Ecotourism, Tourism, and Development in Mexico Essay

Tourism is one of the fastest growing and most heterogeneous industries in the world. It is vital to the survival of many Caribbean islands as it is the pillar of their economy because it provides a vast amount of employment opportunities for locals as well as constantly pumps foreign investment and expenditure into the region, among other benefits which will be highlighted. However, like most actions in life, there are pros and cons, tourism is no different. It is a very controversial topic because on one hand it helps sustain economies but, on another it negatively impacts on the natural environment and culture of the region. This leads to the big question that has been asked many times, “Is tourism worth it?” This essay seeks to answer

Tourism has always been apart of us in different ways, shapes, and forms. It has greatly evolved due to technology and transportation advances, which have made traveling efficient and quick and given us the proper resources to be prepared prior to “adventuring” away from home.

It also encourages civic involvement and pride from the people. The tourist industry helps to provide cultural exchanges between local people and tourists from around the globe. There is also the immense benefit from the encouragement of and preservation of the celebration of local festivals and cultural events that might otherwise be lost over time. The final benefit to the social aspect of Machu Picchu’s community is that the tourism industry helps to facilitate the infrastructure and facilities that are used by tourism (e.g. the railway) and in doing so, it can prove to also benefit the residents as well (e.g. transportation maintenance and support). (Barcelona Field Studies Centre S.L., Machu Picchu: Impact of Tourism)

Looking for a tropical location to take my family, we stumbled upon a gem of a city named Puerto Morelos, Mexico, in the Yucatan Peninsula near the larger city of Cancun. As my children are getting older, it is quite possible this will be one of the last trips we will be able to take as a family. Our friends happen to have a time-share property on Puerto Morelos that they allowed us to use. The city of Puerto Morelos has a typical Mayan history for the towns in the Yucatan Peninsula (Coyle, 2013); however, is not your typical tourist town. The town and seaport of Puerto Morelos may be one of the last remaining authentic fishing villages on the Caribbean coast of Mexico (Coyle, 2013). Sitting just off the shore, the Great Mesoamerican Reef is designated as a national park and offers exceptional diving and snorkeling (visitpuertomorelos.com, 2005). Unlike its larger more touristy neighbors Cancun and Playa del Carmen, Puerto Morelos is a place that someone looking for a quiet, peaceful, yet comfortable vacation spot will

Butler’s life cycle as defines by Butler (1980) “tourist destinations are not infinite and timeless but should be viewed and treated as finite and possibly non re-newable resources”.

When it comes to the topic of ecotourism, most of us will readily agree that it is a less harmful alternative to mass-tourism and that it promotes responsible and low-impact travel to areas where flora, fauna and cultural heritage are the primary drawing power. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of what the impact of ecotourism actually is and what its long-term consequences are. Whereas some are convinced that ecotourism provides the basis for sustainable development, particularly in places that suffer from exploitation and excessive resources’ usage, and that could only improve the general conditions of the local people, others maintain that we are still far from true ecotourism, for many are those in the

Over the last 60 years, tourism has benefited from continuous growth and diversification, becoming one of the largest as well as the fastest growing world’s economic sectors. Tourism becomes one of the major categories of global trade in services. Nowadays, 7% of global goods and services exports are contributed by international tourism, and for the last four years, it has grown faster than the general global trade.[ Exports from international tourism rise 4% in 2015, (2016, May 6). Retrieved from http://media.unwto.org/press-release/2016-05-03/exports-international-tourism-rise-4-2015]

Travel started to develop as a business many years ago. This industry began, when the ancient and rich inhabitants of Phoenicia, Rome, Egypt, Greece, and China; out of curiosity and a sense of adventure, about their surroundings, began to travel. Today tourism is a billionaire industry that serves the needs and wants of millions of domestic and international tourists. There is no doubt, that capitalism has played an active role in the developing of this powerful enterprise. However, when this business began, only the rich populations were able to enjoy their summers on the coasts and countryside. As these powerful people continue traveling, their servants have to cater for their patrons travel and accommodations needs and wants. As the Roman Empire decline, this business endured a backlash. In Central America the Incas had to travel to trade with the different racial groups, which were part of their empires to trade and collect taxes from their peasants.

Ceballos-Lascurain (1993) defined ecotourism as, “Environmentally responsible travel and visitation to relatively undisturbed natural areas, in order to enjoy and appreciate nature (and any accompanying cultural features - both past and present) that promotes conservation, has low negative visitor impact, and provides for beneficially active socio-economic involvement of local populations”.

As tourism expands, the type of tourist changes as well. Tourists expect luxurious conditions, taxis, and all the conveniences available to them in their homeland. Puerto Ayora has at least 400 taxis. That’s an astonishingly high carbon footprint for a place that depends so much on its flora and fauna for all sectors of the economy. In the words of Carol Ann Bassett, “Puerto Ayora has become a ‘disneylandia.’” The over commercialization of the island ecosystem has converted a natural paradise to an over populated, under appreciated tourist hot

Tourism plays a vital role in economic development in most countries around the world. The industry has not only direct economic impact, but also significant indirect and influential impacts. There is agreement among experts that the travel and tourism sector is the fastest growing of global economy. According to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, international tourism receipts surpass US$ 1 trillion in 2011, growing about 3.8%up from 2010 (WTO, 2012).

The discussion on ecotourism and its essence has led to over eighty different definitions of the topic (Fennell, 2008). However, one of the most used and comprehensive definitions is reported by Weaver (ibidem). It describes ecotourism as “a form of tourism that fosters” awareness, education and enjoyment of the natural environment and the local values in a sustainable way (Weaver, 2001a:15). Hence, ecotourism, while thriving for profitability, aims to promote education and cultural awareness of destinations without compromising their ecosystems. Eco-tourists demand for more authentic and meaningful forms of travel and; according to Orams (1996) (in Weaver, 2001a), they can be classified in two different categories: hard and soft ones. The hard eco-tourists believe in “radical” self-commitment with their destination, in order to ameliorate the natural environment (give back something) through “not-mediated” (Weaver, 2001b:106), challenging physical activities immersed in the site’s nature (ibidem). However, the soft visitors have shallower levels of commitment to the environment than hard eco-tourists. Indeed, while hard eco-visitors tend to organise independently (where high competence and time availability are required and low level of services expected on-site), soft ones rely on eco-tour-operators to organise less physically demanding tours (tab. 1.1a) (ibidem).

Moreover, tourism and the environment are balancing sectors in terms of vision and goals. The environment is the right climate for sustainable tourism development, and sustainable tourism focuses on environmental planning. Perhaps the most important element on which eco-tourism is based is not to disturb the ecological balance resulting from human actions, which are represented by the behavior of tourists in the case of ecotourism and the pollution it may cause. In addition, natural areas form the basis for ecotourism from marine tourism and land tourism, and recent studies have shown that eco-tourism generates direct financial resources. What is more, the main objective of ecotourism is to promote and improve the standards of living of the local community (Kuhdairi, 2012)

Tourism in a free market economy can exploit natural resources as a means of a profit accumulation, and therefore has been described as the commercialisation of the human need to travel. The notion of unlimited gain has led to exploitation of host communities, their cultures, and environments. (Walker, 2011)

The Travel and Tourism industry is still one of the largest single businesses in world commerce and its importance is widely recognized. The tourism industry is now one of the largest sectors earning foreign exchange. In the face of many benefits, many countries have started assigning due weight age to the tourism industry in their national development agenda. Tourism is an industry that operates on a massively broad scale: it embraces activities ranging from the smallest sea-side hotel; to air-lines, multi-national hotel chains and major international tour operators. Originally, non-traditional industries such as tourism emerged as a solution to strike a balance between ecology and industry