PLATFORMIZATION OF TOURISM AND SOCIO-SPATIAL RECONFIGURATION IN CUETZALAN DEL PROGRESO (PUEBLA) 2018-2024. CASE STUDY: AIRBNB

Abstract

The massive incorporation of online accommodation platforms, since the late 20th century and with increasing force in the 21st, has accentuated complex dynamics and intensified the processes of touristification that transform traditional homes into accommodations for the tourist market. This phenomenon raises questions about the role of government in regulating land use, protecting the right to housing, and territorial governance in rural tourist destinations. Given this situation, this article begins with the following question: How has the convergence of Airbnb as an online intermediation platform and rural tourism policies impacted the socio-spatial reconfiguration of Cuetzalan del Progreso during the period 2018-2024? This question serves as the starting point for the research problem. In this sense, the research contributes to the debates about urban-rural reconfigurations caused by tourism, specifically by associating the relationship between digital accommodation platforms and tourism policies in order to describe the socio-spatial transformations in the studied territory. Overall, the aim is to contribute elements from a critical perspective in order to establish guidelines for a more equitable territorial governance.