The General Law of Planning is about the participation of society- so that they can help make
decisions, but what happens in reality? Not everybody participates-they are groups which are
very closed. There doesn’t exist a culture of participation. (Participant 12, personal communication, April 6, 2016)
4.9.2.2 Cultural Capital
Acapulco possesses substantial cultural heritage. For example, several attractions
which convey the destination’s past, namely, the Fort of San Diego (which contains
Acapulco’s Museum of History), the Palma Sola archaeological site and the Diego
Rivera wall mural, are located in close proximity to the clifftop of La Quebrada, from
which locals dive into the sea below, and the Los Flamingos hotel, former residence
of Hollywood icons Johnny Weissmuller and John Wayne. Meanwhile, a significant
intangible cultural presence is provided by Acapulco’s sense of place, or terroir
(Smith 2015), manifestations of Asian, African and South American ancestry in
artisan products available in local markets and in a gastronomy renowned for dishes
such as pescado a la talla, ceviche and pozole. Nonetheless, promotion efforts lack
intensity. That is, Palma Sola, the Fort of San Diego, Rivera’s mural, Los Flamingos
and La Quebrada rely chiefly on word of mouth promotion, and while efforts are
occasionally made to promote Guerrero’s gastronomy, it tends to have a limited
impact and the region is not particularly known for this aspect of its culture. The
reluctance to diversify the tourism product gives credence to a common perception
among many stakeholders that the authorities are for the most part only concerned
with offering Acapulco as a beach destination:
Unfortunately, they only want to promote the sun and beach product. Even though there are
problems they don’t diversify. Why don’t they do it? The plans have never thought to
develop Acapulco as a cultural destination. It’s always been a beach destination. The Federal
Government decided that this was no good for Acapulco. (Participant 2, personal communication, January 13, 2016)
4.9.2.3 Human Capital
Historical analysis demonstrates that Acapulco’s tourism development has adversely
affected the community leading to numerous social issues. At the same time, local
workers’ needs have been similarly disregarded. For example, throughout the
destination’s golden period, the majority of hotels were managed by foreigners,
and in many cases, only people of a white complexion were allowed to work in the
reception area of hotels.
Tourism for a long time here was seen as an ‘elitist’ activity. We were always told that it’s an
activity for ‘nice’ people; there is no room for ugly, poor people. (Participant 5, personal
communication, February 10, 2016)
While such elitist, racist overtones no longer appear to be dominant in Acapulco,
discrimination still exists to a certain extent, and a large number of workers in the
4 Regenerating the Pearl of the Pacific: A Destination Capitals. . .
51
decisions, but what happens in reality? Not everybody participates-they are groups which are
very closed. There doesn’t exist a culture of participation. (Participant 12, personal communication, April 6, 2016)
4.9.2.2 Cultural Capital
Acapulco possesses substantial cultural heritage. For example, several attractions
which convey the destination’s past, namely, the Fort of San Diego (which contains
Acapulco’s Museum of History), the Palma Sola archaeological site and the Diego
Rivera wall mural, are located in close proximity to the clifftop of La Quebrada, from
which locals dive into the sea below, and the Los Flamingos hotel, former residence
of Hollywood icons Johnny Weissmuller and John Wayne. Meanwhile, a significant
intangible cultural presence is provided by Acapulco’s sense of place, or terroir
(Smith 2015), manifestations of Asian, African and South American ancestry in
artisan products available in local markets and in a gastronomy renowned for dishes
such as pescado a la talla, ceviche and pozole. Nonetheless, promotion efforts lack
intensity. That is, Palma Sola, the Fort of San Diego, Rivera’s mural, Los Flamingos
and La Quebrada rely chiefly on word of mouth promotion, and while efforts are
occasionally made to promote Guerrero’s gastronomy, it tends to have a limited
impact and the region is not particularly known for this aspect of its culture. The
reluctance to diversify the tourism product gives credence to a common perception
among many stakeholders that the authorities are for the most part only concerned
with offering Acapulco as a beach destination:
Unfortunately, they only want to promote the sun and beach product. Even though there are
problems they don’t diversify. Why don’t they do it? The plans have never thought to
develop Acapulco as a cultural destination. It’s always been a beach destination. The Federal
Government decided that this was no good for Acapulco. (Participant 2, personal communication, January 13, 2016)
4.9.2.3 Human Capital
Historical analysis demonstrates that Acapulco’s tourism development has adversely
affected the community leading to numerous social issues. At the same time, local
workers’ needs have been similarly disregarded. For example, throughout the
destination’s golden period, the majority of hotels were managed by foreigners,
and in many cases, only people of a white complexion were allowed to work in the
reception area of hotels.
Tourism for a long time here was seen as an ‘elitist’ activity. We were always told that it’s an
activity for ‘nice’ people; there is no room for ugly, poor people. (Participant 5, personal
communication, February 10, 2016)
While such elitist, racist overtones no longer appear to be dominant in Acapulco,
discrimination still exists to a certain extent, and a large number of workers in the
4 Regenerating the Pearl of the Pacific: A Destination Capitals. . .
51