The importance of tourism to Mexico’s economy

Mexico is one of the 30 member states of the OECD (Organisation for Economic and Commercial Development).

Of all these countries, Mexico, Spain and Portugal are the three whose economies gain most from tourism. In Spain, 11% of its GDP comes from tourism, in Portugal 10.5% and in Mexico 8.2%.

Acapulco, Mexico's first major resort. Photograph by Tony Burton. All rights reserved.

Employment in Mexico is also greatly dependent on tourism. Of the 30 OECD countries, Mexico has the eighth highest figure for the proportion of the workforce in tourism (6.7%), after Spain (13%), Italy (9.7%), New Zealand (9.6%), Hungary (9.2%), Portugal (8.0%), Greece (7.3%) and Japan (6.9%).

Many aspects of tourism are analyzed in detail in chapter 19 of Geo-Mexico: the geography and dynamics of modern Mexico, including:

• The problems of defining “a tourist”
• How different kinds of tourism compare in terms of their contribution to Mexico
• Tourism as a development strategy
• Spontaneous and purpose-built resorts
• The concepts of sustainability and ecotourism
• “Residential tourism”, an unusual category of tourism that is very important in certain specific regions in Mexico.