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Foreign Correspondent: Cancun-style tourism

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Outdoor pool area of Cancun resort hotel
Foreign Correspondent: Cancun-style tourism

SUBJECTS:  Geography

YEARS:  7–8, 9–10


See what has made south-eastern Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, and in particular its city of Cancun, a popular tourist destination.

Listen to different viewpoints on large-scale tourism in the region — one that presents its economic benefits and others that point to its environmental impacts.


Things to think about

  1. 1.Think of the world's biggest tourist resorts. Where are they and what draws tourists to them? What kinds of impact do you think large-scale tourism can have on the environment and local people?
  2. 2.Cancun is the number one tourist destination in the Caribbean. Does it seem like a model that is sustainable? What image does Raul Maruffo, the government's Tourism undersecretary, convey about tourism development? What evidence in the clip suggests that the environment is under threat?
  3. 3.How would you describe the resort development in Cancun? What environmental assets does the region have? In what ways are these assets at risk? In your opinion, to what extent has the Mexican government ensured that sustainable development has taken place? Give some examples.
  4. 4.The Riviera Maya region caters for large-scale tourism, with nearly 40,000 hotel rooms and many other types of accommodation. What is the attraction to this region? Do a quick search of tourist destinations in the Riviera Maya region. What role does 'demand' play in establishing new tourism developments? Over time, what are the likely impacts (positive and negative) of tourism on the region and its people?

Date of broadcast: 12 Mar 2013


Copyright

Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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