Tourism Resilience in the Caribbean Island of Cozumel: Best Practice and High-Risk Areas

Despite the strategic importance of Cozumel Island as Mexico’s top cruise destination, policymakers, academics as well as conservation and development organizations are continuously questioning the resilience of tourism on the island and attempting to identify which strategies have been most successful for both conservation and local development goals. The present study identifies both best practices and risk areas that are undermining Cozumel’s resilience as a destination, with the main focus on environmental sustainability. Also, the researcher looks at key initiatives and projects to improve responsible tourism management practices in the island. The assessment was conducted between December 2018 and August 2019 (a few months before the start of COVID-19 pandemic) using a carefully designed methodology that was based largely on stakeholder input and site visits, as well as an evaluation of the destination’s policies and practices against the Global Sustainable Tourism Council—GSTC’s Criteria for Destinations (GSTC-D). The five most critical high-risk areas according to the stakeholders ‘priority include: 1. Building solid-waste management and reduction programs, 2. Increasing safe water management and conservation, 3. Developing a multi-year Strategic Plan and Vision for Sustainability, 4. Creating a destination management organization (DMO), 5. Developing standards and training for tour operators and guides’.