Brooke English

University Honors with Honors in Spanish

Majors: Spanish and Business Administration

Supervisor: Mary Watts, Foreign Languages and Literature

Tourist Town: An Investigation of the Investigation of the Influence of American Tourism on Playa del Carmen

The present study investigated the effects, both positive and negative, of the influence of American tourists and businesses on the town of Playa del Carmen, located in the Riviera Maya region of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. The effects of tourism on Playa del Carmen were studied from the perspective of three groups of people: local residents of Playa del Carmen, American tourists in that area and area business owners. Individuals from each group were surveyed, and provided information about Playa del Carmen, their activities in Playa del Carmen, and the effects of tourism on the town. Each of the three groups of people was given a separate survey to complete, written either in English or Spanish. In all, eleven surveys were completed. Results of the surveys showed that all the groups surveyed viewed tourism in Playa del Carmen as being beneficial and detrimental. They revealed that while tourism has been beneficial for many local residents in Playa del Carmen, its benefits have not necessarily extended to native Mayans living in and around the town. Furthermore, the results indicated that tourism could have a negative impact on the culture of Playa del Carmen. The present study ends with a discussion of the positive and negative effects of tourism on the town and its culture, based upon the results of the surveys.