Heritage tourism clusters along the borders of Mexico

Abstract

This article seeks to find potential heritage tourism clusters in border areas. Literature about tourism destinations is essentially focused on administrative-bound areas, while little attention has been paid to functional regions. The research is based on a methodological exercise to contribute to this debate by analyzing the case of three border regions between Mexico, the USA, Guatemala and Belize, respectively. These borders have never been static but have changed throughout history, to the present day situation. It is argued that these changes have implications for the potential development of heritage tourism. The results identify a number of cross-border clusters and corridors in these areas with different levels of tourism underdevelopment, mainly because of political or legal restrictions. The results of this study contribute to an improved understanding of borderland heritages and crossborder regional clusters in the context of tourism.

Tourists’ Willingness to Pay Increased Entrance Fees at Mexican Protected Areas: A Multi-Site Contingent Valuation Study

“…Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, with the adjacent Maya Biosphere Reserve in Guatemala, contains the largest contiguous tract of rainforest in North America, as well as a number of important Maya sites, which has led to it being designated a UNESCO World Heritage site [20,29,30]. Another two of the protected areas are also World Heritage Sites: Palenque National Park, one of the largest and best-preserved Maya civic-ceremonial sites and the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, which is made up of sweeping wetlands and mangrove forests, as well as a significant part of the Mesoamerica Barrier Reef [20,21,29,31]. Cobá Archaeological Zone is another important Maya site, one of the closest large sites to the tourist areas of the Riviera Maya and Cancun [29].…”

“…Former heads of National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP) estimate that the agency needs to approximately double its current labor force in order to adequately fulfill its conservation mission [18]. The National Institute of Archaeology and History (INAH), which manages Mexico's cultural heritage sites, has also experienced degradation at sites it manages due to funding problems [19][20][21]. However, with the exception of Chichén Itza, no Mexican protected area charges visitors more than US$10 for entry, and almost all charge less than US$4.…”

Zonificación turística en destinos rurales:Un enfoque basado en el consumo en Terres de l’Ebre

“…Las conclusiones de estos estudios de caso fueron que otro tipo de gestión y zonificación del turismo podría ser beneficiosa para el destino. En estos estudios, las fronteras de los Pirineos y de la fronteras entre México y Estados Unidos han sido analizadas (Blasco, et al, 2013(Blasco, et al, y 2014; consistiendo, estos estudios, en la categorización y agrupación de los productos y recursos turísticos de estos destinos fronterizos en clústeres temáticos, en base a la distancia en tiempo entre estos recursos turísticos.…”

Editorial: Tourism issues and international borders in the Nordic Region

“…Fifth, many border-themed attractions are developed to commercialize the political divide (e.g. peace parks, customs museums, boundary theme parks) and, finally, there are hundreds if not thousands of instances where borders are commemorated and consumed as heritage sites and attractions (Blasco, Guia, & Prats, 2014;Timothy & Gelbman, 2015).…”