The Travel Foundation

In Mexico

The Travel Foundation have been developing and delivering a range of sustainable tourism initiatives in Mexico since 2006. Cancun and the Riviera Maya, and more recently, the Costa Maya, is a rapidly growing destination which is becoming increasingly popular with British tourists. From just 1,500 guest rooms in 1995, Cancun and the Riviera Maya now has more than 40,000 rooms and receives over 6 million tourists annually. Cancun receives a further 3.5 million tourists.

The Issue

In the heart of the State of Quintana Roo, Mexico, located to the North of Tulum and Coba and to the south of Limones town, lies the Maya Province or Maya Zone. This region of forest and small communities, has a great quantity of natural and human resources, most of them are neglected. Due to the lack of projects that offer actual and stable economy, jobs and fair commercialization links; a great number of Maya people have migrated to the main tourist destinations of Quintana Roo, Cancun and Playa del Carmen, looking for job opportunities. The new generations are loosing
their will to keep their traditional jobs, because they don’t see any future in it. This means their culture and native identity is vanishing.

What Is The Programme?

The Travel Foundation is working closely with local stakeholders to develop a comprehensive plan for the region. This group has initiated a range of short and longer-term activities to ensure that as tourism develops in the region, there are opportunities for the local people, and particularly the Maya population, to benefit economically.

‘Short-term’ wins

Increasing economic benefits for local communities

The Travel Foundation, in partnership with Amigos de Sian Kaan ( local NGO), is currently developing a program in which it can assist Maya communities to earn an income from tourism through the production of local merchandise, particularly jams, honey, handicrafts and other goods. For example, although there is a thriving handicrafts industry in other regions of Mexico, most of the products that can be purchased in Cancun/Riviera Maya are made in Central Mexico or imported from other countries.

The first step was to identify Maya communities with the potential to produce items suitable for the tourism industry and then to provide appropriate production support to enable them to develop their business. This includes skills training, product development, marketing, and assistance to ensure products meet standards required by the hotel industry.

The program is now producing quality products using materials from sustainable, natural and locally available resources for example, soaps prepared from native plants or wood carvings made from fallen trees in the jungle.

Tulum Protection Guidelines

Mexico is one of the better known destinations for its beautiful coast and the archaeological site of Tulum which figures, by far, as one of the most outstanding. Tulum National Park has been established as Natural protected Area. The growing arrival of visitors is proof of the locality’s tourist activity’s potential; but this also means that, without proper controls, the growing numbers could damage the very attractions that support it, deteriorate natural systems and have a negative impact on both the cultural heritage and the local people.

There is a need to establish standards to help protect these environments whilst allowing them to continue to be attractions for visitors. Such standards should state the areas where visits may take place and the intensity and duration, the degree of visitor satisfaction as social indicators and a cost-benefit analysis as an economic sign.

Tulum Protection Guidelines have been produced by The Travel Foundation in partnership with Biocenosis (local NGO) and the collaboration of the Mexican Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) to sustain decision making processes about permissible uses, application zones, use magnitude and duration, and carrying capacity for tourist activities. They will also determine potential impacts, and mitigation measures along with application strategies to outline monitoring systems needed to permanently evaluate and follow up on these events, enabling responsible parties to ensure the park’s long term sustainability.

Longer term activities

Sustainable Airport

-The city of Cancun is the biggest destination in México and the Caribbean and the number-one city for international tourists and passengers in Latin America. It boasts the second-largest airport in México with more than 10 million passengers passing through in 2004 alone.

The most recent traffic report on passenger movements claims that 1,013,070 passengers passed through the airport during month of July 2006. To service the needs of airlines, passengers and cargo handlers, Cancun airport utilizes the services of more than 300 business and organizations. One result of this high level of activity is the generation of a wide range
and large quantity of solid waste. Approximately 34 tonnes of solid waste is
generated in a week.

Waste Management Training Programme for Cancun City Airport

Currently in the planning stages, a project is being developed which is looking at promoting a better understanding regarding environment and tourism related issues and focuses on the preparation of waste management guidelines and the implementation of the Cancun city airport environmental strategy.