Tourism

When people travel from their place of residence for short periods of time for relaxation or exploration, they engage in tourism. Latin American countries, with their indigenous cultures, archaeological sites, beaches, great biological diversity, and rich histories, draw millions of tourists from all over the world every year, mainly from North America and Europe. Tourism is an important source of income for many Latin American countries as well as of foreign currency for the region, and a driving force behind economic development. The tourism sector not only provides a great number of jobs, it is also a recipient of considerable public and private investment. For example, in Mexico and Argentina tourism represents approximately 10 percent of their GDP and in Mexico it is the fourth largest source of foreign exchange.

Development of tourist services varies greatly from region to region. Mexico and Central America (and Costa Rica in particular) receive approximately 50 percent of the tourists visiting Latin America; the Caribbean (Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Cuba) receives another 30 percent; and South America (Brazil, Argentina, and Chile), 20 percent. In 2004 the Latin American countries most visited were Mexico (20 million tourists), Brazil (4 million), and Argentina (3 million). Despite its natural, cultural, and historical attractions, Latin America still receives a small portion of world tourism: Approximately 10 percent of tourists choose the region as a destination. The sector's growth rates since 2000 have been slightly lower than those of Pacific Asia and the Middle East. The main reasons for these differences lie in the relative distances between travelers' home countries and destinations and in the unequal availability of appropriate infrastructure and equipment.

HISTORY OF TOURISM

Modern mass tourism emerged after World War II and has grown at a fast rate since the mid-twentieth century. International tourists numbered 25 million in 1950. The World Tourism Organization (WTO) predicts tourists throughout the world will number about 1 billion by 2010. The determining factors in the rise of mass tourism have been an overall increase in income and free time, the development of the leisure culture, and technological progress in the transportation and communications industries. Technological improvements in transportation shortened traveling distances while the cost of traveling became affordable to a larger percentage of the world population. However, this exponential growth in tourist activity throughout the world has provoked criticism because of harmful effects on the environment, disruption of indigenous communities and their folk traditions, and an excessively commercial bias in the sector's operation. In Latin America these concerns have prompted demands for "responsible tourism" and greater government control.

MEXICO, CENTRAL AMERICA, AND THE CARIBBEAN

Mexico is one of the countries most visited by international tourists; in 2004 it ranked eighth in the world tourism sector. After World War II the Pan-American highway was a significant promoter of tourism in Mexico, facilitating travel from the United States to Acapulco on the Pacific. Other important tourist destinations in Mexico include the Aztec ruins at Teotihuacan and the beach resorts on the Yucatan peninsula (Cancun, Playa del Carmen). The work of the great Mexican muralists Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, and José Clemente Orozco and of the painter Frida Kahlo (1907–1954) and the exceptional National Museum of Anthropology of Mexico are of particular cultural interest. Tourism is also significant in Central America, where visitors seek out the ruins of Copán and the coastal city of La Ceiba in Honduras; the Maya ruins of Tikal and the city of Quetzaltenango in Guatemala; the archaeological site of Tazumal and the beaches of El Salvador; the colonial buildings in the city of Granada and volcanoes in Nicaragua; the rainforests and canal in San José, Costa Rica; and the cultural and musical attractions in Caribbean Panama.

The islands of the Caribbean receive 30 percent of the tourists to the entire region. In the 1970s various governments promoted development of the tourism sector, and in the twenty-first century it represents a significant portion of their gross domestic product. Cuba was one of the pioneering countries in receiving considerable influxes of tourists, mainly from the United States, until the revolution of 1959. In the early twenty-first century the country is visited by tourists from Europe, Latin America, and Canada. Havana (with its unique culture and history) and the beaches of Varadero are its principal attractions. Other frequently visited destinations in the Caribbean are the beaches of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, and Aruba, an island in the Lesser Antilles, as well as the beaches of Barbados, Jamaica, and the Bahamas.

SOUTH AMERICA

Tourism in South America has expanded at a relatively slower rate than in other areas of the continent. Nevertheless, the region's governments have realized the importance of international and national tourism to their nations' economic activity. Two of the three most visited countries in Latin America are Argentina and Brazil. The impressive landscapes of Argentine and Chilean Patagonia, with their large winter sports centers operating from July to September; the Perito Moreno glacier in Argentina; and the Iguaçu Falls on the borders of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay, are some of the region's attractions. Bogota's Botero Museum, displaying the works of the Colombian painter Fernando Botero (b. 1932), and the Colombian and Venezuelan beaches; Carnival at Rio de Janeiro (one of the biggest in the world); Brazilian beaches and the samba; tango music in Buenos Aires, Argentina; and the indigenous culture and handicrafts of Peru, along with the archaeological ruins of Machu Picchu and the world-famous Inca Trail, are some of the reasons why millions of tourists visit South America each year.

As tourist destinations, the countries of Latin America offer a unique opportunity to experience indigenous cultures, the customs inherited from the colonial era, and Latin charm. Tourists can learn about the Aztec, Maya, and Inca indigenous civilizations (located mainly in Mexico and Peru) by viewing archaeological sites; they can also take in the visual riches of the architecture of the colonial era as well as natural landscapes and beaches, serviced by a modern tourist infrastructure. The lively nightlife of the principal cities of Latin America—Bogota, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, and Santiago de Chile—is also of great appeal to visitors. The region is currently facing the challenge of reducing social inequality and poverty. Appropriate responses to this challenge will do much to increase domestic as well as foreign tourism. All predictions indicate that the tourist industry will continue to grow.

See alsoArchaeology; Art: Pre-Columbian Art of Mesoamerica; Art: Pre-Columbian Art of South America; Art: The Colonial Era; Art: The Nineteenth Century; Art: The Twentieth Century; Art: Folk Art; Travel Literature.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Dahles, Heidi, and Lou Keune, eds. Tourism Development and Local Participation in Latin America. New York: Cognizant Communication Corporation, 2002.

Getino, Octavio. Turismo entre el ocio y el negocio: Identidad cultural y desarrollo económico para América Latina y el Mercosur. Buenos Aires: La Crujía, 2002.

Organización Mundial del Turismo. Compendium of Tourism Statistics. Madrid: World Tourism Organization, 2004.

                                        Vicente Palermo