Mexican tourism is one of the most relevant industries contributing to Mexico´s economic growth and development. According to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography INEGI (2023), in 2022, tourism in Mexico contributed 8.5% to the national Gross Domestic Product.
Moreover, tourism in Mexico has been a tool for poverty alleviation, protection of the environment, and preservation of cultural heritage, not just for economic growth (Garza-Rodriguez, 2019, p. 9).
The positive impacts of tourism are needed in Mexico for the short and long terms. Therefore, in Mexico, as elsewhere, it is important that tourism stakeholders continue re-thinking tourism in order to better ensure its future and quality growth through sustainable tourism practices.
Sustainable tourism offers a guide for the tourism industry and gives relevance to the positive impacts while reducing the negative ones. Sustainable tourism is defined by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) as “tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social, and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment, and host communities” (UNEP&UNWTO, 2005).
Sustainable tourism involves actions and management of environmental, economic, and socio-cultural aspects in tourist destinations (UNWTO, 2023).
An important aspect of the success of sustainable tourism is the informed participation of all tourism stakeholders (UNWTO, 2023). Many initiatives in Mexico exist to increase awareness about sustainability in tourism. Those initiatives are initiated between the government, the private sector, DMOs, and NGOs.
However, this researcher understands from her own professional experience in the industry in Mexico and from conversations with other sustainable tourism professionals that initiatives focused on providing and increasing awareness about sustainable tourism and access to it for small and medium-sized entrepreneurs (SME) travel agents are needed.
This research project intends to understand whether travel agents in Mexico, in particular, are interested in playing a significant role and contributing to sustainable tourism by gaining knowledge about sustainability. The intention is to understand if knowledge and awareness about sustainable tourism motivates SME travel agents to put into practice and action sustainable tourism practices in their work and to their circle of influence with travelers, communities, and other tourism stakeholders.
SME travel agents are intermediaries in the tourism value chain and are on the front line with travelers and host communities. SME travel agents can influence the travel decisions of the customers who visit tourism destinations and encourage them to be sustainable travelers; also, they can pursue collaborative opportunities with host communities in their region of expertise to continue actively engaging in and developing sustainable tourism products.
Research Objectives
The objectives of the study are to:
- Assess the current state of knowledge and awareness of travel agents about sustainable tourism in Mexico and their interest in it,
- Establish what sustainable tourism knowledge could be transferred from organizations working in this area to travel agents and tour operators,
- Establish what sustainable tourism knowledge should be transferred from travel agents to actors in tourism destinations, that might engage them in promoting sustainable tourism businesses and destinations, and
- Establish possible outcomes, tools, or solutions for the transfer and sharing of sustainable tourism knowledge.
Research Questions
- What degree of knowledge do travel agents have about the concept and fundamentals of sustainable tourism in their region of expertise in Mexico? Where are the knowledge gaps?
- What barriers and challenges do travel agents face in learning about sustainability in tourism, and how may they be overcome?
- What sustainable tourism organizations, tools or platforms might be suitable for knowledge transfer to Mexican travel agents?
Methodology
Qualitative methods to collect primary data through focus groups and expert
interviews. Also, secondary data from a literature review.
Focus group Sample
Participants in the focus group will be Mexican travel agents who are promoters of
the Mexican tourism industry, the sample will be from 6 to 8 participants as the
optimum size (Morgan,1997). They will be randomly drawn from a list of 300
agents who share networking and online training. I am part of that networking. I
will be the facilitator and moderator in the focus group.
Our group has an online presence. Therefore, an online focus group is doable
through the video meeting platform zoom.
Expert Intwerviews Selection
Experts will be interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. The interviews,
will be recorded using a digital recorder with a subsequent transcription.
Five experts in the sustainable tourism sector will be interviewed, I am looking for
perspectives from developed and developing countries and at least one interview
from Mexico.
Snowball sampling technique will be employed to identify interviewers who are
relevant and experts in ST. This method includes selecting a small number of initial
interviewers who are knowledgeable in the topic, and then asking them to
recommend more potential interviewers who are also knowledgeable in the area.
Data collection procedure
Focus group sessions and interviews will be recorded, transcribed, coded, and
analyzed.
References
Garza-Rodriguez, J. (2019). Tourism and Poverty Reduction in Mexico: An ardl
cointegration approach. Sustainability, 11(3), 845.
https://doi.org/10.3390/su11030845
Lee, T. H., & Jan, F.-H. (2019a). Can community-based tourism contribute to sustainable
development? evidence from residents’ perceptions of the sustainability. Tourism
Management, 70, 368–380. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2018.09.003
Reindrawati, D. Y. (2023). Challenges of community participation in tourism planning in
developing countries. Cogent Social Sciences, 9(1).
https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2022.2164240
Travel & Tourism Economic Impact: World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). World
Travel & Tourism Council. (2022). Retrieved May 16, 2023, from
https://wttc.org/research/economic-impact