Territory, tourism and urban transformations. Ideas for alternative management in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Abstract

The paper addresses the relationship between territory, tourism and recent processes of urban transformation in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The narrative is divided into four parts. The first to establish the territorial dynamics in Mexican beach tourist destinations, whose urbanization process has been intense and sustained over time. In the second part, the discussion focuses on tourism and its territorial effects. Although, the recreational activity is one of the economic and labor engines worldwide, its effect on the territory marks and conditions the communities. Tourism seems to have a friendly and seductive face but also a deeply corrosive one. For the third section, the trends of urbanization in Puerto Vallarta from 2010 to the present are exposed, manifested in a deep reconversion of the tourist space. In this period, the tensions between real estate investments and the community prosperity shocks with institutional resistance to lead a development with criteria of sustainability. Finally, it is propose to innovate the local urban management by strengthening the institutions and establishing alternative ways so that the generation of value produced by urbanization can contribute to enhance local development.