Archaeological Attractions Marketing: Some Current Thoughts on Heritage Tourism in Mexico

Abstract

Tourism activity in general, with the heritage tourism sector in particular, represented the second inflow of foreign currency to Mexico in 2019 (pre-pandemic), with more than USD 24 million. According to local polls, the main purpose of travel is leisure. However, more than half of tourists (local and foreigner) who visit Mexico enjoy/visit an archaeological site, a museum, and/or a local community. The latter illustrates that the heritage tourism sector is a vital axis within the national and local economy, as well as to promote its research, conservation, and diffusion. Researchers claim that it can also be an important component for the cultural revitalization of communities. However, how well does a community benefit from the tourist activity of any particular heritage/archaeological site? Can they feel any connection with it if only a handful of community members benefit from it? Using the Cancun example, we will talk about the concept of “heritage tourism”, not only for its economic value but also for its potential for social/cultural assessments for local heritage. Secondly, we talk about how archaeology is performed and how pre-Hispanic sites play along as a tourist attraction, particularly from the Mexican perspective.

Geoarchaeosites for Heritage Tourism Product of Kuala Muda District, Kedah, Malaysia

“…In fact, the same statistics were recorded at the tourist location of Angkor Wat which is consistently rated as the top Global Landmark by travelers in TripAdvisor (Baniya et al, 2020). This shows that archaeological heritage tourism locations can be developed into successful tourism products if the basic tourism facilities are at the best level (Chheang, 2011) and its tourism marketing is carried out consistently (Gallaga et al, 2022).…”

Urban buildings sustainable adaptive reuse into tourism accommodation establishments: a SOAR analysis

“…The demand for heritage-based tourist accommodation establishments not only increases spending by tourists looking to engage with history and culture but also provides an ideal backdrop for leisure activities [82][83][84]. Therefore, with the increased interest in heritage tourism [85][86][87], destinations and hospitality service providers have lately committed significant resources to the redevelopment of heritage buildings [88,89]. When heritage buildings undergo adaptive reuse to house tourist establishments, in addition to bringing the obsolete building stock back to life and guaranteeing its upkeep and preservation [38,90], and in addition to the understood economic and environmental opportunities [91,92], a tourism resource opportunity is presented towards transforming cities into an appealing tourist destination [32].…”

The Significance of the Mystery Play of Elche for the Local Community

“…Nonetheless, this identity discourse need not be at odds with the value that may be assigned to it as a product for consumption, as in the case of touristification processes, particularly if it is heritage tourism [78][79][80][81]. However, due to the unique characteristics of the Mystery Play, priority should be given to symbolic acts that assert its identity rather than changes that could lead to over-exploitation or debasing of this heritage.…”