Magic Town Research Articles

Competitiveness and tourism GDP in Magic Towns: an analysis based on the theory of forgotten effects

AbstractThe magic towns of Mexico require strategies that help them to face competition and influence the economic development of the country and the tourism sector itself. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to evaluate the relationship between tourism competitiveness and tourism GDP in the magic towns, in order to identify direct and indirect effects of the phenomenon from the perspective of experts. To respond to this approach made, the theory of forgotten effects proposed by Kaufmann & Aluja in 1988 was used. In order to apply the forgotten effects, 25 experts from different countries and knowledgeable about the “Pueblos Mágicos” programme evaluated the cause-effect relationships. A close relationship was observed between natural and cultural resources and stock market, exchange and investment activities. A strong relationship was also found between accessibility to the destination, tourism infrastructure and complementary tourism services with photography and videography services. Finally, a relationship was found between natural resources and retail trade. These relationships suggest that investment in natural and cultural resources, improved accessibility, tourism infrastructure and the promotion of complementary tourism services can have a positive impact on the local economy. Prior to the present work, an evaluation between the two aforementioned variables (tourism competitiveness and tourism GDP) in Magic Towns had not been performed. With the results obtained, the cause-effect relationships of the phenomenon under study were made visible, both direct and indirect relationships, thus being able to obtain a complete picture and in fact, facilitate both decision-making and the generation of strategies that seek to improve these tourist destinations.

Quality of the tourist service in the Magic Town of El Fuerte, Sinaloa: descriptive analysis

Quality of the tourist service in the Magic Town of El Fuerte, Sinaloa: descriptive analysis

Percepción del desarrollo económico en un Pueblo Mágico: San Sebastián del Oeste, Jalisco, México

Tourist activity is transforming the economic life of a community with sui generis characteristics. Three events have led to this transformation: the resurgence of new tourism demands, the construction of the highway and the incursion of the federal program of Magic Towns. The objective of this paper focuses on rescuing the voices of local actors on the subject, for which we resorted to the grounded theory methodology to build a new object of study, which questioned local development in San Sebastián del Oeste. The technique used was the Atlas ti program. Among the main results, it was found that: the economic benefits generated by the influx of tourists to the area are reflected in the investments of external enterprises. The locals obtain marginal income. The economic sector with the greatest advantages is local gastronomy

Gestionar los pueblos turísticos: México y Francia, sus experiencias

Tourism as an alternative is here to stay in contemporary economies, which have put in value complete cities and small towns. On these last territories, two cases are studied: Magical Towns and The Most Beautiful Villages of France. Much has been discussed about the effectiveness and efficiency of the Pueblos Mágicos program in Mexico. The recent decline in its federal budget is a sign that it has been in question for several years. Of the strongest criticisms that have been made, the one referring to the alteration of heritage stands out as well as its negative impact on the cultural and natural in the settlements where it has been applied. Such indications have been omitted by the official instances and by inhabitants of the Magic Town in question, because they prioritize the economic spillover. Thus, to orient ourselves on what to do to solve this problem, it is very useful to compare what solutions have been taken by other countries that pose the same problem. In this work, we make a comparison of the French program and the Mexican programm. Among the most notable differences, we note that in France the programme in question is financed by private initiative, which is why it does not represent a burden on the State's finances; they have other criteria of care for heritage and this program, due to its advantages, has been extended to a certain number of countries even outside Europe.

Modeling Perception Entrepreneurship in the Covid-19 Era

Purpose. The objective of this study is to study the literature related to social entrepreneurship published from 2020 to 2023 in order to model its theoretical dimensions in factors. Theoretical framework. Based on the theory of social entrepreneurship, which maintains that in the face of economic crises, communities disseminate information for economic cooperation, its opportunity dimensions are modeled: economic, political, social, financial, and environmental. Method. An exploratory, cross-sectional, psychometric and correlational study was carried out with a sample of 100 microentrepreneurs from a town in central Mexico selected for their participation in the local entrepreneurship and development system called magical towns. Practical and social implications. The established factorial model will make it possible to delimit local microfinancing policies for microenterprises. Originality. The value of the study lies in establishing the validity and reliability of an instrument that measures social entrepreneurship in the face of the pandemic.

Economic growth and human development in the Magic Towns and Charming Towns of the State of Mexico

Economic growth and human development in the Magic Towns and Charming Towns of the State of Mexico

Sustainable tourism management for the program of Magical Towns – 4 worlds Ecuador

Sustainable tourism management for the Magical Towns - 4 Mundos Ecuador understands the particularities that cover social, cultural, economic and environmental aspects of sustainability; The essence of this model lies in the search for tangible benefits for the localities that enter and remain in the development of the tourism management model. An exhaustive bibliographical review of the program, management models already proposed, and strategic approaches were used with the purpose of accessing relevant information to determine the objective of developing a long-term sustainable tourism management model for the localities of the 4 Worlds of Ecuador that are classified as magical towns. This model constitutes a dynamic and versatile system that allows identifying the strengths, weaknesses, and conflicts of operation to make decisions focused on the sustainable development of the locality, preserving natural resources, and above all cultural ones such as gastronomy, customs, traditions, architecture, arts, clothing, and archaeological heritage.

Structural Equation Modeling of Gastronomic Tourism in the Face of COVID-19

The pandemic has claimed the lives of seven million, affecting the local economy. Anti-COVID-19 policies promote entrepreneurship as a central axis of the economic agenda. In the case of tourism, micro-financing policies encourage the local economy through the promotion of magical towns. The gastronomy trade has benefited from fiscal and monetary incentives. In this sense, the objective of this work was to establish the determinants of innovative entrepreneurship with a sample of 100 merchants. A predictive model was contrasted in which resource optimization determined product innovation. In relation to the state of knowledge, the scope and limits of the study were discussed.

Estado de la innovación sostenible en empresas hoteleras de El Fuerte, Sinaloa

This case study focuses on the Magic Town of El Fuerte, a place where it has long been promoted as a place with a sui generis cultural and natural wealth, and where there are also a considerable number of businesses focused on tourism, including, of course, establishments. hoteliers who have an orientation towards the conservation of the cultural and architectural heritage of the place. Thus, the main objective of the research is the analysis of sustainable innovation as a competitive strategy for the hotel establishments of El Fuerte. For this, a mixed QUAN-QUAL methodology was implemented that would allow a broader description of the phenomenon and whose results reflect an incipient culture towards the implementation of strategies for sustainability, especially in the environmental aspect.

Women’s Role in the Development of Alternative Tourism Projects in Indigenous Areas in the State of Morelos, Mexico

The rural lands of Morelos have a wide variety of natural resources and it’s rich in cultural heritage. Here you can find indigenous groups, mostly Nahuatl, distinguished by their hospitality. They offer multiple recreational activities to the tourists such as hiking, aerial games on trees, water tours, rock art, coexistence with indigenous communities, guided visits to “magical towns”, conventual or historical routes, among other attractions. For the Nahua people, tlazohtla love and talcaiita respect are linked to tequio reciprocity, strengthening collective work. Some initiatives have emerged thanks to the efforts of the community, and in a very special way to the women, preserving and sharing their ancestral knowledge and culture day after day, reinforcing values, solidarity, and commitment to the place of belonging. This paper shares some collaborative initiatives between rural indigenous collectives and researchers from the Autonomous University of the State of Morelos that promote the value of the impact of indigenous women ’s proposals for the development of ecotourism.

Bibliometric Mapping of Research on Magic Towns of Mexico

The tourism program “Pueblos Mágicos” was created in 2001 by the Mexican Secretary of Tourism (Sectur), together with its brand, with the aim of promoting tourism by preserving secular and ancestral traditions, as well as revitalizing cities and towns that make great efforts to protect and safeguard their cultural wealth. In this context, the aim of this research work is to show the current state of scientific research carried out within the context of the Magic Towns of Mexico. The work methodology is based on the bibliometric analysis of the scientific production indexed in two main international databases: Web of Science and Scopus. The application of this technique will make it possible to obtain a scientific mapping of the production (growth, researchers in the subject, production impact through the number of citations, network analysis, etc.), with the aim of observing the evolution in the generation of knowledge regarding this tourism development tool that acts as a distinctive brand for tourism in Mexico. This mapping is useful for researchers as it provides information on the research carried out so far, allowing them to identify gaps to work on in their future research work. The systematic search process identified 52 articles. The results indicate that the research carried out in this context is incipient, with few researchers addressing the subject on a continuous basis and most of them being transient researchers with a single article. Most of the research was approached from the perspective of cultural heritage, cultural resources, inherited resources, cultural tourism, public policy, local development and sustainable tourism, and sustainable development. In light of the number of articles published, all of these can be considered to be incipient lines of research.

Satisfacción del visitante a partir de los atributos de pueblos mágicos del noroeste mexicano

El objetivo es estimar los determinantes del nivel de satisfacción del visitante a partir de atributos en cuatro Pueblos Mágicos (PM) ubicados en la región noroeste de México, Todos Santos y Loreto de Baja California Sur (BCS), El Rosario y Cosalá de Sinaloa. Método: Se adaptó el Modelo de Satisfacción del Turista (MST) de la Secretaría de Turismo de México (SECTUR) y se apoya en la estimación de un modelo Probit bivariado como el enfoque econométrico adecuado para modelar conjuntamente la satisfacción general y la satisfacción de cada atributo a partir de la aplicación de 384 encuestas. Resultados: De acuerdo a la MST el índice de satisfacción de El Rosario es de 7.6, Cosalá de 8.5, Loreto de 8.5 y Todos Santos 8.4. Las variables independientes que conforman los bloques del perfil del turista, los motivos del viaje, experiencia de los servicios, percepción de los servicios y estadía y gasto fueron predictores significativos para los dos tipos de satisfacción. Conclusiones: Los visitantes acuden a PM para pasar el tiempo con fines de esparcimiento, tranquilidad y conocimiento de los lugares por ser atractivos naturales y turísticos. Los sitios estudiados tienen diversas áreas de oportunidad en aspectos como la seguridad, transporte y servicios de recreación. Asimismo, no necesariamente los sitios con mayor afluencia son aquellos donde se evalúa mejor los atributos analizados.

Ecotourism as a path to sustainable development in an isolated Magic Town


 Purpose
 
 This study aims to reveal the potential for ecotourism of a locality with high marginalisation index in the municipality of Tlalpujahua, a Magic Town in the State of Michoacán, Mexico.
 
 
 
 Design/methodology/approach
 
 This case study was based on several methodologies. First, socioeconomic, environmental, sustainability, geographic and institutional variables were used in the evaluation of 62 localities of the municipality. Geographic information systems identified study areas and determined their potential for ecotourism. Second, participatory diagnosis was used to collect specific information about the locality regarding their organisational aspects, development strategies, current socioeconomic problems, land use and resources availability and interest in developing projects related to ecotourism. Finally, the authors adapted the FAS Model (factors, attractors and support systems) to include environmental and organisational variables contributing to a theoretical approach to ecotourism. To identify attractors, they applied a questionnaire to determine the profile of tourists visiting Magic Towns and their potential interest in ecotourism.
 
 
 
 Findings
 
 The authors conclude that ecotourism is a possible alternative to highly marginalised localities within Magic Town municipalities and would be able to expand the benefits engendered by the program. Ecotourism can therefore represent a new option for tourists visiting marginalised communities in Mexico.
 
 
 
 Originality/value
 
 A diverse methodology applied key elements to identify localities suitable for ecotourism, characteristics of marginalisation and endowment of natural heritage. The authors conclude that the benefits to localities included in the Magic Towns Program can be expanded to surrounding spaces through strategies such as ecotourism.
 

Evaluación del bienestar en los destinos turísticos ¿Cómo aplicar el Índice de Desarrollo Humano? El Caso de Tapijulapa, Pueblo Mágico, Méjico

El objetivo es proponer un método de evaluación del bienestar en los destinos turísticos desde la perspectiva del desarrollo humano, concretado en un Índice de Desarrollo Humano Turístico (IDHT) individual. La visión expresada en un índice de valoración de vida se considera válida y oportuna para estudiar la realidad turística. En la metodología que se aplica y propone la calidad de vida se mide mediante el Índice de Desarrollo Humano (IDH) del Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo (PNUD). El IDHT se construye con indicadores de ingreso por turismo, educación universal y salud de los prestadores de servicios; tres dimensiones consideradas como principales en el desarrollo humano sin las cuales otras metas de bienestar suelen ser inalcanzables. Permite medir el nivel de vida ideal y muestra los efectos de políticas económicas y sociales del turismo (Rincón y Labarca, 2013: 109, 110). Los resultados para Tapijulapa, Pueblo Mágico, revelan que el turismo genera bienestar humano con nivel medio y alto en el IDHT (0,550 y más de 0,800). Los componentes del IDHT reflejan acceso a ingresos turísticos con nivel medio y alto (0,550 y más de 0,800); la salud es valorada en el nivel alto (0,700 y más de 0,800) y la educación en nivel bajo y medio (Menos de 0,550, hasta 0,799). Indudablemente se deben llevar a cabo acciones para mejorar los índices de bienestar, con atención prioritaria a la educación de los prestadores de servicios.

Tourist competitiveness strategies, a proposal for the municipality of Huichapan, Hidalgo

The purpose of this investigation was to know the current situation in terms of resources and tourist attractions of the Municipality of Huichapan Hidalgo, to determine the potential in this field and to propose the ideal strategies for tourist competitiveness that allow positioning this Magical Town as a Competitive municipality at the state level. The methodology used in the research was carried out under a mixed type and approach, likewise a hypothetical-deductive method, non-experimental cut, was used. Documentary, having carried out a theoretical investigation of the variables: Tourism, Strategies and Competitiveness, as well as the search for information in various documents created by governmental organizations for the determination of diagnoses, among which are the geographical-environmental and socio-economic, in addition to carrying out a list of the main tourist attractions, both natural and cultural; and field research: since unstructured interviews were applied to both the director of tourism and the chronicler of the municipality, which allowed to know the situation that the municipality is currently going through in terms of tourism competitiveness, as well as a structured questionnaire to the director of tourism in order to determine the tourism potential. Thus, then the results found were that the Magical Town of Huichapan is a destination with tourist potential that lacks complete or new tourist products where ignorance of the cultural and natural wealth, as well as the appropriate strategies for the destination does not favor the existence of tourist competitiveness, compared to four Magic Towns of the State of Hidalgo.

Los modelos de competitividad de destinos turísticos como referentes para evaluar la competitividad de los pueblos mágicos

La competitividad de los destinos turísticos es un elemento clave para su comparación de unos con otros por los rasgos propios que los representan a través de una oferta turística de valor para sus visitantes. Los modelos de competitividad de destinos turísticos representan elementos teóricos para el diseño de indicadores que evalúen su competitividad acorde a la gestión y dinámica de la industria. El objetivo del presente artículo es realizar un análisis teórico de modelos reconocidos académicamente, para identificar el modelo de referencia y así evaluar la competitividad de los pueblos mágicos, mediante el análisis de contenido, a través de una metodología exploratoria cualitativa. Como conclusión del análisis se determina que el modelo idóneo de referencia para evaluar la competitividad de los pueblos mágicos de México es el desarrollado por Ritchie y Crounch.

Virtual Reality to Promote Real del Monte, Mexico

The development of a virtual reality app based on the old English Pantheon, located in the Magic Town of Real del Monte, Mexico, is addressed in this text. The purpose of the project is that people can take a virtual tour through the pantheon with a smartphone to know the charm and mystery of its tombs, as well as digitally preserve the place in spite of its continuous deterioration over time. All the stages of the creation of the virtual scenery are described in detail, such as: storyboard, 3D modeling, UV mapping, texturing, lighting, and rendering; as well as the stages to realize the application in virtual reality, such as: camera adaptation, plugins’ installation, creation of scripts, relation of camera to the character, and creation of the Android APK. This app offers new ways of advertising historical places of the region and, at the same time, promoting tourism

Resiliencia y conservación en Pueblos Mágicos de México. Los casos de Pátzcuaro y Mexcaltitán

La capacidad resiliencia de los Pueblos Mágicos ha entrado en ocasiones en crisis, manifestándose en sus aspectos físico y ambiental, así como en las prácticas cotidianas y formas de vida de sus habitantes. En esta investigación, se identifican los escenarios actuales de tensión, la funcionalidad turística de los destinos y las acciones que puedan contribuir a impulsar un turismo sustentable, propiciando la conservación del patrimonio cultural y estimulando políticas que contribuyan al desarrollo local. Como casos de estudio se analizan Pátzcuaro y Mexcaltitán en México.

Espacio subjetivo insular y percepción turística en Mexcaltitán, Nayarit, México

La isla de Mexcaltitán en el estado de Nayarit, es un sitio de construcción de significados sobre los orígenes de México, comúnmente nombrada Cuna de la Mexicanidad. Por su gran relevancia, en 1986 recibió una Declaratoria de Zona de Monumentos Históricos y en el 2001 fue incluida en la lista de Pueblos Mágicos, distinción que perdió en el 2009; ambos acontecimientos fortalecieron la actividad turística de la isla. Esta propuesta se aborda desde la mirada del turista, con la finalidad de conocer y comprender la concepción, percepción y los significados que le otorga a la isla esta categoría de sujetos. A través de este estudio, se pretende observar y analizar la visión que tiene el turista sobre el espacio que lo rodea, pero también cómo lo organiza mentalmente, es decir, cómo construye el sentido de su relación con el espacio urbano-arquitectónico/territorial-insular y qué aspectos de la sociedad influyen en ello. Â

Perception of national and foreign tourists of the service in restaurants from Todos Santos Magical Town, Mexico

The magic town of Todos Santos is a strategic site for local development and is dependent on the tourist economy driven by national and foreign visitors. Restaurants in Todos Santos obtain raw materials locally to provide quality products for different food specialties. The quality of service (SQ) and customer satisfaction (CS) are two constructs that when evaluated are critical for any market. In this study, the perception and relationship between SQ and SC in the different restaurant specialties is evaluated, contrasting the perception between national and foreign tourists segments. Using 162 surveys, the constructs were evaluated using five dimensions: installations, accessibility, human capital, atmosphere, and food, where hypothetically food and human capital should be the main determinant. The results suggest that SQ and CS are perceived similarly between both segments, except in the Italian specialty in all its dimensions, and partially in Japanese. The food dimension was the highest value on average however, it was not significantly different from the rest of the dimensions. The SQ had a moderate positive impact on CS given the perception of diners by segment based on correlation analysis, the causal effect of which must be determined with detail.