Tourism in Mexico

Historic center of Mexico City and Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral
Guanajuato, Guanajuato World Heritage Site .

Tourism in Mexico is a very large industry. Mexico has been traditionally among the most visited countries in the world according to the World Tourism Organization and it is the second most visited country in the Americas, after the United States. The most notable attractions are the Meso-American ruins, cultural festivals, colonial cities, nature reserves and the beach resorts. The nation's temperate climate and unique culture – a fusion of the European and the Meso-American – make Mexico an attractive destination. The peak tourism seasons in the country are during December and the mid-Summer, with brief surges during the week before Easter and Spring break, when many of the beach resort sites become popular destinations for college students from the United States.

The majority of tourists come to Mexico from the United States and Canada. Other visitors come from Europe and Asia. A small number of tourists also come from other Latin American countries.[1] There is also a burgeoning domestic tourism trade as a growing affluent middle class begins to go on holiday within their own country. While Mexico's middle/lower class usually promotes national tourism, the middle/higher class usually prefers to travel overseas.

Tourism industry competitiveness

Fundidora park in Monterrey, Nuevo León

In the 2011 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI) report, which is a measurement of the factors that make it attractive to developing business in the travel and tourism industry of individual countries, Mexico was ranked 43rd place in the world's ranking, which is fourth in the Americas.[2] In considering simply the subindex measuring human, cultural, and natural resources, Mexico ranks in the 13th place on a worldwide level, 10th for the natural resources criteria and 19th for the cultural criteria.[2] The TTCI report also notes Mexico's main weaknesses, which includes ground transport infrastructure (ranked 79th), insufficient health and hygiene (ranked 64th) and safety and security concerns (ranked 128th).[2]

Statistics

Most visitors arriving to Mexico by air for tourism in 2014 came from the following countries:[3]

Rank Country Number
1 United States 7,164,374
2 Canada 1,676,681
3 United Kingdom 458,932
4 Colombia 328,213
5 Spain 310,123
6 Brazil 309,696
7 Argentina 246,404
8 France 213,863
9 Germany 207,031
10 Venezuela 176,535

City destinations

National Museum of Anthropology and History

Mexico City is the capital of Mexico and is popular with tourists as an ancient Meso-American city. It is the departure point for visits to the ancient city of Teotihuacan, famous for the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon. Other human-made tourist zones, such as the La Zona Rosa or Shopping District and El Zócalo (one of the largest public plazas in the world) are here. The city is also home to the Plaza de toros México – the world's largest bullring – and to the Mexican National Palace, built on the site of Montezuma's palace, and the huge Metropolitan Cathedral, the largest in the Western Hemisphere, built over the even greater Temple of Teocalli. Mexico City features the notable National Museum of Anthropology and History.

Guadalajara Cathedral
San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato

Other cities known for tourism (listed alphabetically) include:

Beaches

Acapulco Bay
The clear waters of Xel-Ha beach

The coastlines of Mexico harbor many stretches of beaches that are frequented by sun bathers and other visitors. On the Yucatán peninsula, one of the most popular beach destinations is the resort town of Cancún, especially among university students during spring break. Just offshore is the beach island of Isla Mujeres, and to the east is the Isla Holbox. To the south of Cancun is the coastal strip called Riviera Maya which includes the beach town of Playa del Carmen and the ecological parks of Xcaret and Xel-Há. A day trip to the south of Cancún is the historic port of Tulum. In addition to its beaches, the town of Tulum is notable for its cliff-side Mayan ruins.

Cancun, Quintana Roo

On the Pacific coast is the notable tourist destination of Acapulco. Once the destination for the rich and famous, the beaches have become crowded and the shores are now home to many multi-story hotels and vendors. Acapulco is home to renowned cliff divers: trained divers who leap from the side of a vertical cliff into the surf below.

Zipolite, Oaxaca
Beach Near Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco

Along the coast to the south of Acapulco are the surfing beaches of Puerto Escondido, the snorkeling, harbor beach of Puerto Ángel, and the naturist beaches of Zipolite. To the north of Acapulco is the resort town of Ixtapa and the neighboring fishing town of Zihuatanejo. Further to the north are the wild and rugged surfing beaches of the Michoacán coast.

Cabo San Lucas

Along the central and north Pacific coast, the biggest draws are beaches of Mazatlán city and the resort town of Puerto Vallarta. Less frequented is the sheltered cove of Bahía de Navidad, the beach towns of Bahía Kino, and the black sands of Cuyutlán. San Carlos, home of the Playa los Algodones (Cotton Beach), is a winter draw, especially for retirees.

At the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula is the resort town of Cabo San Lucas, a town noted for its beaches and marlin fishing.[5] Further north along the Gulf of California is the Bahía de La Concepción, another beach town known for its sports fishing. Closer to the United States border is the weekend draw of San Felipe, Baja California.

Mesoamerican ruins

"The Castle" of Chichén-Itzá, one of the New Seven Wonders

The central and southern parts of Mexico was host to several pre-Hispanic civilizations, the most prominent being the Aztec, Mayan, and the Olmec. There are numerous tourist destinations where these ruins can be viewed.

The Yucatán peninsula was home to the Mayan people, and many of the indigenous people still speak the language. The area also contains many sites where ruins of the Maya civilization can be visited. The richest of these are located in the eastern half of the peninsula and are collectively known as La Ruta Puuc (or La Ruta Maya). The largest of the Ruta Puuc sites is Uxmal, which was abandoned in the 12th century.

The view from the Pyramid of the Sun

A one-hour drive to the northeast of Ruta Puuc are the surviving remains of the city of Mayapán. This settlement was controlled by Chichén Itzá to the east, now a large archaeological site with many interesting ruins. Other ruins on the peninsula include the aforementioned Tulum on the east coast, Cobá to the northwest of Tulum, Polé (now Xcaret) just south of Playa del Carmen and Calakmul in the nature reserve along the Guatemala border. However this list by no means exhausts the number of archaeological sites to be found in this area.

To the west, the state of Chiapas includes the temples and ruins of Palenque, the glyphs of the city of Yaxchilán, the painted walls of nearby Bonampak, and the remains of the fortress of Toniná. In the city of Villahermosa to the north is the Parque-Museo La Venta, with a collection of Olmec sculptures.

Palenque, Chiapas

Along the gulf coast area in the state of Veracruz are more archaeological sites, with the Olmec ceremonial center of Tres Zapotes, the ruins of the large Totonac city of Zempoala, and the ruins of El Tajín with the Pyramid of the Niches. The city of Xalapa contains the Museo de Antropología, a notable museum featuring a collection of massive Olmec head sculptures.

In the state of Oaxaca along the Pacific coast are the ruins of Mitla, known as the "City of Death" and of Monte Albán, the remains of the once extensive Zapotec capital and religious center.

Moving to the north, the central region around Mexico City contains several archaeological sites. To the southwest are the massive ruins of Teotihuacán, including the Pyramid of the Sun and the Temple of Quetzalcoatl. To the southeast near the city of Cholula is the Great Pyramid, visible from the city center. Just to the north of Cholula are the well-preserved ruins of the city of Cacaxtla. Last but not least is the Toltec capital of Tula, to the north of Mexico City. In the capital itself is the largest museum in Mexico, the Museo Nacional de Antropología.

Finally, less visited than the major sites are the mysterious ruins of La Quemada, sometimes referred to as Chicomostoc, located south of Zacatecas, Zacatecas in the northern half of Mexico.

Spanish colonial history

Chapultepec Castle
El Caballito, equestrian sculpture of King Charles IV of Spain by Manuel Tolsá on the back the Museo Nacional de Arte (National Museum of Art) can be seen.
Chapel of Hospicio Cabañas, in Guadalajara

Ecotourism

Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve
Sonora Desert

General tourism

The island of Cozumel, Quintana Roo

See also

Further reading

References

  1. ↑ "SECTUR (2006). "Turismo de internación 2001–2005, Visitantes internacionales hacia México" (in Spanish). Secretaría de Turismo (SECTUR). Archived from the original on 2008-06-10. Retrieved 2008-07-26. pp. 5
  2. 1 2 3 Blanke, Jennifer; Chiesa, Thea (2011). "The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2011 - Beyond the Downturn" (PDF). World Economic Forum, Geneva, Switzerland. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
  3. ↑ Visitantes internacionales por vía aérea por principal nacionalidad
  4. ↑ http://www.fil.com.mx/ingles/i_info/i_info_int.asp
  5. ↑ http://icabo.com/what-to-do/cabo-fishing.aspx
  6. ↑ http://deviajeconarmani.blogspot.mx/2014_04_01_archive.html

External links

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