SUSTAINABLE TOURISM IN MEXICO. A VIEW FROM COLLAB-ORATIVE GOVERNANCE AT THE NATIONAL AND INTERNA-TIONAL LEVELS

Abstract

This work exposes that in the last two decades the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has promoted sustainable tourism as a vehicle for the growth and development of emerging countries, especially for the reduction of poverty in rural localities. It has established a relationship between tourism and innovation, with the “orange economy” being the connecting node between the two. Furthermore, tourism shares an agenda with other phenomena such as migration, climate change, culture and equity, which is visible from the 2030 Agenda. Therefore, the government of Mexico, through its National Development Plan, the Regional and Sectorial, has established a direct alignment with this, considering the tourism sector as a tool to mitigate and cooperate in achieving the commitments. However, the Mexican government, through the Ministry of Tourism, recognizes, based on the global report (2018) of the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), that in the traditional tourism model the 80% of tourist spending goes to foreign and national consortia, who keep most of the income generated by tourism in Mexico; In addition, mass tourism is concentrated in a few places, causing severe environmental impacts and problems such as exclusion, or, where appropriate, the lack of attention and consultation of the indigenous and local communities that belong to said territories, and worse still, the proliferation of businesses with human trafficking and sexual exploitation and child labor, which is little talked about, but is a reality. The present study confirms that, far from achieving the goals of the sustainable development objectives involved in this area, tourism in Mexico becomes economically unfair; environmentally irresponsible and socially exclusive, a situation that the Ministry of Tourism openly admits and has designed strategies through collaborative governance with government bodies, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), and alliances with tourism companies, multilateral bodies. and international cooperation; academia and investors.