourist attractions in the region, such as the «carretera Austral» (Southern Highway), a scenic part of the Pan-American Highway that constitutes the main land route for transportation in the Aysén region. The hypothesis is that the prospect of sustainable tourism in Chilean Patagonia is diminished by the probable implementation of large hydroelectric plants in that territory, which would damage the pristine natural image of Patagonia and weaken its competitiveness as a tourist destination. The analytical framework is based on the geography of tourism, a field that integrates social and environmental aspects and conceives of tourism first and foremost as a territorial phenomenon carried out in particular «places» (Vera et al., 2011). The research methods used are qualitative, based on a dialectical analysis of two points of view: the positive and negative impacts of the major Aysén hydroelectric project. Technical documents related