EIJES6032

INTERNATIONAL J OURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES Volume 6, No 1, 2015
© Copyright by the authors - Licensee IPA- Under Creative Commons license 3.0
Resear ch ar ticle Visit iPublishing website for more information ISSN 0976 – 4402
The envir onmental effects of Tour ism in Cancun, Mexico

Nadia Sinai Padilla
Advisor, Benito Juarez City Council, Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico
[email protected]
doi: 10.6088/ijes.6032
ABSTRACT
Coastal tourism is an integral part of the Mexican economy and one fourth of the total
national tourism revenue is generated alone in Cancun, Mexico. Once the area was an
underdeveloped, snake-infested jungle in one of the poorest region of the nation, however, by
last couple of decades Cancun has undergone a major transformation and each year over two
million visitors visited, justifying Cancun as the world-class tourism destination. Although
coastal tourism in Cancun has been greatly successful in generating foreign revenue, it has
severely impacted a range of environmental aspects. The article provides the historic
perspective about the rise of tourism in Cancun. The environmental effects of tourism are
discussed in details and preventive steps towards sustainable eco-tourism have also been
proposed. The fundamental causes of environmental effects of tourism are described,
including changes in land-usage, weak regulatory enforcement, and an overall inefficiency of
tourism and environmental policies.
Keywor ds: Cancun, environmental effects, ecotourism, tourism.
1. Intr oduction
Tourism is one of the world’s largest economic acti vities and the environment, on which
much of it depends is an important economic asset. Tourism ranks as third most important
industry in Mexico. Tourism has been used as a majo r tool for growth and development in
Mexico and it has been mostly concentrated in coastal areas (Rivera-Arriaga & Villalobos,
2001). Cancun is located in Quintana Roo state, and contributes one fourth of all tourism
revenue in the country (Juarez, 2002). Few decades ago, the area was an underdeveloped,
snake-infested jungle in one of the poorest region of the nation. However, for last ten years
over two million visitors arrived to Cancun each year justifying the place as a world-class
tourism destination. The fascinating development of tourism in Cancun is the crown jewel of
the state-planed tourism centers in Mexico and exemplary to both Caribbean/Latin American
and the world (Azzoni, 2009).
Cancun, Mexico and many other developing nations continue to consider large-scale tourism
as a source of generating foreign revenue despite growing concern about the social and
environmental impacts (Cesar Dechary & Arnaiz Burne, 1998). The tourism industry highly
relies on its natural resources and has significant environmental, cultural, social and
economic impacts, mostly in an adverse manner (Mowforth & Munt, 2003). The current
review provides several examples where tourism activities have threatened and undermined
the integrity of natural resources and bio-diversity. The article examines the rise of Cancun as
an example illustrating the complex, rather hazardous effects of large-scale coastal tourism.
Additionally, we discussed the need of sustainable tourism that can generate substantial
economic benefits without impacting the environment.
Received on May2015 Published on September 2015 282

The environmental effects of Tourism in Cancun, Mexico
2. Geology of Cancun
Cancun lies on 20-mile-long barrier island in the s tate of Quintana Roo which is situated to
east of Mexican states, Yucatan and Campeche. Cancun occupies 50,212 square kilometers of
Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula (Figure 1). During M ioce ne and Pliocene eras, most part of the
peninsula was a shallow sea that ultimately conferr ed the unique geology to Cancun distinct
from the other areas of Mexico.
Figur e 1: Geological map of Yucatan Peninsula-
The main types of rock in the peninsula include lim estone, dolomite, and other evaporates.
Because of the high rainfalls in northern regions, most of these evaporates have been
chemically weathered to form an intense network of caverns. Karst Land (areas with high
concentration of caves) is a key factor when consid ering the diverse Yucatan’s environment.
The diversity in the f lora and fauna is significant that 10% of them are found nowhere else.
The Northwestern area of the peninsula contains the most diversity, due to its rainforests and
peculiar geology. As there are no rivers and lakes, species had to evolve by extending their
roots to reach the underground river systems (Cabrera-Ramírez and Carranza-Edwards, 2002).
The hotel zone (Figure 2) is a tourist hub; located on L-shaped barrier island of Cancun
facing the Caribbean Sea to the east and the Nicupt é Lagoon to the west. With turquoise
waters, sugar white sands, and an average year-round temperature of 82 degrees Fahrenheit,
Cancun is an ideal setting for the sun-sand vacatio n, appealing to travelers around the world.
Home to dazzling four- and five-star resorts, world renowned nightlife, and nearby cultural
attractions such as the Mayan cities of Chichen Itz a and Tulum, Cancun provides visitors “a
little bit of everything” (Garcia, 2010; Hiernaux-Nicolas, 1999).
Nadia Sinai Padilla 283

International Journal of Environmental Sciences Volume 6 No.1 2015
The environmental effects of Tourism in Cancun, Mexico
Figur e 2: The hotel zone of Cancun
3. The cr eation of mass tour ism in Cancun, Mexico
The creation of touristic Cancun is often dubbed as the brainchild of a group of bankers far
away from Mexico City. As recently as mid-1960s, th e area was kwon as one of the most
backward, remote, unhealthy, uneducated and sparsely populated regions of Mexico. The life
in this region has continued as it has been for centuries, with inadequate communications and
no electrical or plumbing facilities. The territory was very sparsely connected with very few
roads and did not have an airport (García de Fuentes, 1979).
However, Quintana Roo state is blessed with about 8 60 km of coastline, a beautiful stretch
encompassing a wide variety of scenic features, inc luding bays, inlets, freshwater springs,
lagoons, mangroves, sand dunes, rocky areas and beautiful white sand beaches - the backbone
of the tourism industry. These calcareous beaches h ave been marketed as air-conditioned,
remain cool and pleasant to walk on, even under the most blazing of tropical suns. An
additional attraction is the Mesoamerican Caribbean Reef (M ACR), the second largest barrier
reef system in the world. The M ACR begins near Canc un, and continues southward until the
Bay Islands of Honduras (Marti, 1985; Torres Maldonado, 2001).
Despite the abundant natural and cultural attractions, tourism did not begin in Cancun until
last four decades. However, by 2000, over two milli on visitors arrived to the Cancun resort
each year. The transition started during the 1960’s economic crisis in Mexico as tourism
represented an important opportunity to bring forei gn currency into the country. The creation
Nadia Sinai Padilla 284

International Journal of Environmental Sciences Volume 6 No.1 2015

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INTERNATIONAL J OURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES Volume 6, No 1, 2015

The envir onmental effects of Tour ism in Cancun, Mexico

Keywor ds: Cancun, environmental effects, ecotourism, tourism.

Received on May2015 Published on September 2015 282

Figur e 1: Geological map of Yucatan Peninsula-

Nadia Sinai Padilla 283

Figur e 2: The hotel zone of Cancun

3. The cr eation of mass tour ism in Cancun, Mexico

Nadia Sinai Padilla 284

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