Abstract:

Tourism is viewed as a rapidly growing foundation of the economy in many developing nations. This paper provides an analysis of the dependent nature and structural duality of the tourist industry in Third World countries. It is argued that the principal consequences are inter and intraclass fragmentation and the exacerbation of regional disparity, which in turn impede national development. The major theoretical emphasis is on the role of the tertiary sector in developing nations; this is discussed within the framework of current polemics concerning indicators of development. The analysis is based on writing about economic development in Third World countries and examples are drawn from Mexico.