Step 3 – Tactical Growth
The ROS – Recreation Opportunity Spectrum is a tool that classifies opportunities for tourism and recreation by measuring the degree of intervention across three attributes: Biophysical, Sociocultural, and Management. Based on these indicators, it defines five Classes of Experiences: Pristine, Natural, Semi-natural, Ruralized, and Urbanized.
By combining the vocation of the area with these classes, managers can design a gradient of opportunities, ranging from sites with maximum naturalness, minimal human presence, and very low visitation (Pristine class), to areas with extensive infrastructure, altered landscapes, high accessibility, and strong human interaction (Urbanized class).
Using ROS allows planners to shape the Ecotourism Program by defining:
- Zoning
- Classes of Experiences
- Environments
- Activities
- Infrastructure
- Services
- Regulations
This tactical step translates the strategic vision into concrete management choices, ensuring that ecotourism development is diversified, coherent, and aligned with conservation priorities and visitor expectations.
Success of Step 3 depends on having reliable baseline data and a clear strategic vision to guide tactical decisions. Stakeholder participation is crucial to define appropriate classes of experiences and ensure acceptance of zoning and regulations. Technical knowledge of the Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (ROS), combined with field assessments, helps adapt global standards to local contexts. Institutional support and long-term monitoring are also key to sustain implementation.
The key condition for Step 3 is understanding that the most important factor is the experience you want to provide. Zoning, infrastructure, activities, and services are all defined in relation to this. Success depends on engaging stakeholders to agree on desired experiences, applying the Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (ROS) with reliable data, and ensuring institutional support and monitoring so that experiences remain authentic, feasible, and sustainable.