Abstract

MARQUEZ GONZALEZ, Antonio Romualdo  and  SANCHEZ CRISPIN, Álvaro. Tourism and environment the perception of mexican tourists in Bahía de Banderas, Mexico. Invest. Geog [online]. 2007, n.64, pp.134-152. ISSN 2448-7279.

This paper examines the tourists' perception of the environment in which tourism is being developed in the coastal area of the Bahía de Banderas municipality, western Mexico. In this context, some major research findings, derived from a study on the environmental consequences of tourism in this part of the country, are presented. For over three decades, Mexican authorities have promoted Bahía de Banderas as a coastal scenario which still retains its original natural features; this favourable situation has attracted a large number of tourists throughout the years. However, the creation of infrastructure needed to meet the ever expanding demands of the tourism economy in the area has contributed significantly to the deterioration of the natural habitat, where tourism is expanding.

Keywords : Tourism; natural environment; perception; Bahía de Banderas; Mexico.