hotels, as was mentioned previously, has resulted in a proliferation of dilapidated,
somewhat ugly buildings. At the same time, other attractions such as Papagayo Park
and the Dolphin Aquarium appear outdated and neglected. Particularly noticeable in
high season is the inability of the urban infrastructure to cope with the volume of
tourists, which inevitably culminates in congested traffic, crowded pavements and
the resultant visual, air and noise pollution. In addition, there exist several locations
that could conceivably function as environmental attractions, yet they remain
undeveloped. One example is Veladero National Park, an ecological reserve that
harbours the potential to become a sustainably viable attraction but instead appears
to be disregarded, left to languish out of sight of the tourists and suffering from a
degree of environmental damage caused by several years of illegal human
settlement.
4.9.2.5 Financial Capital
Acapulco’s tourism industry was built upon state, local and foreign financial capital
which served to create the conditions for the mass tourism that was to follow (Sackett
2009). Nonetheless, the destination’s change of circumstances from ‘golden era’ to
‘slow decline’ led to a significant downturn in levels of investment, now visually
manifested by the aged and shabby hotels, deteriorating attractions and closed
businesses which affect the quality of Acapulco’s built environment. The situation
has decidedly worsened since the destination entered into a period of rapid decline in
2006, which has resulted in the majority of international tour operators and airlines
withdrawing from Acapulco.
Since 2006 strong investments have gone down a lot. It’s obvious. When there are no
guarantees, when a destination does not have direct flights- this is a big problem. So,
investments just disappear. (Participant 15, personal communication, May 2, 2016)
Meanwhile, federal, state and municipal funds designated for tourism development are often compromised as money is extracted for personal gain; consequently,
projects outlined in development plans are done cheaply or abandoned. Additionally,
promotion strategies lack the necessary finance required to be fully effective because
the funding for marketing projects, levied from hotel room tax, has been negatively
affected by the frequent failure of Acapulco’s hotels to reach capacity.
4.9.2.6 Political Capital
From the period of Miguel Aleman’s presidency (1946–1952) until the 1980s,
Acapulco’s local authority and businesses possessed a substantial amount of political influence. Notwithstanding, as Acapulco’s popularity began to wane, so too did
its political capital. That is, interest from the federal government gradually diminished as the new tourism growth poles began to attract international tourists.
Consequently, the political favouritism previously enjoyed by Acapulco’s prominent
politicians and corporations began to disintegrate, thus weakening the influence of
4 Regenerating the Pearl of the Pacific: A Destination Capitals. . .
53
somewhat ugly buildings. At the same time, other attractions such as Papagayo Park
and the Dolphin Aquarium appear outdated and neglected. Particularly noticeable in
high season is the inability of the urban infrastructure to cope with the volume of
tourists, which inevitably culminates in congested traffic, crowded pavements and
the resultant visual, air and noise pollution. In addition, there exist several locations
that could conceivably function as environmental attractions, yet they remain
undeveloped. One example is Veladero National Park, an ecological reserve that
harbours the potential to become a sustainably viable attraction but instead appears
to be disregarded, left to languish out of sight of the tourists and suffering from a
degree of environmental damage caused by several years of illegal human
settlement.
4.9.2.5 Financial Capital
Acapulco’s tourism industry was built upon state, local and foreign financial capital
which served to create the conditions for the mass tourism that was to follow (Sackett
2009). Nonetheless, the destination’s change of circumstances from ‘golden era’ to
‘slow decline’ led to a significant downturn in levels of investment, now visually
manifested by the aged and shabby hotels, deteriorating attractions and closed
businesses which affect the quality of Acapulco’s built environment. The situation
has decidedly worsened since the destination entered into a period of rapid decline in
2006, which has resulted in the majority of international tour operators and airlines
withdrawing from Acapulco.
Since 2006 strong investments have gone down a lot. It’s obvious. When there are no
guarantees, when a destination does not have direct flights- this is a big problem. So,
investments just disappear. (Participant 15, personal communication, May 2, 2016)
Meanwhile, federal, state and municipal funds designated for tourism development are often compromised as money is extracted for personal gain; consequently,
projects outlined in development plans are done cheaply or abandoned. Additionally,
promotion strategies lack the necessary finance required to be fully effective because
the funding for marketing projects, levied from hotel room tax, has been negatively
affected by the frequent failure of Acapulco’s hotels to reach capacity.
4.9.2.6 Political Capital
From the period of Miguel Aleman’s presidency (1946–1952) until the 1980s,
Acapulco’s local authority and businesses possessed a substantial amount of political influence. Notwithstanding, as Acapulco’s popularity began to wane, so too did
its political capital. That is, interest from the federal government gradually diminished as the new tourism growth poles began to attract international tourists.
Consequently, the political favouritism previously enjoyed by Acapulco’s prominent
politicians and corporations began to disintegrate, thus weakening the influence of
4 Regenerating the Pearl of the Pacific: A Destination Capitals. . .
53