LGBT Tourism in Puerto Vallarta: Source of Foreign Exchange or a Breach of Ethics and Morals in Mexican Society? Reflections of an Ethnography

Abstract

As of 2013 in Mexico, the creation, support and development of the LGBT tourist segment were established into the Mexican federal government policies, which has not been consolidated besides lacking of statistical and economic data so its socioeconomic impact is known. The objective of this research is to reflect on the social and economic effect generated by an LGBT friendly tourist destination resulting from the touristic practices that take place in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco. This beach destination is considered the most important LGBT tourist destination in the country due to the amount of economic income it generates and the touristic infrastructure that has been developed. Some considerations are made on the relationship between the expenditure generated by tourists and the income received by residents, as well as its socio-environmental impact. The methodology used is of a mixed nature, emphasizing the integration of economic data in a quantitative way besides ethnography carried out in the destination in a qualitative way. The results of this social phenomenon called LGBT Tourism finally unleashed a synergy and power relations between the different actors involved in Puerto Vallarta: government, businessmen, civil associations, residents and to a lesser extent tourist.