Online Collaborative Information System for Strengthening Tourism Capacities in Local Communities of the Sacred Lake, Puno–Peru, 2025

Abstract

This research evaluates the impact of the Online Collaborative Information System for strengthening tourism capacities in the local communities of the Sacred Lake, southern Puno–Peru. Using a predictive quantitative research approach, conditional relationships between sociodemographic variables are modeled based on a causality analysis with graphical and probabilistic representation, conditional probability tables, estimation of the Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) structure, and conditional independence tests and scores of Bayesian Networks (BN). A survey was conducted with 608 residents from the rural communities of Luquina, Titilaca, Socca, and Thunuhuaya regarding the use of an Online Collaborative Information System to strengthen community-based rural tourism. The results show that the design of a probabilistic Bayesian network accurately describes conditional dependency interrelations among sociodemographic variables associated with the Collaborative Information System. The educational level variable directly influences tourism strengthening, with technological interaction—device use, software applications, internet access, and social networks—acting as key elements for supporting service quality and equitable distribution of benefits among community members. The study provides empirical evidence on the role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in Community-Based Rural Tourism (CBRT), generating inputs to guide public policies and intervention plans that promote local self-determination, equity, and cultural-environmental conservation in high Andean contexts.