Abstract :
[en] As of 2024, tourism has become the dominant economic force in Tulum, Mexico, significantly reducing the prevalence of Tulum’s traditional trade (such as fishery and textiles) (World Trade Organization, 2016). This shift has had mixed consequences. On the positive side, tourism has generated substantial employment opportunities and improved local infrastructure. However, this transition has also led to economic vulnerability, environmental degradation, social segregation, and cultural erosion (Domínguez et al., 2021; Vázquez, 2024). The mono-economic reliance on tourism exposes Tulum to global market fluctuations, contingencies, and seasonal variations, undermining economic stability
In this study, we will examine the economic and urban transformation of Tulum, from a self-reliant multi-economic system with multi-use natural resources to a predominantly tourism-driven economy (INEGI, 2016), and its consequences on the usage of natural resources and the city's urban zoning. As the economy shifted to tourism, many locals were forced to change trades or leave the municipality, as their livelihoods were threatened by the stream of tourists who had a different use of the natural resources than the locals did. When a place goes from being a hotspot for fishery to becoming a trendy area for swimming and real estate development (for instance), the economic usage of the space is changed, and so are the locals’ practices and jobs.
To better understand this phenomenon, we will conduct a systematic literature review and analysis of official data from the government of Mexico (INEGI). With this data, we will investigate the extent to which tourism has supplanted traditional economic activities and explore its subsequent socioeconomic impacts on the city’s organization. Special attention will be paid to the effects of shifting spaces from being for locals’s subsistence to tourism and its effects on the locals’ livelihoods
