TOURISM EVALUATION OF THE ACY REGION: TOURIST AND SERVICE PROVIDERS’ INVENTORY

Abstract

Nowadays, tourism development must pursue a balance between socio-economic benefits and environmental costs (Bath, 2012). So, to reach a sustainable economic growth, tourism strategies must integrate the three pillars of sustainability as it is established in the Brundtland Report (ONU, 1987). Hence, a strategic planning process can contribute to the definition of policies for rural sustainable tourism development, whereby it is required a holistic knowledge of traditions and natural resources of the interest region (Dajati, 2014, Hashim et al., 2015). Based on Gascón (2013), we assess the tourist potential of the municipalities of Atoyac, Cuitláhuac, and Yanga through the creation of a tourism inventory and a service provider’s inventory. With these inventories, we establish the first step in the strategic planning process to develop sustainable rural tourism.