Territorial dynamics of cultural tourism in Izamal, Yucatan, Mexico

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to reveal the organization and territorial dynamics of tourism in Izamal, a town located in the Mayan territory in the southeastern Mexican state of Yucatan. Through the analysis of territorial elements such as touristic resources, support services for tourism, infrastructure, communications nets and visitors flows, the structure integrating the tourist destination will be revealed. Special emphasis will be focused on cultural resources. The results show that tourist attractions in Izamal are associated to its history and culture. Despite the great potential of territorial resources for tourism, Izamal is contesting with other close destinations such as Merida, Valladolid, Chichen Itza and Cancun. The nearness to these sites leaves Izamal as a secondary destination limited to 1-day visits. Regarding the global context, the town can be considered an international destination visited by travellers coming from the five continents. Due to the presence of Our Lady of Izamal, important flows of regional visitors (motivated by faith) arrive to Izamal, especially during religious festivities. Thus, non-regional visitors see the town as a secondary destination but the city also keeps a symbolic significance among regional inhabitants. Tourism dynamics inside the historic town appear as limited to a few spots inside a small perimeter where most of tourist services are located, provoking the segregation of large districts of the urban space.