Los megaeventos religiosos en México: el manejo turístico de la visita Papal a la ciudad de Morelia en 2016

Abstract

The tourist activity is a cultural, social, economic and leisure event, which establishes a dialectical relationship and, in some cases, controversy with other expressions and social activities, as in the case of religious devotion. On February 16, 2016, Pope Francis visited the city of Morelia, Michoacan, (Mexico). This event lasted approximately 10 hours and was used under the premise that the Papal visit was constituted -per se- in a powerful religious tourism product that would bring great benefits to the local economy. This work evaluates and interprets how it was organized, including the intervention of government institutions, which assumed it under mercantile and political interests. In addition, it poses a critical reflection on the vision and perception of spiritual tourism, which entails a lack of understanding of the phenomenon evidenced in the creation of religious tourism products in a banal and ephemeral manner.