Changes brought about by tourism

The changes brought about by tourism are generally positive as it is helping Mexico develop at a faster rate. The government is recognising the potential and the niche area of Mexico. In 2005, Mexico earned 15% of the world tourism market. Mexican tourism experienced a 9.1% growth domestically. This helps to recover from Mexico’s trade defcit and generate foreign direct investment which is a benefit to the economy.

The government is planning to preserve the cultural heritage of Mexico’s different states and protecting the environment while solving its poverty issue. Although, it may be a plan but it is a sign of a positive step. Mexico is proud of its rich heritage and I believe their strong sense of loyalty to the country would spur them to further preserve their rich and diverse heritage. Their heritage is also a source of tourism. Their other niche market is their natural landscapes which attracts many different types of tourists from adventure tourists, cultural tourists, eco-tourists, leisure tourists, etc. Without protecting the environment, Mexico might lose their beauty and their major source of tourism. Lastly, with the tourism revenue flowing into the country, the government is hoping that it will benefit the people as well. In 2005, tourism provided 180,000 jobs. However, the breakdown on who the jobs were provided to is unknown. Thus, if the jobs went to the more educated people then the poverty cycle would not be eradicated.

The government is also reallocating resources to develop new and different destinations besides the recognised tourism hotspots of Cancun, Cozumel, Acapulco and Mexico City. This shows that the other areas will be developed as well, which means infrastructure will be implaced and improvements will be made to another area. This way there will not be a concentration of the population in the areas now.

A major concern would be the lives of the indigenous people in the future as more tourism developments occur. Would it affect their cultural lifestyle? Another concern would be that at the rate that tourism is developing and gaining popularity in Mexico, would it inflate the prices where the locals cannot afford.

Thus, the changes is brought about is more in terms of the macro perspective where the economy is gaining prosperity. However, on the micro perspective, it is unsure if the standard of living for the locals is improving as well since most of the tourist destinations are focused on the resort areas. These are places where there are less locals living.