Process of Developing Tourist Destinations in Tequila, Mexico

Abstract

This paper clarifies the process of developing tourist destinations in Tequila, Mexico, focusing on the efforts of tourism actors and landscape improvement. Tourism in Tequila, which began in the latter half of the 1990s under the initiative of a tour company, was developed in response to external factors such as tourism promotion programs, the registration of World Heritage sites, and the setting of TV dramas in the region since 2000. In the process of becoming a tourist destination, tourism actors such as tour companies, guides, and distilleries appeared, thereby constructing a regional image based on tequila. Initially, each actor actively adopted things and events that emphasized the locality of tequila, but as tourism developed, they also used objects that symbolized Mexico. Currently, major distilleries are constructing large-scale tourist facilities and becoming the main actors in attracting tourists.