The Exotic Appeal: Exoticism in Mexican Tourism

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The tourist gaze of Mexico is of an exotic destination which consists of sun, beaches, tropical weather, and turquoise waters. Tourism in Mexico began in the 1970s and during the past two decades the country has become an exclaimed tourist destination. Currently, tourist revenues are the third-highest source of foreign exchange (Wilson, 2008, 6). Mexican tourism is predominately marketed to the United States (Swords & Mize, 55). These Western tourist visit Mexico to experience a sense of exoticism. Exoticism is defined as, “A romanticization, fetishization, and/or commodification of ethnic, racial, or cultural otherness (Chandler & Munday, 2011).” The exposure to an unfamiliar place creates an adventurous environment for tourists. This allows them to experience a pleasurable surrounding that is different from their average routines. Tourists acquire a nonchalant mentality, which causes them to search for connections that cannot be replicated (Van Den Berghe & Keyes, 1984, 345). The exoticism of Mexico produces an “authentic” experience. This is highly marketable to tourists and establishes the country as an alluring getaway.
This essay will explore the role of exoticism in Mexican tourism. The focus will be on two categories of exoticism which are Mexican folklore and the sexualization of “exotic” bodies. These topics will be discussed separately but they share common connections linked to culture. Mexican folklore will be analyzed through the commodification of specific rituals, “traditional” dress, and “authentic” souvenirs. The sexualization of “exotic” bodies will be specifically observed in tourist work. This will explore the advantages that objectification creates for tourist worker. The goal is to show how exoticism fu...

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...d Tourist Gazes and Performances: U.S. Consumption of Land and Labor in Puerto Rican and Mexican Destinations. Latin American Perspectives, 35(3), 53-69. Retrieved from: http://www.jstor.org/stable/27648097
Wilson, T.D. (2008). The Impact of Tourism in Latin American. Latin American Perspectives, 35(3), 3-20. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/27648094
Wilson, T.D., & Ypeij, A. (2012). Tourism, Gender, and Ethnicity. Latin American Perspectives, 39(5), 5-16. doi: 10.1177/0094582X12453896
Van Den Berghe, P.L. (1995). Marketing Mayas: Ethnic Tourism Promotion in Mexico. Annals of Tourism Research, 22(3), 568-588. doi: 10.1016/0160-7383(95)00006-R
Van Den Berghe, P.L., & Keyes, C.F. (1984). Tourism and Re-Created Ethnicity. Annals of Tourism Research, 11(3), 343-353 Retrieved from http://
 dx.doi.org.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/10.1016/0160-7383(84)90026-4

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