Sustainable Tourism Practice & Planning - Assignment Example

? Sustainable Tourism Practice & Planning (Cancun) 09-11 Sustainable Tourism Practice & Planning Introduction: Cancun, a once near-desolate barrier island, has now turned into a 21st century tourist heaven. What began as a small fishing island, surrounded by dense unexplored jungle and vast virgin beaches, is now a renowned vacation spot and the epicenter of Mexican tourism industry. Cancun is also the political seat of Benito Juarez municipio (county), in the state of Quintana Roo. What’s most fascinating about Cancun is the fact that this tourist heaven is almost completely artificially made. A project of FONATUR (Fondo Nacional de Fomento al Turismo, National Fund for Tourism Development), the project began operations in 1974. Years later, on February 3, 2007, the World Tourism Organization, awarded the Best of the Best "for excellence and good governance" to the Trust for Tourism Promotion of Cancun. Primarily, the city is divided into two major parts. A long strip of island known as the Hotel Zone, is the major attraction of tourists and houses most of the resorts, hotels and condominiums. The island, actually a part of the world’s second longest coral reef, also consists of a lagoon with an array of restaurants, shopping malls and golf courses along with night clubs, bars and other recreational spots. The Downtown area is almost at complete contrast to the Hotel Zone. Here, the glitz and glamour dies down. The Downtown area is structured in the form of numbered ‘Superblocks’ where hotel workers and employees of the Hotel Zone reside. The Downtown area extends further into under-developed shanties made out of scrap wood and partitions which provide shelter to the even poorer population. Here, the living conditions are so appalling, that the charm and attractions of the Hotel Zone seems like a far cry. The problems in these areas are so serious, that Cancun is being propelled towards its doom. Thus, in order for Cancun to remain as one of the most exotic tourist spots in the Caribbean, drastic measures are required, both from the community and the government. The Positive and Negative Impact of Tourism in Cancun: As mentioned earlier, Cancun was nothing but an uninhabited barrier island in the Yucatan peninsula. In 1967, the central bank of Mexico identified Cancun as a potential and immensely profitable site for a purpose built resort in order to cater the demands of a nearby potential market, the US. "Due to the reluctance of investors to bet on an unknown area, the Mexican government had to finance the first nine hotels." (Siegel J., 2006). And thus, the first hotel started operations in Cancun which today goes by the name of Temptation Resort. By 1975, Cancun had 1769 rooms in service; by 2008 it boasted about 150 hotels with around 27,000 rooms in service. Apart from the hotels, the basic infrastructure also developed leaps and bounds. An airport, highways, potable water, electricity, telephone lines, convention center and harbors were built to jump start the tourism industry in Cancun. Second only to New Mexico, the Cancun airport handles almost 200 flights a day. Ultimately, the city has had to cope up with the immense population boost from 30,000 in 1980 to over 600,000 today (Rhoda R. & Burton T., 2010). Thus, it is not a surprising fact that Cancun contributes majorly to the Mexican economy. But this silver cloud has a dark lining to it as well. In a city that’s bustling with over 600,000 residents and visitors, socials ills come as a package deal. Crime and poverty, drugs and gangs, political unrest and prostitution reign the back alleys of the glamorous hotel strips. The core reason for this is the asymmetry in the socio economic population of Cancun. A worker working in one of the posh hotels at the Hotel Zone actually lives in the poorest of conditions in the downtown area. Mirroring this fact, is the rate of inflation that is constantly rising. Taking an general example of a hotel worker who earns an average of 50 pesos or $5 per day finds it almost impossible to survive when a gallon of milk downtown costs about $3.60, a loaf of bread $1.40 and bus fares about 65 cents (Cooper M, 2003). Another major problem that Cancun faces is that of undertrained, uneducated and incompetent staff. The Mexican government had hoped that Cancun would bring jobs to the numerable Mayans of the Quintana Roo. However, most Mayans were uneducated, with little or no English language capabilities. This was ultimately a huge setback as the workers could not deal efficiently with the English speaking tourists. This created an opportunity for the more educated Spanish speaking population who migrated from other states to reap the opportunities that Cancun offered. Naturally, the hotel employers preferred the the Spanish speakers for their more important jobs while the uneducated Mayans are employed in low-grade jobs like housekeeping and gardening. This has eventually led to a problem of discrimination among the more educated Spanish and the less educated Mayan workers (Hawley C., 2006). Naturally, a hustling bustling vacation heaven with tourists from all over the world has to have its own share of evil rackets. The most prominent of which is drug trafficking. In 2001, federal agents arrested the former governor of Quintana Roo state, Mario Villanueva, in Cancun. The United States is seeking his extradition on charges he protected more than 200 tons of cocaine shipments during the 1990s (DEA Press Release, 2010). Prostitution is another problem that tourist resorts have been facing. Thailand is one of the most prominent examples when it comes to open prostitution. Unfortunately, Cancun is not far behind. A renowned Mexican writer says in her book "Cancun is populated by people who reinvent themselves upon arriving in a community inhabited by strangers." "This phenomenon has generated family dynamics of great loneliness and little emotional attachment to the land that takes them in." (Cacho L., 2005). This ‘detachment’ from family values, coupled with the struggle to survive alongside the glitz and glamour of Cancun has turned many to the dirty business of prostitution. As mentioned earlier, Thailand is another tourist location where prostitution prevails. As soon as one steps out of the airport and into the taxi, the driver starts off with his pitch to entice the tourist to try out one of the brothels which are poorly disguised as ‘message parlors’. Similarly, in the Hotel zone, taxi drivers blatantly hand out color pamphlets displaying prostitutes in the various ‘spas’ and night clubs. The discos and night clubs bring wealthy young men and women from Mexico City to participate in the ‘high life’ – but with them come prostitution, drugs, AIDs and crime (Wiese P., 1996).  Tourism does not only leave a social impact on a given population or destination, but an environmental impact as well. It can bravely be said, that the construction of Cancun, right from the start was a ticking time bomb at the environmental level. When Cancun was conceived, stone was required for the construction of hotels and other facilities on the island. Quarries were set up on the mainland to provide this critical component. Causeways were then built to transport the stone and labor due to which fresh water flow was interrupted to the lagoon adjacent to the stone quarries. This ultimately led to a change in the environment and the lobster and caracol population was decimated. Later, parts of the lagoon were filled up to create land for the golf courses which got rid of the mangroves, which also served as nurseries for various marine species. Sewage treatment plants were built alongside the lagoon which dumped their wastes into it. It was found that building and construction companies tied their sewage lines to these treatment plants as well. Consequently, due to the overload and insufficient funding, only a fraction of the sewage could be treated before release. The rest was unfortunately let go untreated into the lagoon (Wiese P., 1996). It is an un-debatable fact that Cancun has entered a phase which is far from its former glory. Socially, economically, environmentally and even politically, Cancun faces issues that need to be resolved on top priority basis, if it is to hold its title of a truly exotic location. The situation in Cancun can be classified into what researchers call a ‘Self-destruct Theory of Tourism’ (Holder J., 1987). According to this theory, there are 4 phases through with tourism in a given situation develops and declines. In Phase 1, a remote and exotic spot offers peaceful rest and relaxation and provides an escape for the rich who live in isolation from the resident population. In Phase 2 tourism promotion attracts persons of middle income who come as much for the rest and relaxation, as to imitate the rich.  More and more hotel accommodation and tourist facilities are built to attract and accommodate more and more tourists. This transforms the original character of the place from “escape paradise” to a series of urban developments with several consequences. During Phase 3 the country resorts to mass tourism, attracting persons of lower standards of social behavior and economic power.  This leads to the socio-environmental degradation of the tourist destination. Ultimately, Phase 4 sets in as the place sinks under the weight of social friction and solid waste, all tourists exit, leaving behind derelict tourism facilities, littered beaches and countryside and a resident population that cannot return to its old way of life. Cancun has nearly reached the third phase in this theory. To save this tourist paradise, urgent steps need to be taken at the soonest. Steps that should be taken to save Cancun from imminent failure: 1. Discourage crime and improve the law and order system by increasing wages: The biggest problem that Cancun faces is the rising crime rate. There are two main reasons for this. The first one being, the low pay scale of the local employees, who are practically living hand-to-mouth on a day to day basis. Where the daily income of a worker is about $5, and the cost of living twice that, it is of utmost significance that the salaries of the workers be increased so that they may not turn to negative methods of earning. (Tonak, A. & Brudevold-Iversen T., 2005). Of course, along with discouraging the local residents from turning to crime by raising salaries, another most important factor in improving the lifestyle at Cancun is strengthen the law and order system. At present, the police force operating in Cancun is extremely understaffed and under trained. Moreover, various news clips and reports claim that the local police is working hand in hand with the criminals. All the way from drug trafficking to abductions, men of law of Cancun have had a tainted reputation. Once again, the solution to this problem is the wages that these officers of law get for their duties. If the salaries of these individuals are matched to any other police force in Mexico, a considerable drop in the crime rate will be witnessed. This in turn will portray Cancun as a more safe and secure tourist destination in the eyes of the target market. 2. Improve the level of education from the elementary to the college level: Education is also one of the core solutions to the problems in Cancun. Currently education and social welfare in Cancun practically occupies the backburner. An American journalist comments, "International capital, as you can see here in Cancun, wants to offer only enough wages, healthcare and education to guarantee a minimum of stability.” (Cooper M., 2003). This is where the Government has to play a prominent role. At the elementary level, the Government should sanction more schools where the children of the Cancun citizens can be educated for free. The Government should also pass legislation where it would be made mandatory for a Cancun worker to send his kids to school. At a higher level, the Government should also invite colleges and universities to open up campuses at Cancun where the young adults can get education. To achieve this, the Government should allocate/sponsor land where these colleges can build their campuses. Education will ultimately provide the population with a better job and a better pay. This will eventually eliminate the discrimination factor between the two major population of Cancun, i.e. the uneducated Mayans and the educated Spanish speakers. Obviously, better jobs mean low crime rate and better living conditions. 3. Control the quality of tourists that enter Cancun: Apart from crime and low education, another problem that is contributing to the downfall of Cancun is the level of tourists that now visit Cancun. As mentioned earlier, the socio-economic level of the tourists visiting Cancun has degraded. This has resulting in provision of low grade services by the various hotels, restaurants and other places. If Cancun is to retain its former glamour of being the vacation destination for the elite, the tour operators and even the Government to some extent should control the flow of tourists that come to Cancun. Tour operators should specifically target the niche market of well-to-do tourists. On the other hand, the Government should thoroughly scrutinize the visa applicant through a rigorous process where their economic level, profession, education etc. should be considered before providing them visas to enter Cancun. This will naturally raise the quality of tourists visiting and thus, will also increase the quality of services that are provided by the hotels of Cancun. Proper promotion in terms of advertising and other relevant activities should also be looked into. Cancun should be positioned in such a way, that it will once again catch the attention of the richer tourists and will make them realize that Cancun is the holiday destination for the elite. 4. Steps should be taken to tackle the serious environmental hazards that plague Cancun : The city planners of Cancun also have their work cut out for them. Due to the worsening environmental conditions, Cancun is no longer the dream resort that provides untouched natural beauty. The city planners need to revisit their blue prints and find economic, yet effective solutions to improve the environmental conditions of Cancun. On the other hand, the Government must enforce strict laws to ensure that the waste material and untreated sewage from hotels, factories, etc. is disposed off in a suitable and environment friendly manner. 5. Local and Regional Zoning Laws should be implemented: The Government should also initiate and implement local and regional zoning law. These laws would regulate and control the development by foreign investors and would also control the population densities in a given area. This in turn would give a chance to the local wildlife to recuperate itself from the damage which in turn would be a major positive for the revival of tourism in Cancun. 6. Raise the standards of the services provided by hotels and restaurants in Cancun: Of course the key to sustaining tourism activity anywhere in the world is the quality of hotels and other services. Due to the deteriorating law and order, socio-economic sectors and worsening environmental conditions, the quality of tourists have devolved. Thus, the quality of services has gone down as well. The Government, in partnership with the tourism regulatory authority, must device a strict regulatory and quality assurance system that makes sure that all hotels in Cancun as up to the international standards. Once again, this initiative will create a positive impression in the minds of the target market, which will in turn help in the revival of tourism in Cancun. It’s apparent that the execution and implementation of the above steps of upgrading the pay scale, improving the law and order situation, providing quality education and improving the environmental condition of Cancun is the joint responsibility of the local government, the tour operators and especially the people of Cancun. Right from the ground upwards, each member of the city has to give their 100% to make this change happen. Conclusion: It seems that the life cycle of Cancun is about to complete its 360 degree turn. It was born as a virgin island which had never felt the feet of man. It was desolate and untouched. And then man realized its true potential and turned it from a sleepy isolated piece of land into a hustling bustling elite tourist destination filled with lights, colors, technology and fun. But then there is only so much potential that one can exploit before the entire venture starts caving in on itself. That is what happened at Cancun. At one time, it had reached its summit, but is now swiftly slipping towards its downfall. Swift action must be taken to counter the social, environmental and law and order problems that has become an Achilles heel in the progress of Cancun. The government, local agencies and other stakeholders must act swiftly and effectively to eradicate the problems and once again turn Cancun into an exotic holiday destination and a true tropical paradise. References: Siegel, Jules (2006). Cancun User's Guide. P. 204. 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