The Challenges of Cruise Tourism in Cozumel, Mexico

Abstract

Tourism on the island of Cozumel begins in the fifties, having three well-defined market segments in the era of the capital, cruises, diving and high performance sports. The academic literature on the subject mentions that the former has a poor economic impact on the receiving communities; environmental effects such as pollution of seas, destruction of habitats, transformation of the coastal landscape, large amounts of solid waste; Socially, the benefits of employment have been precarious by the transfer of employer's obligations to the worker, specifically in the area of ​​health. The effects of cruise tourism on the island of Cozumel have lacked promoting local development, capital has been concentrated and the distribution of wealth is limited, for an activity that generates millions of dollars has capital concentration, leaving a scarce resource in the locality, which is distributed in the first frame of the destination, however it only contributes with less than 50% of the income but with 89.6% of the visitors. From 1999 to date, organized civil society has developed several attempts to manage cruise tourism from a sustainable perspective, however tourism policy linked to the usufruct of the coasts, pressures and imposes actions aimed at the massive attraction of visitors, which highlights the null political will for a management that promotes the sustainability of an activity that has manifested its power to destroy habitats. In this way, the tourist destination of Cozumel presents important challenges in social, environmental and economic matters derived from the management of tourism from a capitalist perspective.

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